Giant Red Hot Sugar Cookie

This huge, soft, sugar cookie is an addition to our popular collection of giant cookies!  Each recipe makes one HUGE cookie, perfect for gifting or snacking.  They are easy to mix up in one small bowl and quick from start to finish.  This Giant Red Hot Sugar Cookie is inspired by my love of red hots on valentine sugar cookies.  What I don’t love is feeling like I’m going to break a tooth so this Giant Sugar Cookie is made with crushed red hot candies in the dough, and more sprinkled on top.  The cookie itself is soft and buttery and the flavor combo is addictive!  Make sure to read all the tips for tons of great pointers on how to make the perfect Giant Cookie.

Ingredient and Equipment Notes

• Red Hot Candies – This cookie gets a little burst of cinnamon flavor from crushed up red hot candies. Find these by the sprinkles on the baking aisle.
• Butter – Use real butter here.
• Meat Mallet – I use my meat mallet to crush the red hot candies in a plastic bag. You could also try using the bottom of a very solid drinking glass.

How to Make a Giant Red Hot Sugar Cookie

1. Crush some candies. I use a heavy mallet and place my red hots in a plastic bag to crush them.

2. Make the dough. We’ve got all the usual players here: butter, sugar, an egg yolk, vanilla, flour, baking soda, and salt. Then the candies go right into the dough.  I’ve decreased the amount of sugar in this cookie so basically some of the red hots take the place of the normal amount of sweetness.  It gives the finished cookie gorgeous color, too.

3. Giant Cookie Tip #1: Use my template!  When you are ready to bake, this printable template slips under a piece of parchment paper and gives you a size and shape guide. Spread and shape your dough to the 7 inch circle. Bake.

Giant Cookie Tip #2: Shape your cookie!  As soon as the cookie gets out of the oven, take a large spatula and gently nudge the edges in to make a nice circular shape.  This not only looks better, but it helps the texture of the cookie so those edges are nice and uniform in size and shape after spreading during the baking process.

5. Frost it! I use a fluffy buttercream icing on this cookie.  If you love cinnamon, I recommend a few drops of cinnamon extract (or cinnamon flavoring oil) to boost that flavor in the overall cookie.  Without a little extract the cinnamon is quite mild.  You may prefer it that way, but just wanted to let you know of your options!  I prefer a little extra boost of cinnamon.

6. Package Your Cookie. If you are giving this cookie as a gift, consider putting it in a blank pizza box. I recommend lining your box with parchment paper.  Cookies have a lot of butter, which will leave grease spots on the plain box, or tissue paper.  You can often find cute sheets like the red checker pattern you see in my photo sold as “deli sheets” at restaurant supply stores. Tie a bow around the box for the cutest treat!

FAQS

Can I freeze giant cookies? Yes!

To freeze baked, unfrosted cookies: To do this, I place them in the freezer for 20-30 minutes until frozen on the outside and then stack multiple cookies between sheets of parchment paper, wrapped well in freezer.  I wouldn’t freeze them for more than 6-8 weeks.

Freeze unbaked dough:  Use your printable template guide to press dough out into the proper size, then freeze for 30 minutes or so until frozen to the touch on the outside and stack multiple dough rounds between pieces of parchment paper.  Wrap thoroughly. Let dough rounds thaw at room temperature and then bake as recipe states.

How do I make multiple Giant Sugar Cookies?

Warning: This involves math 🙂 I would print out the recipe and calculate however many cookies you would like to make.  A food scale will be your best tool so you can easily multiply the flour and sugar.  Make all the dough in a stand mixer together and then weight the finished dough, dividing by how many cookies you are making.  This way all of your cookies will be equal in size.

Related Recipes

If you’re looking for more big giant cookies, you can find them all right here:

Big Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie

Big Giant Oatmeal Cookie

Big Giant Double Chocolate Fudge Cookie

Big Giant Sugar Cookie

Big Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookie

Big Giant Chocolate Crinkle Cookie

Big Giant Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookie

Big Giant Peanut Butter Cookie

Big Giant Snickerdoodle Cookie

Giant Peppermint Candy Cane Chocolate Chip Cookie

Giant Chocolate Peppermint Bark Cookie

Giant Chocolate Cadbury Egg Cookie

Big Giant Chocolate Sandwich Cookie (Homemade Oreo!)

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Giant Red Hot Sugar Cookie

This recipe makes one giant cookie, about 8-9" in diameter.  It has fluffy buttercream icing and crushed red hots for a fun cinnamon-y twist!

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup real butter very soft but not melted.
• 5 tablespoons 62 g sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed red hot candies note: you'll need some more to sprinkle on top
• 1 egg yolk from large or extra large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour 152 g lightly spoon into measuring cup and level
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

ICING

• 4 tablespoons butter extra soft
• 1 1/2 cups 170g powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 –2 tablespoons cream or milk
• optional: cinnamon extract or cinnamon flavoring oil to taste
• Topping: additional 1 tablespoon or so crushed red hots on top of frosting

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment and slip our printable template underneath the parchment. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, baking powder and salt all at once and mix to combine.  Mix in 1 1/2 tablespoons crushed red hot candies. 

TIP: Dough will look crumbly at first, that’s normal!  Keep mixing, for longer than you think you need to and it will come together.  When everything is well incorporated, you can use clean hands to pull it all together.

• Form dough into one large ball. 
• Place dough ball on prepared baking sheet and gently press to 7″ in diameter.  Smooth edges with hands so here are no craggily edges that can get overcooked. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until set on the edges and slightly soft in the middle.  I feel this cookie is best just slightly underbaked so it stays soft! 
• Note:  All ovens cook differently and baking time can vary depending on how you pressed your cookie down so set your timer but keep an eye on it and go by look over time!

Tip: If your edges are getting browned, it’s probably been in there too long!

• Remove from oven and let cool completely.
• While cooling, mix up all frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Add as much liquid as you need (a tiny bit at a time) until it is the consistency you like and add cinnamon flavoring to taste, starting with just a few drops.
• When cookie is completely cool, frost and sprinkle with additional crushed candies. 

Author: Sara Wells

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