We spent the past weekend packing up white bakery boxes filled with sweet treats. Dropping boxes off on doorsteps, ringing the doorbell, and waving enthusiastically from the car when the recipients opened the door — it was heartwarming to continue a holiday tradition with a 2020 twist.

We gift about two dozen of these boxes each year, so I’m always looking for simple, non-time-intensive ways to add sparkle, texture, and color to our treat selection. Christmas confetti cookies fit the job perfectly — they’re a humble sugar/snickerdoodle at heart, but are loaded with festive flair (aka sprinkles). I make sure to whip up an extra batch of this dough because my family can’t get enough of these cookies — they’re just so good! (I’ve included a list of all the other treats we included at the bottom of this post, with recipe links where available.)

A couple other tidbits:

• My cookbook, Baked to Order, was selected as one of the top 10 cookbooks of 2020 by the National Post!
• I shared a few tips on preparing edible gift boxes over on Instagram.
• My friend Erin shared the recipe for my sourdough cinnamon rolls over on her fantastic blog, Cloudy Kitchen. They would make a fantastic Christmas breakfast!

Tips for baking Christmas confetti cookies:

• You can prep Christmas confetti cookie dough in advance and refrigerate it for up to 5 days (or freeze for longer storage). I like to bring the dough out to room temperature while the oven is preheating, then roll in sugar right before baking.
• I like to use jimmies, or the long rod-shaped sprinkles, in this recipe. The color doesn’t bleed, unlike non-pareils and other sprinkle shapes. Feel free to sub in rainbow jimmies for non-holiday-themed confetti cookies!

Christmas Confetti Cookies

Makes about 12 cookies

Ingredients:

• 113g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 120g granulated sugar
• 30g light brown sugar
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 175g all-purpose flour
• 50g red and green sprinkles (I use jimmies — the rod-shaped kind)

To finish:

• 40g granulated sugar

Method:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugars, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low to combine, then increase the speed to medium and cream until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle a couple times during this process to ensure even mixing.
2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the egg and vanilla. Increase the speed to medium and mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl and paddle.
3. With the mixer on low, add the flour. Mix just until a few streaks of flour remain, then add the sprinkles. Use a flexible spatula to stir from the bottom of the bowl a few times to make sure everything is well-mixed and there are no pockets of unincorporated flour. Cover and chill until firm but still scoopable, about 45 minutes.
4. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the middle and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Portion the dough into twelve ping-pong sized balls, about 45 grams (3 tbsp) each. Toss each in granulated sugar, coating completely. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 2½ inches (6 cm) apart.
6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time until the edges are set but the centers are still soft and pale, about 10 to 12 minutes. Rotate the sheet in the oven halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Other treats included in our boxes:

• Triple Chocolate peppermint cookies
• Spelt and honey oatmeal cookies, with cranberries and pistachios (adapted from Baked to Order)
• Chewy ginger molasses cookies
• Marshmallows (Peppermint / Honey and Sea Salt)
• Jam Thumbprints (variation on the linzer cookies from Baked to Order)
• Matcha Shortbread Trees (from Baked to Order)
• Black sesame-espresso pinwheel shortbread (The Kitchn)
• Spritz cookies (New York Times)
• Mexican Wedding Cookies (via Serious Eats)
• Raspberry Amaretti (Love and Olive Oil)
• Sourdough cheese crackers (Bake from Scratch)
• English toffee
• Chewy salted caramels