Ingredients
Scale
For the Cookies:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 1½ cups sugar
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste (or the seeds from one vanilla bean)
Optional Coatings:
- Nonpareil sprinkles
- Sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk together the melted butter, cream cheese, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Whisk in the oil next.
- Add in the egg, milk, and vanilla bean paste/seeds and whisk until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients in batches, folding them gently into the wet ingredients, and mixing until no dry clumps remain.
- The dough should be soft but not overly sticky. Pinch it together between your fingers to see if it holds together. If the dough is too soft to easily roll into a ball, place the bowl of dough into the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes (you can also make this dough ahead and keep it in the fridge for a few days until you need it. It is nice to work with when it’s chilled!).
- Pour the spinkles and/or sanding sugar into bowls.
- Using a medium cookie scoop, portion out balls of the dough that are roughly 1½ inches in diameter. Using your hands, roll them into smooth balls and then place the balls of dough in the sprinkles/sanding sugar and roll to coat.
- Place the coated cookie balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving roughly 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the cookies are set and crackled. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week.