Sparkly St Patricks Green Sugar (Printable Version)

Soft green sugar cookies filled with creamy vanilla frosting and coated in sparkling sugar for festive occasions.

# What You'll Need:

→ Green Sugar Cookies

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
08 - 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
09 - Green gel food coloring
10 - 1/2 cup green sparkling sugar or sanding sugar

→ Vanilla Frosting

11 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
12 - 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
13 - 1 1/2 tablespoons whole milk
14 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
15 - Pinch of salt

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 2-3 minutes.
04 - Beat in egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined.
05 - Add green gel food coloring, blending until desired shade of green is achieved.
06 - Gradually mix in dry ingredients until soft dough forms.
07 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough, roll into balls, and coat each in green sparkling sugar.
08 - Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each ball with your palm.
09 - Bake for 9-11 minutes until edges are set but centers remain soft. Cool completely on wire rack.
10 - In a medium bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt. Beat until smooth and fluffy.
11 - Spread or pipe generous layer of frosting onto flat side of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies to form sandwiches. Roll sides in extra sparkling sugar if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The cookies stay soft and chewy inside even after days, which almost never happens with sugar cookies.
  • Green gel coloring keeps the dough perfect without the wet, sticky mess that regular food coloring creates.
  • You get to roll things in sparkling sugar twice, which feels unnecessarily fancy but costs nothing extra.
02 -
  • Don't skip the cooling step on the wire rack—cookies left on the hot baking sheet continue baking and dry out.
  • Gel food coloring is genuinely different from liquid; liquid food coloring will make your dough sticky and weird in a way that derails the whole recipe.
03 -
  • Let your butter soften on the counter for at least an hour before starting; cold butter won't cream properly no matter how long you beat it.
  • If you don't have gel food coloring, skip the regular food coloring entirely and use a drop of matcha powder or spinach powder mixed with a tiny bit of milk for natural green.
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