Colored cookie dough sugar cookies are a vibrant and fun twist on traditional sugar cookies. They are perfect for holidays, themed events and special celebrations or any time you want to add a little color pop to your cookies. The colored dough is so vibrant that you won't want to cover it up with frosting.
My daughter and I developed these cookies over 10 years ago. It came out of a time period where she become more interested in baking, I was looking to cut down on the mess, and Santa was trying to eat a little healthier. They are so fun and colorful that we didn't want to cover them up with frosting. But, also, these colored sugar cookies didn't need any frosting! They are sweet enough with out any messy frosting. And no vacuuming up sprinkles for weeks! So this recipe has been one of our must make Christmas cookies ever since. It's super fun to see how creative kids (and adults too!) get in rolling out their cookies and adding little details on top of their cookies as well. But, this colored cookie dough recipe isn't just for Christmas cookies, you can also use this recipe for any holiday, any special occasion or themed event, or any time you want to add a little extra fun in kitchen.
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Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- White sugar
- Salted butter
- Eggs
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Salt
- Gel food coloring
Substitutions
I like the balance of both almond and vanilla extracts. But if you don't have almond extract, you can substitute more vanilla extract. Or vice versa. Or experiment with other extracts to match your colored cookie dough theme.
Equipment
A stand or hand mixer will make these colored cookie dough sugar cookies much easier to make.
Storage
Store these no frosting colored sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks or freeze them for up to 3 months.
Next Level Tips
- If you're using artificial food coloring, use gel food coloring. Gel food coloring will produce the most vibrant colors. Use only as much as you need as some brands have a bit of an aftertaste. I used Wilton brand colors for these colored cookie dough cookies. The colors used in the photos were Leaf Green, Royal Blue and Christmas Red. You can see that red doesn't get you true red, but still it's a pretty pink-red.
FAQ
So, I'm no fan of food coloring. I'm the one that adds spinach for green and berries for purple. However, this recipe is where I make the exception. I highly recommend using a gel food coloring. You'll get a more vibrant color while using less product. I use Wilton brand gel coloring for these cookies. However, Americolor and Chefmaster brands are also readily available on Amazon. Also, most craft stores like Hobby Lobby or Michaels also have a baking section where you can buy gel food coloring.
Yes! That's a great way to work ahead. The dough needs to chill for a minimum of 2 hours but can be chilled overnight. You will need to let the dough sit out just until it's workable. Roll out the dough while it's still chilled.
Yes, roll the colors into a log about 2 to 2 and ½ inches in diameter before chilling. Once the dough has chilled, cut into slices that are ¼ inch thick and continue with the baking instructions.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Colored Cookie Dough Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand or hand mixer
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt or ½ teaspoon if using unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Combine the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside.
- Combine the softened butter and sugar and mix with stand mixer (or hand mixer) on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, vanilla extract and almond extra to the mixing bowl and mix on medium speed until mostly combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the mixing bowl about a third at a time. Mix on medium until combined.
- Separate the dough into balls by how many different colors you want to use. [I usually do three, but you can do more or less.]
- Next, put the first ball and a small amount of food coloring back into the mixing bowl. Mix until the color is completely combined. If needed, add more coloring until the desired color is reached. Thoroughly wash the mixing bowl before repeating with the next color. [Alternatively, you can color the dough by hand. Put on kitchen gloves. Work the food coloring in by kneading the dough in your hands. Continue adding color until desired color is reached. Wash your gloved hands thoroughly. Repeat with next color.]
- If you're making cut out cookies, cover each dough ball separately with plastic wrap and chill for two hours. If you want slice and bake cookies, pieces together the colored dough as desired and roll into a 2 to 2.5 inch log.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Remove the dough from refrigerator. Prepare the cookie sheets with parchment paper, if desired. The cookies have enough butter that they do not stick.
- For cut out cookies, take chunks from the desired colors and roll out. How you roll the dough will determine if colors stay separate or blend together. It's a personal preference. Have fun! Use little to no flour as it affects the color, and it's not necessary. Use cookie cutters to make desired shapes.
- Place the cookies two inches apart on a cookie sheet. As soon as a cookie sheet is full, place it in the oven.
- If the dough starts to warm up, place it back in the refrigerator. You can also place scraps back in the refrigerator to use at the end.
- Bake 5-6 minutes. Tops will not look done, but the bottoms will be lightly browned. You don't want the tops of the cookies to brown as that will affect the color. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet. They will firm up as they cool.
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