When I was little there was a local grocery store in our neighborhood where I would always walk with my mom and older sister. After obligingly strolling the aisles with my mom, she would take my sister and me to the back of the store to visit a sweet lady named Jennifer. Jennifer was the baker for the store and made all of the cookies, cakes and confections. She was responsible for a huge inventory of delicious treats, but I can clearly remember the taste of two items: the leaf-shaped, chocolate-filled sandwich cookies, and the Italian sprinkle cookies. 

My love affair with these cookies started long ago, and may have had a hand in my becoming a pastry chef myself. So in homage to Jennifer and her kitchen magic, I’ve recreated those sprinkle cookies with a little twist. I love the texture of sprinkles when baked into a light, fluffy cookie, but I prefer the flavor of regular chocolate sprinkles, as opposed to the rainbow variety. Aside from the taste factor, they’re so stinkin cute in black and white. (Although these can just as easily be made with those classic rainbow sprinkles too, if you disagree!)

Chocolate Sprinkle Tea Cookies (Yield: ~2 dozen cookies)

Ingredients:

6 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature 

55g canola oil

110g granulated sugar

65g confectioner’s sugar

1 large egg, room temperature 

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

10 oz. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

~1 cup chocolate sprinkles 

Method: 1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat together butter, oil and both sugars with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.

2. Add egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine. 

3. Combine flour, baking soda and salt and add to mix. Beat just until combined.   4. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour. The dough will be very soft and needs to stiffen in the fridge.   5. Preheat oven to 350 F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone mats. 

6. Using a rounded tablespoon, scoop dough into about 24 equal portions. Roll each piece into a ball with your hands.

7. Roll each ball in the sprinkles until completely coated and place on a cookie sheet, leaving 2″ between cookies.    

 8. Bake, rotating once halfway through cooking, until golden around the edges, ~18 minutes.

9. Allow to cool completely and enjoy!  ***Cookies can be kept in an airtight container 3-4 days, if they last that long!***

What foods spark memories from your childhood? Has anyone else been dreaming of sprinkle cookies since then?

Figuring out how to make those little leaf cookies now – Cassie