What could be better than a soft, buttery, chewy sugar cookie? Adding a healthy dose of sprinkles and turning them into Funfetti cookies; AKA a party for your mouth. These funfetti cookies from scratch are not only packed with sprinkles (um, yay!) they are:
- Perfectly soft and chewy in the middle
- Slightly buttery and crispy on the outside
- They are sure to make you the life of the party. (I don’t care how cheesy that sounds because it’s true)
Queue the Confetti, it's Funfetti Cookie Time:
After an initial test batch, I had a flashback to when my dad would bring us home sprinkled sugar cookies from McDonald's. I LOVED these cookies, partly because I had a massive sweet tooth, but also because I felt so special every time he brought them home to us; taking the time to share a treat together when he got home from work.
Before you rain on my parade and shame me for my McDonald’s cookies memories, let’s be real 1.) If you had these cookies when they sold them, they were the bomb! They would even heat them up for you. 2.) The deal for these cookies was wild...it was like 3 for a $1 or something like that. 10 year old me was out there scrounging for change and yelling at the cashier too, “Take my money!” 3.) Everyone deserves to feel special and share a treat with someone they love.
Now that I got that off my chest, let’s get back to the cookie recipe. After multiple test batches, these bad boys definitely give those McDonald’s sugar cookies a run for their money. So without further adieu... queue the funfetti.
How to Make Funfetti Cookies From Scratch
Lots of recipes out there call for cake box mixes to give you that Betty Crocker funfetti, but have no fear, that is not the only way. Not only do these cookies have that quintessential funfetti taste, but they are also super easy to make from scratch.
To Start:
Measure out all the cold ingredients to ensure everything comes in room temperature properly. To make things easier, I opted for melted butter in this recipe. Because I wanted 1.) these cookies to have a nice chewy and tender texture 2.) I am lazy and try to avoid waiting for butter to come to room temperature when possible.
Next:
Once all your ingredients are ready to go, combine the melted butter and sugars together on medium-high with a stand or hand mixer. It will look grainy and separated at first, but give it some time and it will eventually turn into a paste-like consistency.
When you see the paste consistency, turn your mixer down to medium-low and add in your eggs one at a time, allowing them to fully incorporate after each addition. Next, add in your Vanilla Extract and (the secret weapon) Almond Extract. This is one of my favorite things to do with sugar cookies (and in this case, funfetti cookie recipes), because the almond extract gives the cookie a slightly nutty flavor that rounds out the sweetness of the cookies, and keeps you coming back for more.
Finally:
After you’ve added in the extracts, it’s time to add in your dry ingredients. I typically do this in batches of 3 because it prevents you from overmixing the batter (as well as avoiding flour in your face and hair). Lastly, stop the mixer and fold in whatever color jimmies your heart desires… this is your party and you get to pick the colors if you want to.
How to Prep Your Funfetti Cookie Dough
I don’t know about you, but before I started baking cookies more regularly, I was definitely the person who would read a cookie recipe and then immediately google, “do I really have to refrigerate my cookie dough?
Well, I'm sorry to say, yes, for some recipes (this one included) it is important to refrigerate your cookie dough. Because it helps prevent your cookies from spreading and becoming thin and crispy.
For this recipe, we melted the butter to give a more chewy texture, which liquefies the fats in the cookie. When you have room temperature or melted butter in your cookies they are likely to spread more quickly while in the oven. To help prevent this, refrigerating your dough allows the fats to solidify and spread more slowly when you bake them.
Additionally, refrigerating your dough allows the sugars a chance to absorb more liquids. Less liquid in your recipe equals less spreading.
You May Also Like
- The Best Homemade Fudgy Brownies
- Baked Coffee Cake Donuts
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts with Cinnamon-Sugar
- The Best Meyer Lemon Bars
If you end up making and enjoy these soft and chewy Funfetti cookies, please consider tagging me @nightowlsbakingco on Instagram and leaving a review below.
Happy Baking!
Print
Soft and Chewy Funfetti Cookies
- Total Time: 4 Hours 28 minutes (including chill time)
- Yield: 18 cookies 1x
Description
Chewy, crispy, and buttery funfetti cookies made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 3 c All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ¾ tsp Salt
- 1 c Butter, melted (2 sticks)
- 1 ¼ c Granulated sugar
- ¼ c Brown sugar
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Almond Extract (If you do not like almond or have a nut allergy adjust to 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract.)
- ½ c Jimmy Sprinkles
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix together the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until it is well combined. Add in eggs, one at a time until combined, scraping the sides after each egg. Add in the vanilla and almond extracts until combined.
- At low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in 3 batches until just combined, scraping the sides of the bowl after each batch of the flour mixture. Stop the mixer once just combined. Careful to not overmix.
- Fold in sprinkles.
- Line a cookie sheet or container that you can store with parchment paper. Using a 2" cookie scoop (about 2 Tbsp or 1.5 oz), scoop out the dough and set them side by side on your tray. Do not flatten, you want them to be nice and round. Place them in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. The longer the better, I sometimes leave mine overnight. Ultimately, you want them to become nice and firm before you bake them because this will help them keep their shape after you bake them.
- Place on cookie sheet about 3-4 inches apart. Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes.
- Let sit for a couple of minutes on the pan once you pull out of the oven. Then transfer to a cooling rack. Let them sit for about 20-30 minutes until completely cool.
Notes
- To keep those pesky shells out of your dough: crack them into a separate bowl and add them in one at a time
- Not ready to bake right away? Store them in the freezer for 3 months. When ready to use, let them thaw on the counter for 15-20 minutes and then pop them in the oven.
- Didn’t eat all of the cookies in one sitting? Pop one in the microwave for 10-15 secs to get the warm chewy center.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: funfetti cookie recipe, funfetti cookies, funfetti cookies from scratch, funfetti sugar cookies
Thank you to my significant other, roommates, and co-workers for being the taste testers…your hard work and sacrifice does not go unnoticed.
made these cookies and they turned out fabulous! I used all the exact ingredients, including 50% almond essence which gives this cookie a distinct flavor that I love. I refrigerated the entire batch (in the mixing bowl) overnight, then rolled the dough into balls using my hands just before popping them on the tray and into the oven; I don't have a scooper, and struggle to find space for a full tray in the fridge, so this what I usually end up doing with cookie dough. I also made each serving smaller, but the baking time still came out to 11min as recommended. they were a hit, and perfect for Pride weekend.
★★★★★