Smarties Cookies

These colourful Smarties cookies are a popular recipe with kids and adults alike! Melt in the mouth vanilla cookies are studded with chocolate chips and topped with smarties to create a bright and pretty cookie that is perfect for parties, bake sales and picnics.

Smarties biscuits are pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on the face of my family – young and old. These fun cookies are made from a soft and tender vanilla cookie dough, slightly crumbly like shortbread, dotted with chocolate chunks and then topped with colourful Smarties.

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredient notes and substitutions
• How to make smartie cookies from scratch
• FAQ
• My recipe tips
• Chocolate is cheaper than Smarties, but if you want to use the packet of Smarties you can add extra Smarties to the cookie dough instead of chocolate.
• Make ahead/storage
• Variations
• Why not try…
• Smarties Cookies

Why we love this recipe

• This easy recipe is made in one bowl and take just 10 minutes to prepare.
• It is an eggless cookie recipe – like lemon biscuits and bourbon biscuits there are no eggs in these cookies.
• Baking cookies with smarties is a guaranteed way to get the kids in the kitchen! From weighing the ingredients to counting out the Smarties – and tasting along the way – these are a fun baking project for rainy weekends or school holidays.
• The soft tender vanilla cookie is like a cafe style cookie that is sold in many cafes throughout Australia.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.

• Butter or margarine – I have made these cookies with butter and margarine and they both work, the only difference is the butter produces slightly crisper cookies than those made with margarine. I use unsalted butter, but if you want to use salted butter, leave out the pinch of salt. If using butter, make sure it is at room temperature.
• Icing sugar / confectioners sugar – adding this superfine sugar helps give the cookies that tender texture.
• Soft brown sugar – gives a slightly dense cookie (which is so tasty!) as well as providing a little moisture to stop the cookies from becoming too dry and sandy.
• Plain flour – all purpose flour.
• Vanilla essence – vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract.
• Baking powder – used as a leavener to create a lighter texture.
• Chocolate – milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate. I like to use bar chocolate and roughly chop it to create chocolate chunks but use chocolate chips if you prefer. Or use extra Smarties.
• Smarties – or any other candy coated chocolate.

How to make smartie cookies from scratch

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.

• In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter / margarine with the icing / confectioners sugar, soft brown sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
• Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix to a firm dough. This can take a little time.

• Mix in the chopped chocolate or chocolate chips.
• Roll the dough into a 5cm / 2 inch diameter sausage in clingfilm / cling wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

• Slice the cookie dough into 1.5 cm / 0.5 inch thick slices and place on two baking tins lined with baking paper, leaving a little room in between to allow for the cookies to spread slightly.
• Gently push 5-6 Smarties into the top of each of the cookies, taking care not to press too hard as this can crack the cookie dough.

• Place in the preheated oven and bake until very lightly golden.
• Leave on the trays for 5 minutes to cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

FAQ

My recipe tips

• If you are using butter (rather than margarine), make sure it is at room temperature  – this will make it easier to mix with the sugar.
• Don’t over bake the cookies, they are like shortbread cookies in the fact that they don’t want much colour to them.
• If you want to make Dotty cookies, then I recommend you use margarine rather than butter. This gives them a softer texture without that crispness that comes with butter. I actually developed them with Dotty cookies in mind so prefer using margarine in this particular recipe!

Make ahead/storage

This Smarties cookie recipe will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. (They rarely stay around for that long without being eaten!)

To freeze the cookies: wrap well to avoid any strong smells like onion tainting the cookies. Freeze for up to 6 weeks.

Variations

You can top the cookies with mini Smarties, or use M&M’s or chocolate chips instead of Smarties. For Easter, decorate with Cadbury’s mini eggs.

Why not try…

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