Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies
Bake Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies now: simple dough, chill, bake, and press jelly beans for colorful, chewy treats. Make Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies today.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 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
- 1 bag jelly beans
Instructions
Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together
In a medium bowl, whisk the all-purpose flour with the baking powder and salt until evenly combined and aerated; set this dry mixture aside while you work on the wet components. Keep the bowl clean and simple — the flour should look soft and powdery, free of lumps, with a faint dusting on the rim from the whisk.
Step 2: Cream butter and sugar, then add eggs and extracts
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until light and creamed, about a minute; the mixture should appear fluffy, pale, and slightly ribbon-like. Add the room-temperature egg, then the almond and vanilla extracts, and beat again until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides so there are no streaks of butter or sugar clinging to the bowl.
Step 3: Combine wet and dry into cookie dough
Add the whisked dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. The resulting dough will be thick, slightly tacky to the touch, and dense but pliable — not runny — clinging to the paddle and holding soft peaks where scooped.
Step 4: Scoop and roll into cookie dough balls
Scoop roughly one tablespoon portions of dough and roll them into smooth balls between your palms, aiming for uniform size so they bake evenly. Arrange the dough balls on a large plate or a lined baking sheet in neat rows; they should look satiny with a few small creases and a faint dusting of flour from handling.
Step 5: Chill the dough balls
Cover and chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for at least 1–2 hours (they can rest up to 4 days); chilling firms the dough, deepens the flavor and prevents excess spreading. The chilled balls should be slightly firmer, matte at the edges, and retain their round shape on the tray.
Step 6: Prepare baking sheets and preheat the oven
When ready, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Keep the baking sheets flat and ready on the painted pine surface so you can move from chilled dough to sheet quickly.
Step 7: Bake the cookies
Arrange the chilled dough balls about three inches apart on the lined baking sheets and bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are very lightly browned while the centers remain soft. Out of the oven they should look pale golden with tiny craters where the dough relaxed.
Step 8: Press jelly beans into warm cookies and cool
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for just three minutes, then press two or three jelly beans into each warm center so they adhere while the cookie is still soft. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely — the jelly beans will sit shiny and jewel-like against the matte cookie surface.
Step 9: Store and serve
Once cooled, arrange the uniform batch of Jelly Bean Sugar Cookies on a simple platter or keep them covered at room temperature for up to one week; their edges remain gently crisp while the centers stay tender and slightly chewy.
Notes
- Chill dough for at least 1 to 2 hours to prevent spreading
- Use room-temperature egg and butter for better texture
- Press jelly beans into cookies after baking to maintain shine
- Store in an airtight container with parchment between layers
- Freeze dough balls on a tray before transferring to a bag for easy baking later