Circus Animal Sugar Cookies

There's a certain sense of nostalgia that comes with eating those classic pink and white circus animal cookies with their rainbow nonpareils, smooth coating, and nice crunch. These Circus Animal Sugar Cookies take the classic cookie to the next level by adding it to a sugar cookie. They're soft and chewy with bits of circus animal cookies in every bite and extra nonpareils and sugar on top.

These Circus Animal Sugar Cookies are really easy to make and taste delicious. Once you make the dough I recommend letting it rest and chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes so it's a little easier to work with. Then it's just another quick 15 minutes to bake and you have a delicious treat!

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that your butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Egg: You want to make sure that your egg is at room temperature to ensure that it is properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave it out before you start baking, place it in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until it becomes room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Preheat oven to 350º F. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, blend together the butter and sugars on medium speed until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

With the mixer on low, add in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Place the bowl of dough in the fridge to chill for at least 15 minutes. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, form cookies into balls. Place each cookie on a parchment lined cookie sheet a few inches apart.

Top with finely crushed Circus Animal Cookies, more sugar, and more rainbow nonpareils. You can pinch the crushed cookies between your fingers to get a finer crumb.

Bake the cookies for about 14-15 minutes. You can use a round cookie cutter or cup to "cookie scoot" or round them out at about the 10 minute mark.

Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully moving them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to one week but are best when enjoyed within the first few days.

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