Circus Animal Sugar Cookies (Video)

Our circus animal sugar cookies are soft, delicious, and super fun! We start with a cloud-like sugar cookie, top it with white chocolate, and add a circus animal cookie. Oh, and don’t forget the sprinkles!

You might also like our bakery style sugar cookies or our sugar cookie bars! 

Watch our step by step video!

What is it about circus animal cookies that make them so insanely delicious? They’ve been one of my favorites since I was a child. I love that they now come in fun seasonal shapes and colors, too! We revamped one of our favorite sugar cookie recipes with sprinkles, white chocolate, and circus animal cookies to create these colorful and delicious cookies!

Circus Animal Sugar Cookies

These cookies start out with the SOFTEST sugar cookie. These aren’t rolled sugar cookies, but rather the ones that you’d find at the bakery with frosting and sprinkles.

I normally frost them with marshmallow frosting (which is SO easy to make), but switched things up with white chocolate this time. Both versions are delicious, depending on what you’re going for! If you want a soft frosting, make our marshmallow frosting for the circus animal sugar cookies. If you’d like a thin white chocolate coating, use melted white chocolate chips!

Sugar Cookien Dough Ingredients

• butter
• white sugar
• powdered sugar
• eggs
• vanilla
• almond extract
• oil
• salt
• flour
• baking soda
• cream of tartar
• sprinkles
• white chocolate
• circus animal cookies

How To Make Soft Circus Animal Sugar Cookies

You’ll start out by beating the butter until it’s soft and fluffy, followed by the sugars. Add in the eggs and mix thoroughly before mixing in the oil, vanilla and almond extract.  You might wonder why you need oil AND butter in this recipe. This, my friends, is what makes these cookies insanely soft. Don’t skimp!

Add the dry ingredients, and finally a handful of sprinkles.

Scoop dough into balls and bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes.

Once cookies have had a chance to cool, melt white chocolate chips and spread a thin layer over each cookie followed by more sprinkles and a circus animal cookie!

This recipe makes 40 cookies that will stay soft for days! Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Circus Animal Sugar Cookie Recipe

Circus Animal Sugar Cookies

Our circus animal sugar cookies super fun! A soft sugar cookie topped with white chocolate, a circus cookie, and sprinkles!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 dozen

Calories: 200kcal

Ingredients

Cookies

• 1 cup  butter softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4  cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup non parelis rainbow sprinkles (+extra for adding after frosting)

Frosting Option 1: White Chocolate

• 1 12 oz. bag white chocolate chips

Frosting Option 2: Marshmallow Frosting

• 1 cup butter softened
• 16 oz. Marshmallow Creme
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Beat butter in a large bowl with a stand or hand mixer until nice and fluffy, continue to beat (lowering speed) and add in sugars.
• Stop mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Add eggs, 1 at a time, followed by vanilla and almond extract, then oil. Add baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.
• Add flour 1 cup at a time until soft dough forms. Add in sprinkles and mix just until sprinkles have dispersed throughout dough. Do not overmix.
• Roll dough into walnut sized balls (or drop onto baking sheets using a cookie scoop) and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12 minutes.
• Cool 1 minute on pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting Option #1- White Chocolate

• Melt white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat an additional 30 seconds. Stir until smooth and creamy.
• Spread a small amount of white chocolate over each cookie. Add sprinkles and a circus animal cookie.

Frosting Option #2- Marshmallow Frosting

• Mix butter and powdered sugar together using an electric mixer until fluffy.
• Stir in vanilla, milk, and marshmallow creme and mix well.
• Spread or pipe over cookies. Add sprinkles and a circus animal cookie to each sugar cookie.

Notes

Note: if you are going to pipe the marshmallow frosting over the cookies, make a full batch of frosting. If you'd prefer to spread a thin amount over each cookie using a butter knife, you can make half batch of frosting.

Optional mix-in: If you want more circus animal cookie flavor, add a handful of crushed animal cookies to the dough mixture before rolling into balls.

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal