How do I apply crystal sprinkles evenly on sugar cookies?

[Yum Yum by Coco]

Hi,

I am having hard time spreading crystal sprinkle (sand sugar?) evenly on my sugar cookies.

 

With no luck from searching on the net, I get frustrated every time I bake.  Frustration causes mistakes, and with even spread it just looks nice, hence my quest on sand sugar sprinkling secret!

 

My operation will be home-based, so space, and money are very limited. 

 

Is there a tool, method, or tricks to apply evenly?

 

Thank you in advance! 

[jimb0]

do you bake the sort of sugar cookies that spread as they bake, or do you shape them and then they basically stay in the same shape during the whole baking process? the former might be easy to press into a bowl of sugar. the latter would probably want a shaker of some sort.

 

regardless my first thoughts would be to invest in a shaker/dredger like this that has coarser holes than you might find in something with a screen:

 

 

obviously this is just a random image i found, so you'd want to test something to make sure that the specific sugar you use can fit through the holes. i'd place the cookies on a rack so you could pour the sugar on top and then easily save the stuff that doesn't hit the cookies. depending on how well they stick to your pans, say, you could also just tilt a pan into a bowl afterward and not bother with the rack.

[liuzhou]

48 minutes ago, Yum Yum by Coco said:

sand sugar?

 

 I presume you mean 砂糖. That is granulated sugar.

[Yum Yum by Coco]

3 hours ago, jimb0 said:

do you bake the sort of sugar cookies that spread as they bake, or do you shape them and then they basically stay in the same shape during the whole baking process? the former might be easy to press into a bowl of sugar. the latter would probably want a shaker of some sort.

 

regardless my first thoughts would be to invest in a shaker/dredger like this that has coarser holes than you might find in something with a screen:

 

 

obviously this is just a random image i found, so you'd want to test something to make sure that the specific sugar you use can fit through the holes. i'd place the cookies on a rack so you could pour the sugar on top and then easily save the stuff that doesn't hit the cookies. depending on how well they stick to your pans, say, you could also just tilt a pan into a bowl afterward and not bother with the rack.

Hi Jimbo,

Thank you for responding & the questions(which would help but I failed to include 😅)

The recipe I use creates a very soft dough, even hours after been in the  fridge, the dough is still top soft for rolling.

The cookie doesn't spread much while baking.  The instruction was to roll on the sugar & use a bottom of a cup to flatten the dough.  I'd like the sugar to be on the cookies rather than in the cookies (hope that make sense).

 

I have a salt shaker that looks close to the picture, and I will give it a try.  I thought it was too big but I should at least try. That just might be it!

 

Thank you

[Yum Yum by Coco]

3 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

 I presume you mean 砂糖. That is granulated sugar.

Hi Liuzhou,

Thank you for responding.  I doubled checked, sanded(sanding) sugar is the alternative term. It's bigger than the granulated sugar(砂糖)， and it's sooooo good😁

 

Thank you! 

Edited March 23, 2021 by Yum Yum by Coco (log)

[jimb0]

yeah sanding sugar is a totally correct term (but it's usually sanding, not just sand) in english. 

[Kim Shook]

I do some sugar cookies where I roll the dough into balls and dip into the sanding sugar.  Place on the baking sheet and press down slightly with the bottom of a glass to flatten.  To me, that is the best way of getting even, full coverage.  The sugar ends up pressed into the top of the cooky, but is not mixed into the cooky.  Hope this helps.

Edited March 24, 2021 by Kim Shook (log)

[Susanwusan]

What is the recipe for the cookie, Kim, is it a spreader or does it keep its shape?

[liuzhou]

8 hours ago, jimb0 said:

yeah sanding sugar is a totally correct term (but it's usually sanding, not just sand) in english. 

 

I see.

 

砂糖 literally translates as 'sand sugar' meaning 'granulated sugar', hence my confusion.

[Kim Shook]

14 hours ago, Susanwusan said:

What is the recipe for the cookie, Kim, is it a spreader or does it keep its shape?

I am chagrined to admit that for decorated sugar cookies, I (after many years of recipe testing) use a tube of Pillsbury sugar cookies with a little flour added to "firm them up".  They taste as good as any recipe I ever made and keep their shapes better.  😊

[MokaPot]

I haven't tried this trick, but according to the Preppy Kitchen guy, if you swap out some of the flour for cornstarch (he uses 1/2 cup / 60 grams cornstarch), you can get a "no spread" sugar cookie with sharper edges.

 

 

[Toliver]

7 hours ago, Kim Shook said:

I am chagrined to admit that for decorated sugar cookies, I (after many years of recipe testing) use a tube of Pillsbury sugar cookies with a little flour added to "firm them up".  They taste as good as any recipe I ever made and keep their shapes better.  😊

My niece and I use the same purchased dough for our Christmas cut-out cookies. We also add a little more flour to the dough to make them easier to roll out and not stick to the rolling pin. My mom, and now my niece, always added a couple of extra "secret" spices to the dough to make them taste even better...our family secret. 

We end up putting the first batch of cut-out cookies on the first cookie sheet pan and that gets put into the freezer while we cut out the cookies for the 2nd cookie sheet pan.

Once we're done with the 2nd cookie sheet pan, the sheet pan in the freezer comes out and both get put into the oven at the same time.  You could even put the 2nd sheet pan in the freezer, as well, before going into the oven.

The cookies tend to keep their shapes better with the help of the brief stay in the freezer.