Grinch Cookies Recipe (Drop Sugar Cookies) - Crazy for Crust (2024)

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Adorable Grinch Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie recipe! These green sugar cookies each have a small red heart sprinkle reminding everyone of the classic Christmas movie. They taste good, freeze well, and they’re so cute!

Grinch Cookies Recipe (Drop Sugar Cookies) - Crazy for Crust (1)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas Cookies

I just love “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” don’t you? We read the Dr. Seuss book to Jordan every year when she was small, and we never miss it when the original special is on TV each year! Of course, I had to come up with a fun Grinch-inspired cookie for the holidays, but I wanted to keep it simple. No complicated cut-outs or decorating are required for this easy holiday cookie.

These green cookies start with my easy sugar cookie recipe. They are soft and chewy and, the best news, they are a no-chill recipe! Because it’s the holidays, right? There’s just no time to wait for cookie dough to chill.

Grinch Cookies Recipe (Drop Sugar Cookies) - Crazy for Crust (2)

Ingredients in Grinch Sugar Cookies

  • Butter and Sugar: I always use softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar in my sugar cookies
  • Whole egg plus one egg yolk: my secret to chewy sugar cookies!
  • Vanilla extract, Baking soda, Salt, Flour: typical cookie ingredients
  • Cream of tartar: keeps the cookies soft
  • Decorations: Green gel food coloring makes the perfect shade of green and jumbo heart sprinkles to turn them into GRINCH!
Grinch Cookies Recipe (Drop Sugar Cookies) - Crazy for Crust (3)

How to Make Grinch Cookies

  1. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a stand mixer (or large bowl with a hand-held mixer), cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. This should only take about a minute.
  2. Mix the dough: Add the whole egg, extra egg yolk, and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth. Mix in the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
  3. Add the flour and mix until the cookie dough forms.
  4. Turn them green: Add a few drops of gel or liquid food coloring to the cookie batter and stir until it’s evenly mixed into the dough.
  5. Scoop: Form two tablespoons of dough to form each cookie dough ball. Place them two inches apart on a baking sheet.
  6. Decorate & Bake: Place one heart sprinkle on one side of each cookie and then bake the cookies for 11 to 15 minutes or until the bottoms are golden and the tops of the cookies are no longer glossy.

How to decorate Grinch Cookies

To make it easy, use red heart sprinkles or candy hearts. Just press them onto the cookies as soon as they come out of the oven. The sprinkle represents the grinch’s small heart and the bright green color is like his fur.

These sweet treats are soft and chewy and are so fun at Christmas time!

Grinch Cookies Recipe (Drop Sugar Cookies) - Crazy for Crust (4)

Recipe Tips

  • Food Coloring:The amount of food coloring you will need will depend on the kind you use. If you use gel color, you will only need a few drops. If you opt for the regular grocery store kind, you will need to add a little more. Always start with less because you can always add more!
  • Heart Sprinkles:If you want the heart sprinkle positioned exactly where you want it on the cookie, wait to add them until after the cookies are baked. As soon as you take them out of the oven, press the sprinkle on top. If you wait, they won’t stick after the cookies cool.
  • Storing the Cookies:Keep them in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature. Or, you can freeze the baked cookies for up to a month.
  • Want semi-homemade cookies? Make vanilla cake mix cookies with white cake mix!

Grinch Cookies Recipe (Drop Sugar Cookies) - Crazy for Crust (5)

Grinch Cookies Recipe

4.92 from 48 votes

Tis the season for GRINCH COOKIES! I turned my easy sugar cookie recipe into a green cookie for Christmas – decorated easy with a heart sprinkle!! These are such a fun cookie recipe!

Yield 22 cookies

Serving Size 1 serving

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Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter softened
  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional – for flavor)
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
  • Green Food Coloring
  • Heart sprinkles

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two cookie sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

  • Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl with a hand mixer). Cream until the mixture is fluffy, about one minute.

  • Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix until smooth, then mix in baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Add flour and mix until cookie dough forms.

  • Add a few drops of green food coloring and stir to mix throughout. How much food coloring depends on the kind (gel vs. grocery store food coloring). Add more as needed to get the green color you want.

  • Scoop 2 tablespoon sized balls 2-inches apart on cookie sheet. Place one heart sprinkle on one side of each cookie. Bake for 11-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are just starting get golden and the top is no longer glossy. Cool at least 10 minutes on cookie sheet before removing.

  • Alternately, if you want to know exactly where your sprinkle will land, press the sprinkle on the cookie as soon as it comes out of the oven.

  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Food Coloring:The amount of food coloring you will need will depend on the kind you use. If you use gel color, you will only need a few drops. If you opt for the regular grocery store kind, you will need to add a little more. Always start with less because you can always add more!

Heart Sprinkles:If you want the heart sprinkle positioned exactly where you want it on the cookie, wait to add them until after the cookies are baked. As soon as you take them out of the oven, press the sprinkle on top. If you wait, they won’t stick after the cookies cool.

Storing the Cookies:Keep them in an airtight container for up to three days at room temperature. Or, you can freeze the baked cookies for up to a month.

Want a sweeter cookie? Roll these in granulated sugar before baking.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 216IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Author Dorothy Kern

Did you try this recipe? Click the stars to rate the recipe below

Tis the season for GRINCH COOKIES! I turned my easy sugar cookie recipe into a green cookie for Christmas – decorated easy with a heart sprinkle!! These are such a fun cookie recipe!

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Grinch Cookies Recipe (Drop Sugar Cookies) - Crazy for Crust (2024)

FAQs

What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

Based on this data from General Mills, Peanut Butter Blossoms are the most popular Christmas cookie in the country; it's the most-visited cookie recipe in seven states, which means it's the most common favorite cookie in the U.S. That's a pretty high honor!

What makes cookies chewy instead of crispy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

How to make boxed sugar cookies better? ›

Add different flavors.

Dig around in your pantry or explore the baking aisle and pick out different flavor add-ins that can change up your cookie mix. You could use peppermint, lemon, or almond extract instead of vanilla, dump in plenty of rainbow sprinkles, or even mix in chopped nuts or dried fruit!

What is the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

What is the number one selling cookie in the world? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the secret to chewy cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What does adding egg yolk to cookies do? ›

A cookie made with extra egg yolk (or, in this case, only egg yolk), will be lighter and chewier than a cookie made with whole eggs. The cookies will also have a richer flavor thanks to the added fat in egg yolk.

How do you make cookies soft instead of crunchy? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

Should you chill sugar cookie dough before rolling? ›

Refrigerating the dough allows the flour to fully hydrate and helps to make the cookie dough firmer. Firm dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step for cut-out and rolled cookies.

Can you over beat sugar cookie dough? ›

Overmixing the dough: Overmixing can lead to tough and dense cookies. It's essential to mix the ingredients just until they come together to avoid developing too much gluten. 2. Incorrect oven temperature: Baking cookies at the wrong temperature can result in uneven baking.

Should you let sugar cookie dough rest? ›

The primary reason for a brief resting period to redistribute the liquid in the dough. While the dough sits, turning from loose and soft to drier and more scoopable, the flour is hydrating, yielding cookies that will bake and brown more evenly.

What can I add to store-bought sugar cookie mix? ›

A teaspoon or two of extracts will noticeably boost flavor when blended into your sugar cookie mix. Vanilla is the obvious choice. For a more intriguing flavor, add both vanilla and almond extracts. Rum, maple and anise are other delicious varieties to consider.

How to fancy up sugar cookies? ›

5 Ways to Get Fancy with Your Sugar Cookies
  1. Make a fancy thumbprint cookie. ...
  2. Turn them into sandwich cookies. ...
  3. Decorate with melted chocolate. ...
  4. Try different flavorings in the sugar cookie dough. ...
  5. Roll cookie dough logs in sparkly sugar.
May 1, 2019

How to improve boxed gingerbread cookie mix? ›

7 Tips. One of the easiest ways to achieve that is by replacing water with milk, adding more eggs, choosing a high-quality gingerbread mixture, and adding different layers.

What is the most popular cookie for Santa? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

What is America's favorite holiday cookie? ›

Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three. Snickerdoodles (6%) come in fourth place, followed by butter (4%), peanut butter (4%), and chocolate (4%) tying for fifth.

What is the #1 cookie in the United States? ›

1 Chocolate Chip Cookie (No Further Description Necessary)

America's favorite cookie and the one dubbed “the American cookie” is the Chocolate chip cookie.

What is the most popular Christmas candy? ›

According to America's Favorite Christmas Candy by State Report, a comprehensive study by research firm HubScore that delved into a survey of the top 20 favorite Christmas candies, Kit Kat ranked top in 13 states followed by a tie between Skittles and candy canes, both ranked top in six states.

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