Soft and chewy cake batter sugar cookies topped with a fluffy white chocolate frosting and of course, a Circus Animal Cookie!
By now, I’m sure you all know just how ridiculously obsessed I am with Circus Animal cookies. I’ve been absolutely infatuated with these iconic pink and white cookies since childhood, and I don’t ever see that changing. EVER. I’ll be hooked on these sprinkled gems into my hundreds!
Although Circus Animal cookies are spectacular on their own, I’m definitely no stranger to incorporating them into any dessert I possibly can. I’ve done cupcakes, pizookies, trifles, pie, ice cream, and fudge, just to name a few. With such an extensive repertoire of Circus Animal cookie recipe creations, one would think that I’ve run out of ideas by now. However, that my dear friend, is impossible…
With a soft and incredibly doughy cake batter cookie base and a thick layer of creamy white chocolate frosting, this cookie is absolutely STUNNING. I mean, how can you NOT smile when looking at these pink and white spirals of perfection?? They’re absolutely mesmerizing!
This cookie creation was actually inspired by Crumbl Cookie’s very own Circus Animal cookie that they sell in their shops. I mentioned this cookie shop a few weeks back when I made a copycat of their Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie. Even though I ADORE all of Crumbl’s incredibly creative cookie flavors, my wallet on the other hand doesn’t. That’s why I’ve been making my own copycat versions at home!While my Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie looks pretty identical to Crumbl’s, I decided to change things up just a LITTLE bit with this one. But honestly, I think my version is MUCH better…just sayin’.
So let’s talk cookie dough! There are a few KEY ingredients that make this cookie as soft, rich, and incredibly flavorful as it is. The first is white cake mix. In order to infuse that iconic cake batter flavor into these cookies, cake mix is a must. If you don’t have white, you can also use yellow cake mix–basically any vanilla cake mix will do. Along with flavor, the cake mix will also ensure that these cookies bake up supremely soft. Since we’re not aiming for a cakey texture in these cookies, just one cup is all you need to achieve the right amount of softness yet still retain that heavenly chew.
Another key ingredient in obtaining those wonderful soft batch cookie results is cream cheese. Not only does this ingredient give the cookies those slightly chewy edges and thick, tender interiors, but it adds a depth of flavor and richness that you can’t get with just butter.Instant pudding mix is another vital ingredient in these cookies for both sweetness and creating super soft cookies. For this recipe I used white chocolate pudding mix, but feel free to use vanilla pudding mix if that’s all you have. Just make sure that it’s the INSTANT kind.
When it comes to baking, these cookies need a little help when it comes to spreading. If you just place the dough balls in the oven, they won’t spread out enough to hold all of the delicious frosting that goes on top. So before placing them in the oven, I use my palm to gently press into the dough balls until they’re about 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick. You don’t want to flatten them too much because they will spread a little as they’re baking.
Now let’s talk frosting! This is where my cookies differ from Crumbl’s. Instead of simply melting white chocolate and spreading it on top of the cookie, I decided to go a step further by making a white chocolate frosting. It’s incredibly creamy, fluffy, and loaded with real white chocolate. It also pipes like a dream!
The two-tone swirl effect is actually quite simple. In fact, you don’t even need any special supplies to do it. All you have to do is dye half of your frosting pink–I used Wilton’s gel icing color in the color Rose. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap onto a flat surface, then spoon about half of the white frosting down the center. Repeat with half of the pink frosting, spooning it alongside the white frosting. Note: You only want to spoon half of each frosting because it needs to fit into your piping bag.
Once you’ve spooned your frostings, fold the plastic wrap over and shape it into a log, twisting the ends to seal the frosting inside. Cut one end of the frosting log, then place it into either a piping bag fitted with a round tip or a gallon ziplock bag with the corner cut off. To ensure that you get an even distribution of both colors, do a test squeeze onto a plate before piping the frosting onto the cookies.
For the spiral look, simply start at the center of the cookie, then use a circular motion to work your way out to the edges of the cookie. And don’t worry if your spiral isn’t quite centered–the Circus Animal cookie on top will help to distract people from any imperfections 😉
Soft, chewy, and brimming with sprinkles, cake batter, and white chocolate sweetness, these Frosted Circus Animal Cookies are guaranteed to be a hit for young and old alike!
Soft and chewy cake batter sugar cookies topped with a fluffy white chocolate frosting and of course, a Circus Animal Cookie!
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Prep Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 9 minutes mins
Chilling Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 2 hours hrs 29 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white cake mix dry
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup cream cheese softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 (3.56 oz) box instant white chocolate pudding mix*
- 3 Tablespoons multi-colored non-pareil sprinkles
White Chocolate Frosting:
- 5 ounces white chocolate**
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- Pink food coloring (I used Wilton's gel icing color in the color Rose)
Instructions
Make the Cookies:
Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, cake mix, baking soda, and salt until combined; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cream cheese, and bothsugars together until lightened in color and creamy.
Beat inthe eggs, vanilla, and almond extract, followed by the pudding mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then dump in the flour mixture. Beat until just combined.Stir in the sprinkles by hand. Chill dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Scoop the dough out, roll into a ball, flatten into a thick disc, then place onto the lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 7-9 minutes, or until edges begin to turn golden.Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutesbeforetransferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make the Frosting:
Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until smooth and melted. Set aside to cool slightly***.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, salt, and vanilla on high until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix on high for 3 minutes.
Stop the mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Add the melted chocolate and beat frosting on high for 2-3 minutes. Add the heavy cream, and continue to beat until light and fluffy.
To Decorate:
Transfer half of the frosting to another bowl. To the frosting that's left in the bowl, add the food coloring and beat until combined.
To achieve the swirl effect, lay a large piece of plastic wrap onto a flat surface. Spoon about half of the white frosting in a log down the center. Repeat with half of the pink frosting, spooning it alongside the white frosting. Note: You only want to spoon half of each frosting because it needs to fit into your piping bag.
Fold the plastic wrap over to shape it into a log and twist the ends to seal the frosting inside. Cut one end of the log, then place it into a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip, or a large ziplock bag with the corner cut off. Before piping frosting onto cookies, squeeze some out on a plate to ensure the colors come out evenly.
Using a spiral motion from the inside out, pipe the frosting onto the cookies. Top each cookie with a Circus Animal cookie. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Vanilla pudding mix can also be used.
**If using white chocolate chips which don't melt as smoothly, you might want to add 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable/coconut oil to your chocolate when heating in the microwave. This will result in a much smoother consistency, thus making it easier to incorporate into the frosting.
**Make sure the white chocolate doesn't start to harden up again before you add it to the frosting. If it's already begun to set along the edges of the bowl, it'll harden once it hits the frosting, causing chunks of white chocolate throughout. If necessary, reheat chocolate in the microwave at 10-second increments just until it's completely liquid-smooth, but not too warm.
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