Grinch Cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 11 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 31 minutes
Ingredients:
½ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
20 drops green food coloring
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
4 tablespoons green sugar
38 Jumbo Red Heart Sprinkles
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth.
Add the egg, vanilla, and green food coloring. Mix until completely combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, being sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Cover and refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 1 hour, so that it is easier to roll.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and roll in the green sugar so that the dough is completely covered. Place each ball onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart, and gently press a red heart onto the left side.
Bake for 10 – 11 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes:
I prefer using green gel food coloring to get that bright green color, but liquid food coloring works fine too!
Making cookies like this is so much easier with a cookie scoop! Just plop the dough directly into a small bowl filled with the green sanding sugar, then lightly roll it with your fingers. It helps keep your hands from getting covered with dough, and you can make all the cookies the same size.
For even more holiday flavor, substitute peppermint extract for the vanilla extract!
Can’t find the heart sprinkles? Red candy hearts work well, too.
How to Store Grinch Cookies:
Store these delicious cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-5 days. There’s no need to put them in the fridge.
If they should start to harden, store a small piece of white bread or roll it in with the cookies. The bread will harden as it sacrifices its moisture to keep your cookies soft!
Can you freeze sugar cookies?
Yes, these Grinch sugar cookies freeze really well! Once cool, store them in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Since sugar cookies are usually fairly soft, I recommend flash-freezing them before moving them to the storage container so they don’t crumble.
Thaw overnight on the counter.
Can I freeze the Grinch Cookie Dough?
You can also freeze unbaked cookie dough balls! Prepare as directed (but don’t roll them in sugar!) Instead of baking the dough, flash freeze it until firm on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, then transfer the dough balls into a freezer bag.
When you’re ready to bake them, roll them in the sugar and add the heart. Then, to bake from frozen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (yes, that’s slightly lower than the original!) and bake for 2-5 minutes longer than the original bake time, or until cookies are set at the edges and just slightly “wet” in the center. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
Nutritional Facts:
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 28mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 82IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Recipe courtesy of 365 Days of Baking and More.com
Notes from Amethyst: It’s a tradition here in the States to watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas the night of Thanksgiving. So I had to include a Grinchy cookie!
