These delicious funfetti cookies are soft and tender with a buttery vanilla flavor. They’re loaded with sprinkles and have an almost melt-in-your mouth consistency. They’re made from scratch and taste so much better than anything from a bakery or box mix. 
**This post was updated March 13, 2022 with a slightly updated recipe, new photos & updated recipe tips**
The Perfect Funfetti Cookies
These funfetti cookies are the perfect from scratch recipe. They have a soft and tender consistency in a way that they almost melt in your mouth. They’re buttery with a hint of vanilla and almond extract for the perfect flavor. The almond extract is key. Then they’re loaded with sprinkles for the perfect confetti look. The sprinkles also add a little crisp in each bite and make theses cookies impossible to resist.
They’re perfect for birthdays and special occasions, and they make you feel 5 years old in the most fantabulous way.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Each ingredient in this recipe has a specific purpose, and there are a few that are key for the perfect cookie flavor and texture. You won’t get the same results without them.
- ¾ cup unsalted butter. Using butter, instead of margarine, is key for the perfect buttery flavor. Your butter should be softened, but not starting to get slimy or melting before getting started.
- 1 cup sugar. Sugar adds obvious sweetness, however, I didn’t want these to be sickeningly sweet. Just the right amount.
- 1 large egg. The egg adds tenderness and holds the cookie dough together.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ½ teaspoon almond extract. These 2 together give the cookies the perfect flavor. If you don’t have almond extract, the cookies will still work without it. But the flavor is so, so, so much better with it.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour. As always, measure the flour correctly or the cookies will be too dry and puffy. Whisk it first, then spoon into a dry measuring cup and level off the top. Or use a scale. 2 cups of flour weighs 250 grams.
- ¼ cup cornstarch. Cornstarch gives these cookies the tender and soft texture that we want. It’s key.
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar. It may be a bit of a weird ingredient, but it’s used in these cookies to give them that perfect melt-in-your-mouth effect.
- ½ teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon baking soda. The combination of both baking soda and baking powder gives the best rise for these cookies.
- ¼ teaspoon salt. This is to balance out the sweetness. If you only have salted butter, then omit the salt.
- ½ cup sprinkles. Make sure to use jimmies (the little cylinders) as opposed to nonpareils (AKA 100s of 1000s, or the little round balls) as jimmies are much less likely to bleed color.
Baking Tips
- Measure the flour properly so that the cookies don’t end up dry, crumbly or way too thick. Use a scale to weigh out 250 grams or 8 ½ ounces. Or if measuring with cups, be sure to use a dry measuring cup. Whisk the flour first, then spoon it into the cup and level off the top. Do not simply scoop it from the bag or container.
- Make sure to sift the dry ingredients. Cornstarch can get lumpy, which we definitely don’t want.
- Don’t overmix the dough. This can lead to tough cookies.
- Gently stir in the sprinkles – they’re less likely to break and bleed their color this way.
- If the dough feels sticky to the touch, place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. If you squeeze the dough between 2 fingers, it shouldn’t stick to them. There may be some butter residue, but you shouldn’t have pieces of dough.
- Dough balls can placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Then bake the dough as directed in the recipe (do not thaw first). The cookies will need about 1-2 extra minutes. For more tips on freezing cookie dough, see this post.
- When the cookies are fresh out of the oven, optionally place a few extra sprinkles on top of each cookie. The heat of the cookie will help to melt them in and stick them.
More Sprinkle Treats to Try:
Funfetti Cookies
These delicious funfetti cookies are soft and tender with a buttery vanilla flavor. They're loaded with sprinkles and have an almost melt-in-your mouth consistency. They're made from scratch and taste so much better than anything from a bakery or box mix.
Servings: 28 cookies
Calories: 124kcal
Equipment
- Cookie Sheets
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams) AKA plain flour, spooned & leveled
- ¼ cup cornstarch (30 grams) AKA cornflour
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (168 grams) softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar (200 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup sprinkles do not use nonpareils (the little round balls)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees. Line cookie sheets with baking paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the vanilla extract, almond extract and egg and continue beating until well combined.
- Turn off the mixer. Sift in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Starting with the mixer on a low speed, beat in the dry ingredients
- Turn off the mixer and gently stir in the sprinkles using a rubber spatula.
- Form the dough into balls with about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons in size. If the dough is sticking to your fingers, place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Place dough balls 2 inches apart on a lined cookie sheet.
- Bake 1 sheet at a time in the preheated oven for 9-11 minutes or until the tops of the cookies look just set. Optionally, place a few sprinkles on top of each cookies. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- Cream of Tartar: This ingredient is key for developing that classic melt-in-your mouth flavor. The cookies will still turn out if you omit it, but the texture won't be quite the same.
- Sprinkles: I recommend using jimmies - which are the sprinkles that look like little cylinders. Nonpareils, AKA 100s of 1000s, - which look like little round balls - tend to bleed color all throughout the dough.
- Make Ahead & Freezing Tips: You can cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Then make the dough balls and bake as directed. Cookie dough balls can be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, as directed in the recipe. They'll need about 1-2 minutes longer.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie, assuming the recipe yields 28 equal-sized cookies.
Nutrition
Calories: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 44mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 162IU | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
Just wanted to double check – there is 1/2 cup of cornstarch in these cookies? Thank you! I’m making these for my grandson’s birthday & wanted to make sure of the amount.
Yes – the idea is basically to mimic using cake flour to give the cookies a lighter consistency. 🙂
These cookies never disappoint! So delicious, the kids and I enjoy making them as much as we enjoy eating them.
I’m curious if you let these come to room temp before baking? Or do you preheat the oven, then stick the balls from the fridge directly onto the pan and into the oven?
You will put the dough balls directly from the fridge, onto the pan and into the oven – you shouldn’t let them warm up to room temperature before baking.
Do you know if I want to add brewer’s yeast and ground flaxseed to make into lactation cookies, should I just add more butter?
I haven’t tried, so I really can’t be certain of the results.
These are insanely good. I needed really big cookies so doubled the recipe and the size of the cookie and got 27. Upped the baking time to 16 minutes. The only thing I changed was cutting the vanilla in half and using birthday cake flavoring for the other half. OMGOSH … SO good! I make cookies every week to take to the nursing home. This recipe will definitely be used repeatedly. Thank you so much!