No matter what your age, Smartie Cookies are everyone’s favourite! These cheery, cafe-style cookies are super quick to whip up, bake in 8 minutes and are the perfect school holiday-baking project.
I’m pretty sure every kid in Australia has been bribed with a Smartie cookie more than once. This little trick is used to keep them happy (aka quiet) while their Mum enjoys a nice quiet coffee with her friends. Oh come on, surely that’s not just me?!
On a recent Instagram post, I shared a photo of my Smartie Cookies and my niece straight away sent me a message, saying she still buys these with her coffee. She’s 27! There’s just something fun and nostalgic about a colourful and cheery Smartie Cookie.
SPREADING THE LOVE, ONE COOKIE AT A TIME
So I was in my favourite cafe recently. Because we’re still in lockdown in Melbourne and are only allowed to travel within a 5km bubble, life has been a little challenging. Luckily for me, my favourite cafe is only a couple of kilometres away….and we’re allowed to still buy takeaways! On my regular coffee run, I saw they’d made these cute little Smartie Cookies and I commented on how gorgeous they looked. When I got back to my car (no indoor OR outdoor dining allowed!) I opened up my package to see they’d snuck a cookie in for me!! It seriously made my day….which is why I had to go out and buy a bag of Smarties and make these cookies for my boys. Full disclosure…..I did buy the jumbo bag of Smarties….and I may have eaten most of the leftovers!
KID-FRIENDLY BAKING PROJECT
My Smartie Cookie recipe is a quick and easy cookie recipe. You can mix it up in a matter of minutes, you don’t need to refrigerate the dough and they bake in just 8 minutes! They are the perfect school holiday baking project because they’re colourful and fun and the kids love scooping the dough. My “kids” actually wait for me to scoop the dough and then steal the bowl from me, to scrape out any leftover cookie dough!
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SMARTIE COOKIES
- they remind me of when my kids were little
- you only need 8 basic ingredients
- just a few minutes to mix up
- you can bake them in 8 minutes!
- great introduction into baking for kids
- they’re just so damn cute!
MY TIPS ON MAKING PERFECT SMARTIE COOKIES
- Mini baking Smarties are perfect for these cookies, but you can also use regular smarties (but the colour can run during baking)
- bake one tray at a time, on conventional (not fan forced) setting -this way you have time to pop the Smarties into each cookie before they set
- use a large ice cream scoop to scoop out the dough for perfect, evenly sized Smartie Cookies
- get the kids involved -they love being part of the process!
If cookies are your thing, you’re going to want to check out:
The Best Ever Choc Chip Cookies
Please let me know what you think of my Smartie Cookies, by leaving a comment below, or by sharing your photo on Instagram (be sure to tag me @applecakeannie)
Smartie Cookies
Ingredients
- 150 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 240 g white sugar
- ½ tsp salt sea salt flakes or regular salt
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 300 g plain flour
- ½ tsp bi carb soda
- 150 g Baking Smarties
- Optional: extra Smarties to decorate
Instructions
- preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (not fan-forced)
- sift flour and bi carb soda and set aside
- in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar and salt on medium speed, until light and fluffy. You will need to stop the mixer a couple of times and scrape the bowl.
- turn mixer to low and add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- turn the mixer off, then add the sifted flour and bicarb
- mix on low, until almost combined
- Add 150g of Smarties and mix on low until just combined
- Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop out dough and place onto lined baking trays, leaving space for the cookies to spread slightly (I put 9 on a tray)
- Optional: press 4 or 5 Smarties into the top of the cookie dough balls (to ensure the Smarties are visible after baking)
- Bake cookies for 8 minutes, until lightly golden but still soft
- Remove from the oven and quickly and carefully press each cookie to flatten slightly, then reshape if necessary (you can do this with a spatula, or twil them inside a large round cookie cutter).
- Slide baking paper off the tray and allow cookies to set on a cool surface
- Cookies are best eaten within a couple of days and can be frozen for a couple of months
These were fun to make during the school holidays with my 5 year old.
Our smarties didn’t all stay stuck in our cookies, I wonder if I needed to push them in harder, or cook a little longer first.
Half our batch was eaten before they were fully cooled, ( admittedly not just by the kids) because, well that smell, and warm cookies are oh so good. I May have to double or tripple the batch next time, and there will be a next time, such a simple recipe
Thanks for this recipe.
Bianca
Thanks Bianca, so glad you all enjoyed them! They don’t last very long in my house either…
The Smarties will stick best if you put them in as soon as the cookies come out of the oven, while they’re still warm and soft. Don’t be afraid to really shove them in.
Thank you for the feedback x