Mardi Gras King Cake Cookies (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Dough
01 -
1 cup salted butter, cold and cubed
02 -
3/4 cup granulated sugar
03 -
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
04 -
2 large eggs, cold
05 -
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
06 -
2 tablespoons cornstarch
07 -
1 teaspoon baking soda
08 -
1/2 teaspoon salt
09 -
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
10 -
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
11 -
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 -
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
13 -
1/2 cup cream cheese chunks, cold and cut into small pieces
14 -
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
→ Topping
15 -
1/2 cup purple, green, and gold sprinkles
16 -
1/2 cup purple, green, and gold sanding sugar
# Instructions:
01 -
Preheat the oven to 410°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 -
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the cold butter with granulated and brown sugars until smooth but not over-creamed (1-2 minutes). Mix in the eggs one at a time, then add vanilla and almond extracts.
03 -
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
04 -
Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Gently fold in cream cheese chunks, white chocolate chips, and Mardi Gras-colored sprinkles.
05 -
Divide the dough into large balls, about 5-6 oz each. Don’t flatten them; shape them into tall, loose spheres to achieve a thicker cookie texture.
06 -
Place 3-4 dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart. Add sanding sugar in stripes onto the tops of each cookie.
07 -
Bake for 9-12 minutes, until the edges are golden but the centers are slightly underdone. Keep the remaining dough refrigerated until ready to bake.
08 -
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat the process for remaining batches. Cooling time ensures proper texture development.
# Notes:
01 -
Keep the dough cold before baking to maintain the thick texture.