Craving a batch of Springtime Crinkle Cookies that look like they came straight from a pastel dream? These soft, chewy, powdered-sugar-dusted beauties are basically spring in cookie form — and yes, they’re just as fun to make as they are to eat.
Every year when March rolls around and the trees start doing their whole “surprise, flowers!” thing, I get an irresistible urge to bake something colorful. These cookies were my solution, and honestly? They’ve become a total staple in my kitchen for Easter, spring brunches, and any excuse to pull out the gel food coloring.
Table of Contents
What Makes These Cookies So Special
These Springtime Crinkle Cookies are soft and pillowy in the center, slightly crisp at the edges, and coated in a snowy layer of powdered sugar that crackles open as they bake — revealing pops of pink, purple, yellow, and green underneath. They’re basically edible confetti.
They come together with simple pantry staples, they’re endlessly customizable with color, and they travel well — making them perfect for cookie swaps, Easter baskets, or dropping off at a neighbor’s door just because you’re feeling generous (and you have leftover cookies, which is a perfectly valid reason).
Springtime Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
- Whisk
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- wire rack
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp Baking powder
- 0.25 tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 0.5 cup Unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 Eggs large
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 0.5 tsp Almond extract optional
For Rolling
- 0.5 cup Powdered sugar
Coloring
- Gel food coloring pink, yellow, green, purple
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla and almond extract.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined.
- Divide the dough into portions and mix each with different gel food coloring.
- Cover and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll dough into balls and coat generously in powdered sugar.
- Place on baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes until crinkled and slightly soft in the center.
- Cool on the baking sheet briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need. Nothing fancy, just good simple stuff:
| Category | Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | All-purpose flour | 2 cups |
| Baking powder | 1½ tsp | |
| Salt | ¼ tsp | |
| Wet | Unsalted butter, softened | ½ cup |
| Granulated sugar | 1 cup | |
| Large eggs | 2 | |
| Vanilla extract | 1 tsp | |
| Almond extract (optional but lovely) | ½ tsp | |
| For Rolling | Powdered sugar | ½ cup |
| Color | Gel food coloring (pink, yellow, green, purple) | As needed |
A quick note on the gel food coloring — please use gel, not liquid. Liquid food coloring can mess with the dough’s consistency and gives you muddy, sad colors. Gel gives you those bright, vibrant spring shades that make these cookies look absolutely gorgeous.
How to Make Springtime Crinkle Cookies
Let’s walk through it together, step by step. It’s easier than you think, I promise.
Step 1: Preheat and Prep
Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This is the “future you will thank you” step — nothing worse than wrestling cookies off a bare pan.
Step 2: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure everything is evenly distributed, then set it aside. Dry ingredients done — that was the easy part.
Step 3: Cream the Butter and Sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture looks light, fluffy, and pale — about 2–3 minutes with a hand mixer. This step is important for that soft, tender texture. Don’t skip it or rush it.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Then stir in the vanilla extract and the almond extract if you’re using it. (The almond extract is optional, but it adds this warm, bakery-like depth that I’m personally obsessed with.)
Step 4: Combine Wet and Dry
Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. The dough will be thick and a little sticky — that’s totally normal. Resist the urge to add more flour; it’ll firm up in the fridge.
Step 5: Add the Color
This is the fun part. Divide the dough into as many bowls as you have colors — I usually go with four. Add a few drops of gel food coloring to each portion and mix until the color is fully incorporated and even.
Tip: Wearing disposable gloves here is a good call unless you want to walk around with hot-pink fingertips for the rest of the day.
Step 6: Chill the Dough
Cover each bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Chilling is non-negotiable here — it firms up the dough so it’s easier to roll and (more importantly) is what gives you that gorgeous crinkle effect when baking.
You can even chill overnight if you want to prep ahead. These cookies are great for spring baking sessions where you want to spread the work out.
Step 7: Roll in Powdered Sugar
Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into smooth balls. Then roll each ball generously in powdered sugar — and I mean generously. Don’t be shy. A thick coating means bigger, more dramatic cracks. That’s the whole look!
Step 8: Bake
Place the sugar-coated dough balls on your prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until they puff up and those beautiful cracks form across the surface.
The centers should look just slightly underdone when you pull them out — they’ll finish setting on the pan. Overbaked crinkle cookies lose that magical soft center, and we’re not doing that to ourselves.
Step 9: Cool
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 3–4 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They’re fragile while hot, so give them a minute. Then cool completely — or, you know, eat one warm because you’re only human.
Expert Tips, Variations & Troubleshooting
Tips for Perfect Crinkle Cookies
Don’t skip the chill. I know, I know — waiting is the worst. But the chilling step is what makes these cookies actually crinkle instead of just spreading into flat, sad discs.
Use room temperature butter. Cold butter won’t cream properly, and melted butter will make the dough too soft. Soft and spreadable is what you’re going for.
Roll generously in powdered sugar. Seriously, more is more here. If you can still see the dough color through the sugar before baking, add more sugar.
Fun Variations for Spring Baking
These Easter Sugar Cookies vibes are totally customizable. Try a lemon zest version by adding 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough — pairs beautifully with the pastel colors and makes the whole kitchen smell incredible. (Speaking of lemon, if you love spring citrus bakes, my lemon crumb bars and lemon poppy seed cupcakes are absolutely worth a look.)
You can also do a single-color version if you want a more minimal look, or make them two-toned by combining a small piece of two different colored doughs into one ball before rolling. Swirled pastel cookies? Yes, please.
Troubleshooting
Cookies spreading too much? The dough wasn’t chilled long enough, or your butter was too warm. Pop the dough back in the fridge for another 20 minutes.
No crinkle effect? You probably didn’t use enough powdered sugar coating. Each ball should be fully and generously covered before baking.
Cookies too hard? They were overbaked. Every oven is different — start checking at the 10-minute mark.
Storage, Reheating & No-Waste Ideas
| Storage Method | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature (airtight container) | Up to 5 days | Layer with parchment to prevent sticking |
| Refrigerator | Up to 1 week | Let come to room temp before serving |
| Freezer (baked) | Up to 3 months | Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a bag |
| Freezer (dough balls, pre-rolled) | Up to 2 months | Roll in powdered sugar just before baking |
Reheating: Pop a cookie in the microwave for about 10 seconds to bring back that fresh-baked softness. It works like a little miracle.
No-waste idea: Got leftover powdered sugar on the plate? Use it as a dusting for pancakes or stir it into your coffee. And if you have extra colored dough that didn’t make it onto the tray, it keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days — perfect for a second small batch.
These Spring Cookies also make adorable gifts — pile them into a clear bag, tie with a pastel ribbon, and you’ve got a spring treat that’ll make anyone’s day.
Nutritional Information
Per cookie (approximate, based on ~24 cookies):
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | ~120 kcal |
| Total Fat | 4.5g |
| Saturated Fat | 2.7g |
| Carbohydrates | 19g |
| Sugar | 12g |
| Protein | 1.5g |
| Sodium | 45mg |
Springtime Crinkle Cookies FAQs
Can I make these Springtime Crinkle Cookies ahead of time?
Absolutely! You can prep the dough up to 24 hours in advance and keep it refrigerated. You can also freeze the pre-rolled (un-sugared) dough balls for up to 2 months. Just thaw them slightly, roll in powdered sugar, and bake — easy.
Can I use regular food coloring instead of gel?
You technically can, but it’s not ideal. Liquid food coloring can thin out the dough and gives you much less vibrant colors. Gel coloring is worth the small investment — you’ll use it for all your spring baking adventures.
Why didn’t my cookies crinkle?
Most likely culprits: not enough powdered sugar coating, or the dough wasn’t cold enough. Make sure you’re being generous with that sugar roll, and give the dough a full 30 minutes (at minimum) in the fridge.
Do these taste like regular Easter Sugar Cookies?
They’re similar in spirit but the texture is different — crinkle cookies have a softer, chewier bite than classic cut-out sugar cookies. Think of them as the cozier, low-effort cousin of Easter Sugar Cookies. No rolling pins required
Let’s See Those Colorful Cookies!
If you make these Springtime Crinkle Cookies, I genuinely want to know how they turned out! Did you go full rainbow, or keep it to two colors? Did you sneak one off the cooling rack before they were done? (No judgment — I always do.)
Leave a comment below with your thoughts, and if you share them on Pinterest, I’d love for you to tag the post so others can find this recipe too. Colorful cookie content deserves to be seen.
And while you’re in a spring baking mood, check out these other recipes you might love: my frozen Greek yogurt blueberry bites are a refreshing no-bake treat, and the no-bake chocolate orange cheesecake is an absolute showstopper if you want something a little more indulgent. Happy spring baking! 🌸
