This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, read my disclosure policy.
Adorable Grinch Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie recipe! They’re soft baked sugar cookies dyed green with a heart sprinkle to remind you of the How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie – these are the perfect easy Christmas Cookie recipe!
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 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, no chill cookies that are quick and easy and will remind you of the Grinch!
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!
Where to Buy Heart Sprinkles
- You can find heart sprinkles all year now at craft stores, but especially in February for Valentine’s Day (stock up!)
- Amazon has mini heart sprinkles or you can buy a set of Valentine Sprinkles with the large red hearts I used.
- Walmart has a mix of pink and red hearts and you can pick out the red ones.
How to Make Grinch Cookies
- 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.
- Add the whole egg, extra egg yolk, and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth. Mix in the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt.
- Add the flour and mix until the cookie dough forms.
- Add a few drops of gel or liquid food coloring to the cookie batter and stir until it’s evenly mixed into the dough.
- Form two tablespoons of dough to form each cookie dough ball. Place them two inches apart on a baking sheet.
- 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.
Grinch Cookies Recipe
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!
Recipe Video
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
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 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
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!
Hi Dorothy, do you think I could make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate for a few days until ready to bake? 🙂
Yes!
If I don’t want to use the extra egg yolk can I just use a whole egg or omit it?
Omit it – they’ll work just fine, but be a bit more cakey
I made these today and they looked way better than they tasted.
I went to grocery store and bought ALL NEW ingredients too, so everything was fresh. They were puffy but not cooked enough in the middle, and still doughy. I put them in a tad longer. They were completely tasteless, tasted like butter, flour and sugar. Definitely won’t make again. Kids were all disappointed, all three of them.
I’m sorry you didn’t like them – did you add the vanilla extract? Almond extract would give a little extra flavor too.
I made these about a week ago. I was hoping to have some for Christmas day but my family ate them all. So now I have to make them again.
I followed recipe to a T. I used a cookie scooper and mine had a harder shell but still raw inside. They didn’t flatten at all and stayed puffy 🙁 not sure what’s wrong but highly disappointed.
I’m sorry that happened -they definitely should have spread in the oven. How do you measure your flour? Was it packed – too much will cause a tough cookie. Is your baking soda expired?
Gah, same happens to me… measured everything perfectly, they stayed really puffy.
If you notice that happening you can press them down lightly with your fingers. They should stay puffy but not in balls
Featured In
Rate This Recipe
Recipe Ratings without Comment