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Funfetti Sugar Cookies are sugar cookies with colorful sprinkles that bake up soft, sweet, and delicious.
We’re always looking for easy, sweet treats to serve for special occasions and holidays. Funfetti Sugar Cookies are the perfect choice!
What is Funfetti?
The term ‘Funfetti’ was introduced around 30 years ago when cake mixes with colored sprinkles (also known as “jimmies”) in the batter started to hit grocery shelves. The colored sprinkles resembled confetti and looked fun and festive – hence the name funfetti!
This 100% from-scratch recipe (no cake mixes involved) starts with a simple sugar cookie recipe that is actually quite delicious on its own. But when you add colored sprinkles to the batter – Funfetti Sugar Cookies make any day a party! (Our teenage daughter was very excited to see us baking these cookies!)
Key Ingredients
- Butter – You really must use butter for this cookie recipe. (Please don’t swap in margarine.) Butter not only adds delicious taste to these cookies, but once baked and cooled, it helps give these Funfetti Sugar Cookies the perfect texture. We always use unsalted butter in our recipes because you can always add salt as needed, but you can’t take it out if you’ve started with salted butter.
- Granulated and Powdered Sugar – This cookie recipe uses both granulated and powdered (confectioner’s) sugar. Similar to this whipped shortbread cookie recipe, the powdered sugar helps give the cookies a soft, tender texture.
- Vanilla and Butter Extracts – We used a combination of vanilla and butter extracts (affiliate link) to give these cookies a hint of ‘birthday cake’ flavor. You can use all vanilla if you prefer.
- Cream of Tartar – These Funfetti Sugar Cookies have cream of tartar in the dough (as well as baking soda). There’s an entire science behind using cream of tartar in baking – but it essentially prevents the sugars from crystallizing, so the cookies bake up soft rather than crispy.
How do I make Funfetti Sugar Cookies?
- Mix – This is a basic cookie recipe where you’ll start by beating room temperature butter with a mixer until light and fluffy. Add oil and both sugars – mixing again to combine. Scrape the bowl, then add eggs and both vanilla and butter extract. Then add half of the flour mixture and mix just until combined. Add the other half to the mixing bowl, plus a cup of colored sprinkles, and finish mixing to combine.
- Chill – For best results, the Funfetti Sugar Cookie dough must be chilled for at least an hour and even overnight. This will help cookies bake up round and puffy, rather than thin and spread out.
- Double Up Your Cookie Sheet and Line with Parchment Paper – To assist with even baking, if you are baking with thin cookie sheets, double up on the cookie sheet by placing one cookie sheet on top of the other, and then line the top cookie sheet with a sheet of parchment paper. This double pan process helps the bottom of the cookies bake with more indirect heat, and prevents scorching the bottom of the cookies. However if you are baking with a heavy duty cookie sheet or an insulated cookie sheet, double panning is not necessary.
- Position Rack in Upper Third of the Oven for Baking – This is another trick to prevent your cookies from scorching on the bottom.
- Bake – Bake your cookies just until the edges are lightly golden. They will come out from the oven puffy, then settle into a crinkle top.
Helpful hits and tips
Use a medium scoop like this to portion out our cookies. Not only will the cookies be nice and round, but they will be a consistent size after they bake.
Frequently asked Questions
- Can I make the batter ahead of time? Yes – in fact, this cookie batter should be chilled for at least one hour or ideally overnight.
- Can I freeze these cookies? Yes – Funfetti Sugar Cookies freeze nicely. Lay them flat on a sheet tray and freeze until solid. Then wrap them tightly in plastic to avoid freezer burn and store in the freezer for up to two months.
- How do I store these cookies? We stored our cookies in an air-tight container, unrefrigerated, for several days.
Variations
- We used Wilton rainbow sprinkles for our cookies, but the classic sprinkles color mix with darker greens and blues is great too. Use red and green jimmies for Christmas baking, or this pastel mix for Easter. Or find other colors to match your party décor or just add chocolate jimmies if you prefer.
You may enjoy these other cookies recipes:
- Italian Almond-Orange Cookies
- Soft M&M Cookies
- Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Italian Champagne Cookies
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Funfetti Sugar Cookies
Funfetti Sugar Cookies are sugar cookies with colorful sprinkles that bake up soft, sweet, and delicious.
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1 cup (2 sticks,) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon butter extract
1 cup colored sprinkles
Instructions
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter on high speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add oil and both sugars and beat to mix well. Scrape sides of the bowl, then add eggs, vanilla extract and butter extract. Beat again until well combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, then mix on low speed just until combined. Add the other half of the flour mixture plus the colored sprinkles, and on low speed, mix again just until combined. Avoid over-mixing.
- Cover and chill the cookie dough for at least an hour, or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Position the oven rack in the upper third of the oven.
- If baking with thin cookie sheets, double up the pans to avoid scorching the bottom of the cookies. Line the top pan with parchment. If baking with heavy or insulated cookie sheets, no need to double up. Use a one-ounce cookie scoop (this one is approximately 1.5 tablespoons) and place 12 scoops of cookie dough on the baking sheet, lined up 3X4.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes (depending on the pan you are using and your oven)- turning halfway through the baking time – until the edges of the cookies are very lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. They will be very soft when they first come out so let them set up on the parchment before attempting to move them to a cooking rack.
- Let the oven recover back to 375 degrees F. before starting the next pan. We kept two pans ahead and kept them refrigerated between batches. Also keep the bulk cookie dough refrigerated as you work.
- Repeat this process until you have baked all 54 cookies (five trays).
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