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New Year's Eve Sparkling Sugar Cookies

Sparkling sugar cookies are rolled, cut into shapes, and topped with coarse sparkling sugar for a crisp edge and a bright, festive finish. The dough chills until firm before baking, making the cookies easy to shape.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 163
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the cookies
  • 2.75 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg large, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping
  • 0.25 cup coarse sparkling sugar

Equipment

  • 1 electric mixer
  • 2 large baking sheets

Method
 

Make the dough
  1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.
  2. Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  3. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.
  4. Add the flour mixture and mix on low just until a soft dough forms.
  5. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk.
  6. Wrap the disks and refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm.
Shape and bake the cookies
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds.
  2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Roll each disk between sheets of parchment to 1/4 inch thick.
  4. Cut the dough into shapes with a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter.
  5. Reroll the scraps once.
  6. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets.
  7. Sprinkle with the sparkling sugar and gently press it into the dough.
  8. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, swapping the sheets between racks and rotating them halfway through, until the edges are set and just beginning to turn pale golden.
  9. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes.
  10. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

For clean shapes, chill the dough until firm before rolling. Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months. For a dairy-free swap, use plant-based butter sticks.