Fall Dot Cookies

The Dot Cakes seem to be everywhere right now! And it seems that everyone has their own take on them. So we thought: what if we put our own fall spin on these viral cakes and made them fall-coded? 

We swapped cake for a cookie base and kept the iconic DOT Cake nonpareil sprinkle topping that is totally fall-coded. They are super simple to make but look like something that you would spot in the display case and immediately decide you need to order. 

They start with a buttery vanilla cookie base that is baked to golden-brown perfection. Then we slather them with a thick layer of vanilla buttercream and dunk them in autumn-colored nonpareil sprinkles. 

They have that same bakery-level extra energy about them without being that complicated to make. The cookie itself is simple, but they are intentionally oversized and finished with a colorful crunch of sprinkles to give them that bakery-style look. Wrap a couple up for a friend or bring them with you to a Halloween party or fall gathering as a fun and festive treat!

Why You’ll Love These Fall Dot Cookies

• Buttery and soft! These vanilla cookies are baked to buttery perfection and create a sturdy yet soft base for the thick layer of buttercream on top. 
• Festive for any fall gathering. The best part about these cookies is that they are versatile for any fall get-together. They’re casual enough to serve as a dessert at a fall luncheon or festive enough to serve on a Halloween party platter. Whatever the event, these are sure to be the talk of the table!
• Fun to make and eat! Baking instantly gets more fun when sprinkles are involved. Which I think is one of the reasons so many people love the viral Dot Cakes. You’ll get that same giddy feeling decorating and eating these. 

How to Make Fall Dot Cookies, Step by Step

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375°F and prep your baking sheet. 

These cookies are large cookies and cook at a higher temperature so that they can get some lift and not spread out as much while they cook. 

Before you get to baking, preheat the oven to 375°F and line a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Set it to the side until you’re ready to bake the cookies.

Step 2. Make vanilla cookie dough, roll cookie dough, and chill for 20 minutes. 

We recommend using an electric mixer for this cookie dough because it is a thick dough and will need the extra power to blend evenly. Either a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer will work just fine!

In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set this bowl to the side while you mix the wet ingredients. 

Add chilled butter and both sugars to the mixing bowl. Lock the paddle attachment into place and turn the speed to medium speed to cream the butter and sugars together for a couple of minutes. This will help to whip air into the batter and give it a soft, chewy texture. 

Once the butter is whipped and creamy, mix in eggs and vanilla until evenly combined. Lastly, gently blend in flour until just combined. 

Scoop the vanilla dough into large cookie dough balls. You should be able to make 8-10 large cookie dough balls with this recipe. 

Place the cookie dough balls on a piece of paper or extra baking sheet and freeze them for 15-20 minutes. This will help to once again solidify the fats to help decrease the spread of these large cookies. 

Tip: Using chilled butter will help keep the fats more solidified while you make the dough. If the fats soften too much, the cookies will spread. 

Step 3. Bake cookies and let them cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

Remove the chilled cookies from the freezer and place 3-4 cookies on your prepped baking sheet. Return any unused cookie dough balls back to the freezer to chill while this batch bakes. 

Bake each batch of cookies for about 12-15 minutes or until they are golden brown on the edges. The center should be slightly soft to the touch. See our tips below on how to make a perfectly round cookie shape every time. 

Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack while you bake the rest of the batches. 

Tip: If your cookies do spread, gently reshape them using a large glass, small bowl or 

Step 4. Make vanilla buttercream.

While the cookies are cooling, make the buttercream. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter on medium speed until it is smooth and creamy. Mix in powdered sugar, a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream, and a dash of vanilla until the icing is smooth and creamy. 

Step 5. Decorate cookies with icing and dunk in nonpareil sprinkles. 

You can either use a piping bag to pipe the icing on the cookies or use a knife to spread a thick layer of icing on the top of each cookie. 

The piping bag will give you clean lines on the edges. But if you don’t have piping bags and tips, or just don’t have the patience, you don’t need to use them. The icing is going to be covered in sprinkles anyway!

Pour 1/2 cup of nonpareil sprinkles into a shallow bowl. Carefully press the icing-side of the cookie into the sprinkles to coat the icing in the sprinkles.

How to get perfectly round cookies every time!

If your cookies spread out in the oven and look a bit wonky, try this!! Use this tried-and-true trick to make sure all our cookies look perfectly rounded every time.

1. Use a large circle cookie cutter or a small bowl. Place the cookie cutter around the shape of the cookie. It may take some gentle molding to fit.
2. Gently move the cookie cutter in a circular motion until the abstract edges become more rounded. 
3. Lift the cookie cutter from the pan and repeat for the rest of the odd-shaped cookies.

Tip! It’s important to do this immediately when you pull them out of the oven, or else they will cool and won’t be pliable.  

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