sugar drop cookies

I love sprinkles. I don't particularly care to eat them, but I love to collect them and decorate with them. And I think it could be argued that nowhere do sprinkles look better than on a beautiful Christmas sugar cookie. Lovely indeed, but I hardly ever make them because I just hate to roll dough. However, the fine folks at the Joy of Cooking, apparently quite aware of the existence of people like me, created a dropped sugar cookie -- all the sugar cookie, sprinkly fun without any of the rolling or icing required.

In addition to eschewing the dough rolling, these cookies are super quick to make, so I think this recipe would be an especially good one to try with kids. I don't care for the sprinkles I put on mine (though they look pretty...), but I love the texture and taste of the cookies: slightly chewy with a faint cinnamon flavor. If you follow the size and shaping recommendations in the recipe, the cookies will be tiny -- about the size of a half dollar. I thought this was nice because I could fit a bunch of them on the baking sheet at once. Plus, I like a lot of contrast on my cookie platters, so these cookies were a great (and colorful) addition.

Sugar Drop Cookies
Joy of Cooking
Yields about 6 dozen cookies

2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cooking oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spice in a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the sugar and oil until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each. Add the vanilla and beat until well combined. Add the flour mixture and beat well.

Shape the cookies into 1/2" balls (I used a 1" scoop, pinched the dough in half with my fingers, and then rolled each half into a ball) and roll them in granulated sugar or sprinkles. Place the cookies 1" apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until the cookies no longer look sticky, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute and then remove to a wire rack. Store cookies in an airtight container.