Name: Soft Almond Cookies with Holiday Sprinkles
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 1 h 32 min
Yield: 36 cookies
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups All-Purpose Flour; 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder; 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature; 2 oz Cream Cheese; 1 cup Granulated Sugar; 1 Large Egg; 2 tsp Vanilla Extract; 1/2 tsp Almond Extract; Red and Green Sanding Sugars, for rolling in dough

Soft, buttery Almond Sprinkle Cookies get their classic nutty taste from almond extract and melt in your mouth. They are simple to bake, taste wonderful, and suit the holidays perfectly. Pick red and green sanding sugars and have fun decorating!

Randomly placed almond sprinkle cookies with the center cookies stacked and split in half to see the soft centers.

Why This Recipe Works

I really mean it when I say these buttery almond sprinkle cookies are truly delicious! Like my Classic Spritz Cookies, Gingerbread Cookies, and Homemade Butter Cookies, they are very easy to make and great for holiday cookie tins!

The two key ingredients in this classic Christmas cookie are cream cheese, which keeps them wonderfully soft, and almond extract, which provides the classic nutty flavor.

For decorating, red and green sanding sugars work well. If you want something fancier, swap them for a smooth confectioners sugar glaze and scatter nonpareils on top.

Dig in!

Stack of red and green sugared almond sprinkle cookies on a white background.

What You'll Need

The ingredients in the photo below go into this easy almond sprinkle cookie recipe. Items in the bulleted list are the key ones that need a bit more explaining.

Ingredients in various size bowls labeled as vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, egg, almond extract, all purpose flour, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, cream cheese, and sanding sugar on a white marbled background.

All-Purpose Flour. I like King Arthur brand for all of my recipes, but use whatever you already have!
Cream Cheese. Use full-fat cream cheese in block form. Philadelphia is my go-to brand. This ingredient gives the cookies their soft, tender texture!
Almond Extract. The other essential ingredient here. A little goes a long way, but it delivers that classic nutty taste!
Sanding Sugars. I use red and green for these holiday sprinkle cookies, but feel free to pick any colors you like! Nonpareils work too.

For amounts and instructions, check the recipe card below.

Steps for Making the Cookies

Here is a quick overview of how to make this holiday almond sprinkle cookie recipe. For the complete printable version, which works in US customary or metric units via the toggle switch, see the recipe card below.

Whisked all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium size mixing bowl on a light grey background.

Step 1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Set it aside.

Butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar beaten together in a large glass mixing bowl on a light grey background.

Step 2. Cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth and well combined.

An egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract mixed into the almond cookie dough mixture in a large glass bowl on a light grey background.

Step 3. Mix in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

Almond cookie dough in a large glass mixing bowl on a light grey background.

Step 4. Stir the whisked flour mixture into the creamed wet ingredients on medium-low speed until a cookie dough forms. Scrape down the bowl sides as needed.

Almond cookie dough in a large glass mixing bowl covered with plastic wrap on a light grey background.

Step 5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 1 hour.

Red and green sugar coated almond sprinkle cookies on a white parchment paper lined baking sheet on a light grey background.

Step 6. Shape a small spoonful of dough into a ball and roll it in sanding sugar. Set it on the baking sheet, leaving 1 1/2 inches between cookies. Press each cookie flat with the bottom of a glass.

Baked red and green sugar coated almond sprinkle cookies on a white parchment paper lined baking sheet on a light grey background.

Step 7. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350ºF. Take them out and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Red and green coated almond sprinkle cookies cooling on a wire cooling rack on a light grey background.

Step 8. Move the cookies to a cooling rack to cool all the way.

Storing and Freezing

To store almond sprinkle cookies, keep them in an airtight container for up to one week.

To freeze almond sprinkle cookie dough, shape it into balls, flatten each with the bottom of a glass, and freeze them on parchment until firm. Move them to a freezer bag or airtight container. When baking, roll the frozen dough balls in sanding sugar and set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Add 1-2 minutes to the bake time for frozen cookies.

Almond sprinkle cookies placed in a bowl with the center cookie split in half to see the soft center.

Useful Tips

Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
A spoon works for scooping and rolling these almond cookies, but for more even sizes, use a 1- to 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop. I still suggest rolling each one between your hands after scooping to smooth it out.
Sanding sugar is a simple way to decorate these sprinkle cookies, but you can also use a basic powdered sugar glaze or nonpareils.
To keep your almond sprinkle cookies soft, tuck a slice of bread into the container. I do this with my Classic Peanut Butter Blossoms and Super Soft Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies, and it works really well!

Common Questions

How long do you need to chill almond sprinkle cookie dough?

Almond sprinkle cookie dough needs to be tightly covered with plastic wrap and chilled in the refrigerator for at least one hour. If you chill the cookie dough for longer than 1 hour, say overnight, for example, make sure to bring it out to room temperature about 30 minutes before rolling the dough into the balls.

Can I omit the almond extract in these almond sprinkle cookies?

I suggest keeping this ingredient in the recipe, since it's part of the name and gives them that classic nutty flavor.

Do almond sprinkle cookies need to be refrigerated?

Yes, baked almond sprinkle cookies can stay at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

If you make these Almond Sprinkle Cookies or anything else from my website, please leave a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for stopping by!