These funfetti cookies are soft, chewy and loaded with rainbow sprinkles. Easy to make, they’re very festive and perfect for any birthday celebration.
I’d never thought even in my wildest dreams that I would one day share a funfetti cookie recipe. But recently, my soon-to-be 4-year-old daughter became obsessed with all things sprinkles, and I couldn’t resist to make her happy for her birthday. So here we are, with a funfetti cookie recipe, that turned out so good I’ll keep the super soft cookie dough for other cookie recipes!
These sprinkle cookies are extremely easy to make (I baked them with my daughter in no time), and yield some incredibly soft and chewy cookies, loaded with sprinkles. The secret is to underbake them to keep centers soft, and to add extra sprinkles on top while cookies are still warm. Make the cookies pretty, and they’ll be a great addition to any birthday party (we did a unicorn birthday party). I hope you enjoy!
Why you’ll love these funfetti cookies:
- Soft and chewy cookies, with slightly under-baked centers
- Easy, straight-forward recipe
- Loaded with colorful sprinkles
- Very festive and perfect for a birthday party!
The recipe ingredients
- Butter. Use unsalted butter, preferably, since the recipe already calls for salt.
- Light brown sugar + white granulated sugar. Make sure you use both sugars exactly as mentioned in the recipe. Do not try to use another type of sugar, reduce the quantity of sugar or change the ratio between white/light brown sugar, or it will mess up with the final texture of the cookies. If you’re afraid of the quantity of sugar in the recipe, simply bake smaller cookies (and adjust the baking time accordingly)!
- Honey. In addition to sugar, I found that the use of honey added extra sweetness to the cookies and made them even chewier. I used a thick, creamy clover honey.
- 2 eggs. They bring moistness to the recipe and act as a binding ingredient.
- All-purpose flour + baking soda + baking powder + salt. This is your dry mix.
- Jimmies sprinkles. Read my note below about the right choice of sprinkles to use in these funfetti cookies. You can add extra sprinkles, any shape, on top of your cookies after they’re baked.
Tips to make funfetti cookies
- Butter needs to be melted and cooled slightly before using. If you add sugars to hot melted butter, sugar will dissolve instantly and will make the cookies crispy, flat and greasy after baking.
- Measure the flour correctly before using. Too much flour would result in thick, drier cookies.
- Mix the sprinkles gently into the cookie dough with a rubber spoon to unsure they’re evenly distributed in the dough and avoid breaking up sprinkles.
- Chill the dough. This will allow the cookies to develop their flavors and ensure a perfect texture while baking.
- Slighty underbake these funfetti cookies to ensure a soft, chewy center.
The right choice of sprinkles
When it comes to baking, always use jimmies sprinkles (thin, long-shaped sprinkles). Unlike other types of sprinkles (here’s a breakdown of all types of sprinkles), jimmies are the only ones that will not dye your cookie dough when baking. Nonpareils and other sprinkles however will bleed color into the cookie dough and may leave you with some funky-colored funfetti cookies.
Don’t get me wrong, you can use other sprinkles too, as long as you add them after baking to decorate the top of your cookies (as shown on the photos). I used a mix of jimmies, nonpareils, quins, sanding sugars, golden star confetti, etc.
Make seaonal variations of these funfetti cookies
Funfetti cookies are very festive, and you can make them look different, depending on the occasion. Always remember to use jimmies sprinkles (long, thin sprinkles) for baking, and keep the other shapes and types for decoration, here on top of the cookies after baking.
- Rainbow jimmies sprinkles are perfect for a Birthday Party or any festive occasion.
- Use unicorn jimmies sprinkles for a Unicorn Birthday party!
- Pastel jimmies for Easter on any spring celebration!
- A mix of red, pink and white sprinkles for Valentine’s Day!
- Use Christmas jimmies sprinkles consisting of red and green jimmies to make these funfetti cookies Christmassy!
Storing and make-ahead instructions
Storing. These cookies are best when still slightly warm, freshly out from the oven. But they’re still very good the following day or two days later, as long as you store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Remember to always underbake the cookies slightly to keep them soft and chewy even days later, that’s how we love them best.
Make-ahead instructions. You can chill the cookie dough (portioned into balls) up to 2 days in advance, or freeze the cookie dough balls. To freeze, place the cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid. Once solid, transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. You can bake these funfetti cookies straight from the freezer, and add a few extra minutes to the baking time (making sure the centers are still soft).
Other festive cookies you’ll love:
- Levain Bakery Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Hazelnuts
- Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate-Dipped Cookie Sticks
- Daim Bar Cookies
Funfetti Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 8-10 mins
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 22 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
These funfetti cookies are soft, chewy and loaded with rainbow sprinkles. Easy to make, they’re very festive and perfect for any birthday celebration.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (240g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled down slightly
- ⅔ cup (120g) light brown sugar, packed
- ⅔ cup (130g) white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 3 ½ cups (420g) all-purpose white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (80g) rainbow jimmies-style sprinkles*
- Extra sprinkles (any kind), to sprinkle over the cookies
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter (slightly cooled down) with brown and white sugar, until well combined. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract, and honey. Mix until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two or three additions, stirring well between each addition. Gently stir in the sprinkles, until evenly distributed in the dough.
- Portion the dough into equal balls, using an ice cream scoop, and place the cookie balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for one hour. Remove from the refrigerator and allow the cookie dough to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the cookie balls into the baking sheets, leaving enough space between them to allow spreading, and add more jimmies sprinkles on top.
- Bake for about 8-10 minutes, or until sides are just set and centers slightly underbaked to keep cookies soft and chewy. Bang the baking sheet onto the countertop a few times to flatten the cookies out, then add more sprinkles (any kind, this time) while cookies are still warm. Let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack, or devour right away while cookies are still warm!
Notes
* Use sprinkle jimmies, not nonpareils. Jimmies won’t dye the cookie dough while nonpareils likely will bleed into the dough and may leave you with some funky-colored cookies.
Did you make this recipe?
Lastly, if you make this Funfetti Cookies, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. And of course, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thank you and enjoy!
