Description
These Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies are soft, buttery, and filled with bursts of colorful jelly beans. Perfectly chilled dough helps the cookies hold their shape and prevents spreading, resulting in delightful treats with a chewy center and a fun twist from the jelly beans pressed into the warm cookies after baking.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Toppings
- 1 bag jelly beans
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until creamed, about 1 minute.
- Add egg and extracts: Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again to fully combine.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
- Form dough balls: Scoop approximately 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie and roll into balls. Place the dough balls onto a large plate or lined baking sheet.
- Chill dough: Cover and chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 days. Chilling is important to prevent cookies from spreading too much.
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Arrange dough and bake: Place chilled dough balls on the prepared baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Bake for 11 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned and centers look soft.
- Cool and add jelly beans: Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes. While still warm, press a few jelly beans into the centers of the cookies so they stick properly.
- Cool completely: Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cookie dough balls can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls an extra minute without thawing. Baked cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Dough Chilling: Rolling into balls before chilling helps prevent your dough from hardening too much. Chilling is essential to stop spreading for these buttery cookies.
- Jelly Beans: Use your favorite brand; Just Born is one popular choice. One standard bag is sufficient, and you’ll have leftovers.
- Special Tools: Recommended tools include mixing bowls, a whisk, electric mixer, baking sheets, silicone mats or parchment, and cooling racks for best results.
- Cookie Spreading: Keeping the dough cold and spacing dough balls 3 inches apart ensures perfectly shaped cookies that don’t merge.
