These colorful funfetti cookies definitely put the “fun” in eating dessert! Made with a sugar cookie base from basic pantry ingredients and crunchy colored sprinkles, they are a soft, chewy treat that all ages will love. With so many color variations to choose from, they are the perfect cookies for your next birthday party, baby shower, or holiday party!

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🌟 Why this is the best Funfetti Cookies recipe
- It uses simple ingredients - Unlike other funfetti cookies recipes that use cake mix, corn starch, or cream of tartar, this recipe is made 100% from scratch using staple pantry ingredients such as butter, flour, egg, and sugar to create perfectly soft and chewy cookies.
- They are super easy to make - Besides having beginner-friendly, easy-to-follow steps, you can also easily make these cookies using essential kitchen equipment. No special tools are necessary!
- It is versatile - This easy funfetti sugar cookie recipe uses a base recipe that you can easily use for other recipes and customize to your liking with different toppings, add-ins, and flavors. See the Flavor Variations & Substitutes section below for several ideas!
- They are great for batch cooking - This is a freezer-friendly recipe where you can freeze the dough and bake small batch funfetti cookies as needed later or freeze fully baked cookies in larger batches to have on hand for another occasion.
- They are absolutely delicious - I use only the highest quality ingredients and the best technique to make soft, gooey cookies with just the right amount of sweetness. It may be the best funfetti cookies recipe you have ever tried!
📝 Ingredient notes
- Butter - You will want to make this recipe using unsalted butter so that you do not change the salt levels. The butter must be at room temperature but not melted. For the best results, use butter with 82% fat content. Or, use my homemade butter recipe!
- Brown Sugar - Using brown sugar gives the cookies a sweet molasses flavor. You can use either dark brown sugar or light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will provide a deep, rich flavor, while light brown sugar will give a milder flavor. We will only use a small amount as want to keep the cookies light in color.
- Granulated Sugar - The sweetness and chewy texture will mainly come from using granulated sugar. Refer to my sugar guide to learn more about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking.
- Egg - This recipe requires one whole egg, which needs to be at room temperature.
- Vanilla Extract - Avoid using imitation vanilla extract, which will give a different flavor and texture. Pure vanilla extract is always the best way to go.
- Flour - I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. To learn more about the different types of flour and their differences, see my flour guide.
- Salt - Salt is a critical ingredient that helps balance the recipe’s sweetness. Do not skip it!
- Baking Soda - Baking soda helps the cookies rise and gives them a chewy, tender texture.
- Sprinkles - The sprinkles put the “fun” in these funfetti cookies! For the best results, use jimmies, which hold up well when baked. I use rainbow sprinkles in this recipe, but you can use any color or combination of colors.
🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post
👩🍳 How to make this recipe
1. Step-by-step process of making Funfetti Cookies
- Using an electric hand mixer, cream the room-temperature butter with the brown and white sugar. Blend until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Mix in the room temperature egg and vanilla extract until just combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, and baking soda) in a separate bowl, then add the mixture to the wet ingredients.
- Gently fold the ingredients together using a rubber spatula. Then, fold in the sprinkles until just combined, taking care not to overmix the dough.
- Next, prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the cookie dough into ten equal portions and alternatively, add more sprinkles to the surface of the cookie dough balls.
- Place them onto the lined baking sheet. Leave a couple of inches between each cookie dough ball to give them enough space to spread. I recommend baking only five cookies on each sheet.
- For a nice, crackly surface, do not attempt to flatten or smooth the cookie dough balls. If desired, add more sprinkles to the top before placing them in the fridge for an hour to chill.
💡 Top Tip: For evenly sized cookies, use a digital scale, cookie scoop, or an ice cream scoop to divide the cookie dough into balls.
2. How to bake
- Preheat the oven to 175 C / 347°F. Do not use a fan.
- After the cookies have chilled for at least an hour, move them to the oven and bake them for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Next, carefully move the cookies to a cooling rack. The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
💡 Top Tip: For gooey funfetti sugar cookies, remove them from the oven a couple of minutes earlier. The longer they bake, the crispier they will become.
🍫 Flavor Variations & Substitutions
This funfetti cookies recipe is delicious on its own without any modifications. However, you can further customize these fun treats to your liking with the options below:
With different add-ins: In addition to the sprinkles, you can add crushed nuts as I do in my pecan chocolate chip cookies. You can also add chocolatey flavor by adding M&Ms or chocolate chips to the batter. Or, eliminate the add-ins altogether to make chewy sugar cookies!
With different flavors: Make chocolate funfetti cookies by adding cocoa powder to the batter. Or, use almond extract instead of vanilla extract for a nutty flavor or lemon extract for a sweet, citrusy flavor.
With toppings: After baking the cookies, dip them in melted white or dark chocolate, or top them with my delicious chantilly cream.
Eggless cookies: In the case of an egg allergy, you can bake this funfetti cookie recipe using one of these many egg substitutes.
🎓 Expert tips
- Always follow the recipe as written for the best results, making sure to use the correct portions and ratios.
- The butter and egg must be at room temperature before adding to the batter. The batter will not come together correctly if the wet ingredients are chilled.
- To avoid lumps from appearing in the batter, use a sifter on the flour and baking soda before using it in the recipe.
- I highly recommend using a rubber spatula to fold in the sprinkles. A spatula helps prevent overmixing, which could cause the sprinkles to melt into the dough.
- Do not skip chilling the dough. Chilling helps keep the dough from spreading and resulting in very flat cookies.
🥣 Equipment notes
Baking is a science, and the slightest variations in the ingredients or temperature can yield different results than expected. A digital scale is a must to ensure accurate and consistent measurements. Likewise, a digital oven thermometer will help ensure the proper baking temperature, as some oven models can vary by a degree or two.
The right tools can also make a difference to your results. An electric hand mixer, though not required, will help blend the dough much easier than doing so by hand. You can also use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. A rubber spatula is essential for folding the ingredients together and preventing overmixing. A cooling rack is a helpful piece of equipment to help your cookies cool quickly and evenly.
❓Recipe FAQs
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag at room temperature for up to five days.
Once completely cooled to room temperature, move the cookies to a freezer-safe zippered bag or container and place them in the freezer. Thaw the cookies at room temperature.
Yes! To freeze the dough, prepare the recipe as written until the part where you chill it in the refrigerator. Move the portioned dough balls to a ziplock bag or airtight container with wax paper between each layer. Bake directly from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.
Classic rainbow jimmies and confetti cookies are best for baking, as they hold their color and shape. Avoid using nonpareils, dragées, or sugar beads.
Some recipes use cake mix to make funfetti cake cookies. However, I prefer to make funfetti cookies without cake mix because they are chewier and not as crumbly.
🍪 More Cookie Recipes
Funfetti Cookies
Equipment
- Digital scale
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 150 g (⅔ cups) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 150 g (¾ cups) Granulated sugar
- 25 (2 tablespoon) Brown sugar
- 1 Egg room temperature
- 1 teasppoon Vanilla extract
- 190 g (1½ cups) All purpose flour
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Baking soda
- 85 g (½ cup) Rainbow Sprinkles Jimmies
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
Cookies
- Mix in the egg and vanilla, just until combined.
- Mix flour, salt, and baking soda together, then add the mixture to the wet ingredients. Fold together with the help of a rubber spatula then add the sprinkles and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Prepare 2 baking pans with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough into 10 equal balls (using a digital scale is handy or use an ice cream scopper) and place them onto the parchment paper, leaving enough space between them to be able to spread. I recommend baking 5 cookies at once.
- Do not soften the surface of the balls. In fact, try to keep it as rough as possible for a nice, crackly surface. Optionally place some more sprinkles on top of the cookie dough balls then let them rest in the fridge for an hour.
- Pre-heat oven to 175 C / 347°F (no fan).
- After one hour of chilling time, bake the cookies for 15 minutes.
- Let the cookies rest for a few minutes, then carefully remove them from the parchment and let them cool on a cooling rack.
- The cookies will further set as they cool.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients with a Digital scale for accuracy
- Use room temp. ingredients eg. egg and butter
- Use jimmies sprinkles as they hold up really well when baked
- Make sure you read my Expert tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details, and science behind baking.
- Do not overmix the dough when adding the sprinkles, gently fold it with the help of a rubber spatula only until combined so the sprinkles won´t melt into the dough. It is always a good idea to add a bit more sprinkles on top once the cookie balls are formed.
- Respect the chilling time in the cookie recipe, do not skip it, or the cookies might end up very flat
- Try not to overbake your cookies if you prefer them fudgy and gooey
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