Whether for passing my driver’s license test or submitting almost half of my secondary applications for medical school, these cookies were getting baked to celebrate something about today! These past few weeks, I’ve been writing (what seems to be) endless essays for med school apps and they’ve had me reflecting way back… back to a time when the cookies had sprinkles and the cookies were freeee. Ahhhhh. Let me explain. Growing up in South Florida, a trip to the grocery store meant a trip to the neighborhood Publix. And in good neighborly fashion, a trip to the neighborhood Publix for kids meant (and still means) a free cookie from their bakery. “Chocolate chip or sprinkle?” I went with sprinkle every time.

Public Bakery’s sprinkle and chocolate chip cookies (photo by The Odyssey)

So these, what I call, Sprinkledoodles (part snickerdoodle, part sugar cookie) are a nod to my Floridian childhood. I’ve actually been wanting to make snickerdoodles since last Christmas, so this hybrid was designed to work double duty. While I was hoping to mix and match the thick, chewy texture of classic snickerdoodles with the rainbow-sprinkle nostalgia of Publix sugar cookies, these cookies actually turned out to be more cake-y/pillow-y in texture. I think next time I’ll definitely use less butter and maybe try substituting bread flour or chilling the dough for longer before baking. But chewy or cake-y, these childhood-inspired Sprinkledoodles still turned out to be the perfect way to celebrate an adulthood accomplishment of a long overdue milestone ’cause this girl is finally licensed! 

Sprinkledoodles

Makes 18 cookies (adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
•  Rainbow sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the softened butter until smooth. Add the sugar and continue to beat until fluffy and light in color. Mix in the egg and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet until just incorporated. Let the dough firm up in the fridge for 5-10 minutes.
4. Using a cookie scoop, measure out 1.5 tbsp of dough at a time and roll them into balls. Roll the tops of the dough balls in the sprinkles and space them apart evenly on the lined baking sheet.
5. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. Enjoy warm or at room temperature!