Name: Cookies on a Stick
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 1 17.5-ounce Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix; ½ cup butter (room temperature); 1 large egg; rainbow sprinkles

Cookies on a stick are a fun, festive treat made with a bag of sugar cookie mix, rolled in rainbow sprinkles, and baked right onto a popsicle stick. Use the same base recipe and swap the sprinkles to match any occasion.

Rows of sprinkle sugar cookies on sticks on a napkin scattered with colorful sprinkles.

These have been a birthday tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. My mom made them for my sister and me when we were little, and now I carry it on for every party we throw. Kids love them.

A soft, chewy sugar cookie on a stick is easy to hold, easy to share, and always a hit on a party table. They look like something from a bakery case but come together in about 30 minutes with a handful of simple ingredients.

Cookies on a stick topped with rainbow sprinkles, one lifted by hand from a parchment-lined surface of matching cookies.

If you love that funfetti flavor, these fit right in next to my sugar cookie bars and funfetti cake mix cookies.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Kids can help make them. Rolling the dough balls in sprinkles is the perfect job for little hands.
Made with simple ingredients. You start with a bag of sugar cookie mix, butter, and an egg. No measuring flour.
Perfect for parties. Serve them at birthdays and potlucks or wrap them up as favors. They look great in a jar or as a cookie bouquet.
Completely customizable. Swap the sprinkles to match whatever you’re celebrating.

Ingredients

This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Sugar cookie mix: Use a 17.5 oz bag of Betty Crocker mix to keep things easy. A homemade dough you love works too.
Unsalted butter: Bring it to room temperature so it blends in smoothly.
Large egg: Binds the cookie dough and helps the cookies hold their shape.
Rainbow sprinkles: Nonpareils give the classic look, or use jimmies for color that holds up in the oven. Either works.
Popsicle sticks: Be sure to get food grade popsicle sticks as opposed to standard wooden craft sticks. You’ll need about 20 to 24.

How to Make Cookies on a Stick

This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.

Four steps: cookie dough in bowl, a dough ball pressed into sprinkles, sprinkle-topped dough pucks on sticks, and a stick pushed into a baked cookie.

Step 1: Beat the cookie mix, butter, and egg together in a large mixing bowl until just combined. Use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, or an electric mixer on low speed.

Step 2: Place the sprinkles in a small bowl. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough (a #50 cookie scoop is perfect), roll it into a smooth ball, and press the top into the sprinkles. Set the balls sprinkle-side up on a parchment-lined cookie sheets, at least 3 inches apart.

Step 3: Insert a popsicle stick halfway into each ball, with the tip landing near the center. Don’t push it too far. Then use your palm or the bottom of a glass to flatten the top slightly, similr to a hockey puck.

Step 4: Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges are light golden brown. Let the cookies cool fully on the sheet before lifting them.

Pro Tip:

Unlike most cookies, these need to bake all the way through and cool fully before moving off the baking sheet. A soft, underbaked center will crack and slide off the stick when you pick it up.

A hand holding a sprinkle sugar cookie on a stick with a bite taken out, more cookies on a wooden board behind.

Storage

Room temperature: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Layer parchment paper between them to protect the sprinkles.

Freezer: Flash freeze the cooled cookies in a single layer until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2 months. Keep parchment between the layers so they don’t stick.

Thaw at room temperature before serving. They’re ready in about 30 minutes.

Tips for the Best Cookies on a Stick

Soften the butter fully. Cold butter leaves lumps and melted butter makes the cookies spread. Room-temperature butter should dent when you press it but still hold its shape.
Press, don’t just roll. Push the dough firmly into the sprinkles so they stick and the tops stay well covered after baking.
Keep them the same size. No cookie scoop? A heaping tablespoon rolled between your palms works. Even sizing means even baking.
Make ahead. Refrigerate the dough up to 24 hours before baking, or bake the cookies fully and store them.
Doubling the batch. Mix in two batches if your bowl is small, and keep any waiting dough balls in the fridge until they go in the oven.

Additions and Variations

Swap the sprinkles. Red and green for Christmas, pastel for Easter, orange and black for Halloween, or red, white, and blue for the 4^th of July.
Add a drizzle. Once the cookies cool, drizzle melted white or dark chocolate over the top and let it set before serving.
Decorate with icing. A little royal icing or a decorating pen adds a simple design.
Make a cookie bouquet. Once the cookies are fully cooled, arrange the cookie sticks in a jar, mug, or foam block wrapped in tissue paper for a fun party centerpiece or gift.

Sugar cookies on sticks topped with rainbow sprinkles arranged on a wooden cutting board.

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Cookies on a stick topped with rainbow sprinkles, one held by hand over a cream napkin with two more behind.

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