Magical Unicorn Swirl Cookies (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Dough Base
01 -
1 stick (1 cup) of room-temperature butter {unsalted}
02 -
1 and a half cups of white sugar
03 -
Two large eggs, not chilled
04 -
1 tsp vanilla, pure extract
05 -
3 cups plus half a cup of plain flour (all-purpose)
06 -
Half a tsp of bicarbonate of soda
07 -
One-half tsp cream of tartar
08 -
A small pinch (1/4 teaspoon) of salt
→ Decorating Bits
09 -
Half a cup of rainbow-colored sprinkles, plus more for the outside
10 -
Food coloring gels (Violet, Blue, Pink)
11 -
Extra white sugar to coat, if you’d like
# Instructions:
01 -
First, make sure your oven's warmed up to 350°F. Put parchment paper or a reusable mat on your baking sheet so nothing sticks.
02 -
Grab a mixing bowl, and beat together butter and sugar on medium until fluffy and pale (2-3 minutes). Crack in your eggs along with the vanilla, then stir until everything’s smooth.
03 -
In a separate dish, whisk flour, soda, salt, and tartar together. Slowly add this to the wet mix. Stir gently on low until dough comes together. Toss sprinkles in and fold gently for even sprinkle love.
04 -
Break dough apart into equal quarters. Leave one uncolored, and mix pink, blue, and purple gels into the others using clean hands or a spatula. Gloves make cleanup a breeze.
05 -
Pop the three colorful doughs with the plain one into a big bowl. Gently fold chunks around briefly (don’t overdo it!) until you spot a tie-dye swirl effect.
06 -
Portion the dough into balls (approx. 2 tbsp each). Roll them in sugar or sprinkles if you want extra crunch! Set them 2 inches apart on your sheet for space to bake.
07 -
Let the cookies bake for 10 to 12 minutes. You want firm sides with soft middle bits—they’ll finish cooking on the tray after removing from the oven.
08 -
Leave cookies on the tray for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack to cool fully. They’ll stay wonderfully chewy while they settle.
# Notes:
01 -
Store these in a sealable container, and they’ll keep nicely for 7 days.
02 -
Dough acting sticky or cookies spreading too thin? Pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes first.
03 -
To keep colors from blending too much, don’t overload on mixing the marbled dough.
04 -
Out of tartar? Use 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar instead.