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Levain Bakery-Style Circus Animal Sprinkle Cookies Recipe
Ben Carraoli

Levain Bakery-Style Circus Animal Sprinkle Cookies Recipe

I recently made these Levain Bakery-Style Circus Animal Sprinkle Cookies, and honestly, they instantly became one of my favorite homemade treats. The cookies are thick, buttery, and packed with fun mix-ins that make every bite exciting.
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Total Time 48 minutes
Calories: 620
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 1½ cups granulated white sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ cups cake flour
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1½ cups frosted circus animal cookies roughly chopped
  • 2 cups white chocolate chips
  • 1 cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles

Method
 

  1. Start by placing the cubed cold butter and granulated sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat them together using the paddle attachment until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. Gradually increasing the mixing speed helps properly incorporate air into the dough. This step helps create the thick bakery-style texture.
  2. Crack the eggs into the bowl one at a time while mixing. After each addition, mix until fully combined so the dough stays smooth. Then add the vanilla extract and continue mixing briefly until everything is evenly blended.
  3. Add cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cake flour, and all-purpose flour to the bowl. Mix slowly until the ingredients combine and form a thick cookie dough. The combination of cake flour and regular flour helps create a tender yet sturdy cookie.
  4. Gently stir in the chopped circus animal cookies, white chocolate chips, and rainbow sprinkles. Mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed throughout the dough. These mix-ins add flavor and help maintain the structure of the cookies during baking.
  5. Place the cookie dough in the refrigerator and let it chill for about 20 minutes. This step helps the dough firm up and prevents excessive spreading when baking. Chilling also allows the flavors to develop more deeply.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Measure about 6 ounces of dough for each cookie and form it into a loosely shaped ball. The rough shape gives the cookie its classic craggy bakery-style look.
  7. Place four dough balls on the baking sheet, spacing them about three inches apart. Bake one tray at a time in the center of the oven for about 10–13 minutes. The outside should look lightly golden while the center remains soft and slightly underbaked.
  8. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for about 30 minutes. They will continue cooking slightly as they cool. This resting time also helps them firm up without losing their gooey center.

Notes

  • I always keep the butter cold before mixing because it helps the cookies stay thick instead of spreading flat.
  • I like to loosely shape the cookie dough balls instead of making them perfectly smooth; this creates a better bakery-style texture.
  • I usually bake one test cookie first to check the timing in my oven.
  • I try not to overbake them because the cookies continue cooking after coming out of the oven.
  • I keep the remaining dough refrigerated while one tray is baking to maintain the cookie structure.