These Vanilla Pudding Cookies feature a soft and chewy center, crisp edges, and lots of soft rainbow sprinkles for the ultimate party cookie!
Rainbow Sprinkle Vanilla Pudding Cookies
These sprinkle studded vanilla pudding cookies are fun to make and even more fun to eat!
My daughter calls them “Sprinkle Cookies” and they’re her absolute favorite. If girlfriend had her way all cookies and donuts would be dusted with sprinkles.
But only the soft kind!
Those crunchy little nonpareils are downright evil. Ha!
I modeled these colorful cookies after the sprinkle cookies Publix gives kiddos for free when you pass through their bakery section. We’ve since moved from Florida to Texas, far away from the nearest Publix, so I’m determined to make all my “Club Pub” favorites at home.
Next up I’m tackling their legendary carrot cake and maybe a pub sub too. Can’t wait!
Even if you’ve never been to Publix, trust me when I say these sprinkle stuffed sugar cookies are a must-make for your next party or celebration.
They’re great for gifting and have a total birthday cake cookie vibe to them. Love them so!
Vanilla Pudding Sprinkle Cookie Ingredients
- butter
- granulated sugar
- egg
- almond extract
- vanilla
- boxed vanilla pudding mix
- baking soda
- all-purpose flour
- SPRINKLES!!!
You’ll use one 3.4 oz box of dry vanilla pudding mix for the cookies. The pudding mix keeps these sprinkle sugar cookies super soft and chewy and it also adds an extra kiss of vanilla flavor.
The almond extract is 100% optional if you want to make these and only have vanilla extract handy, BUT I swear the almond extract is *SO GOOD* that you might want to text your neighbor to see if you can borrow a wee bit for your cookies then throw a couple homemade cookies their way after and totally make their day!
Seriously. Almond extract. DO IT. Combined with the vanilla extract and the vanilla in the pudding mix it’s a total flavor explosion.
No boring sugar cookies here!
The vanilla pudding mix in the recipe does a glorious job at keeping these cookies delightfully chewy.
I love the soft chewy center with crisp sprinkle studded edges!
They’re FANTASTIC the next day and the day after that too! I have the best results keeping them in an airtight plastic lidded container and they’ll stay soft for a few days.
I’ve heard you can toss a slice of bread or a few marshmallows in with the cookies to keep them softer even longer but ours never stick around long enough to try. Between friends and family they vanish FAST!
Want to freeze a few for later?
You can freeze raw cookie dough balls and simply bake them up as needed.
I usually add about a minute to the bake time and they’re good to go.
Freeze them spaced on a plate or cookie sheet then once fully frozen you can transfer them to a little Tupperware container or baggie.
Bake cookie dough balls completely frozen on a baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approx. 12 minutes. Leave them on the baking sheet for a few minutes to set then transfer to a wire rack to fully cool. Easy peasy!
Ready to get your cookie on? Let’s do this!
Vanilla Pudding Cookies with Rainbow Sprinkles
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk (1 egg plus 1 extra yolk total)
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3.4 ounce box dry vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ cup soft sprinkles plus optional extra ¼ cup for topping
Instructions
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Measure our your flour using the spoon and sweep method (spoon fluffed flour into your measuring cup and use a knife to "sweep" it level with the top of the measuring cup) or measure by weight.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, dry pudding mix, and baking soda. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer and the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. The dough for these cookies is thick so a stand mixer works best here.
- Next add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides if needed.
- Add the dry ingredients, 1 cup at a time, to the wet ingredients in the mixer until just combined. The dough will be very thick.
- Fold in the sprinkles with a wooden spoon or baking spatula.
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop dough into 3 tablespoon scoops and place onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roll each cookie into a ball. For optional burst of sprinkles on top, place ¼ cup or so of sprinkles onto a plate and press each cookie dough ball into the sprinkles so there's extra on top.
- Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes to firm up the dough a litte bit. I find the cookies spread less with a little chill on them so I never skip this step.
- Ready to bake? When the cookies are almost done chilling, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Space cookies 2-3 inches apart and bake on the (un-chilled) parchment paper lined cookie sheet on the center rack of the oven. This can be done in two batches (baking one after the other) or follow my lead and make some now and freeze the rest of the dough for later!
- Bake for 12-13 minutes or until the edges of the cookies just start to turn a very light brown and barely start to crackle on top. Bake time will vary slightly based on cookie size. I like to make mine with a large scoop that yields 3 TBSP of dough per cookie. Smaller cookies will bake up a little faster so adjust as needed.
- Once they're ready, carefully remove from oven and allow them to set-up on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes. Then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
- Fully cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight plastic container for a few days. See notes for freezer instructions.
Notes
Nutrition
These stellar sprinkle cookies were adapted from my Reeses Pieces Pudding Cookies which were inspired by The Baker Mama’s M+M Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies.
Crazy for Cookies? Try These Next!
- Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Chocolate Pecan Granola Cookies
- Chocolate Brownie Crinkle Cookies
- Red Velvet Cake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Macadamia Nut White Chocolate Cookies
I also make a mean homemade cookie cake that is a MUST for parties. I make them anytime we have a little neighborhood party/potluck situation and they always vanish fast!
If you get a chance to try these sprinkle studded vanilla pudding cookies, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!