These Funfetti Cookies are the life of the party! They are ultra soft, easy to make, have the most amazing funfetti flavor (which, hint hint, comes from the clear vanilla extract) and have rainbow sprinkles! 

Of course we can’t talk about funfetti cookies without mentioning my ultimate Funfetti Cake! It is one of my very favorites — moist, perfectly flavored, even distribution of the sprinkles (woot woot!) and an amazing frosting to top everything off! And another delicious funfetti treat is my Sprinkles Donuts recipe.  

A stack of Funfetti Cookies with a single cookie having a bite taken out of it.

Why This Recipe Works

  • Sprinkles. That’s all. 
  • The ultimate party cookie. Nothing says celebrate like these confetti sugar cookies! The rainbow sprinkles add bright colors that will cause anyone to celebrate! They are perfect if your are throwing a birthday party, graduation party, 4th of July party (the rainbow sprinkles remind me of fireworks!) and more! 
  • Best funfetti cookies. This funfetti cookie recipe is a delicious vanilla sugar cookie with colorful sprinkles. It is funfetti cake in cookie form! And did I mention we don’t use a box of cake mix? All from scratch people! 

Ingredient Notes

Funfetti Cookie ingredients portioned into glass bowls on a white background: clear vanilla extract, sprinkles, flour, sugar and brown sugar, butter, egg, and leavening agent.
  • Unsalted Butter: I always use unsalted butter in baking because we can control the amount of salt. If you use salted butter, be sure to reduce the salt by 1/4 tsp per cube of butter used. 
  • Sugars: Using a combination of white sugar and brown sugar will give us a sugar cookie color but produce chewy cookies too. 
  • Clear Vanilla Extract: Using clear vanilla extract will give these cookies a *true* funfetti flavor in these funfetti sugar cookies.
  • Four: Regular, all-purpose flour. 
  • Baking Powder + Baking Soda: These are our leavening agents. Using these ratios will give us a chewy cookie instead of cake-y cookies.
  • Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is a coarser texture than table salt, so be sure to know the substitutions if a recipe calls or one or the other. If a recipe calls for Kosher salt, use 1/4 teaspoon less of table salt per teaspoon of salt. If a recipe calls for table salt, use 1/4 teaspoon more of Kosher salt per teaspoon. 
  • Rainbow Sprinkles: You can’t have chewy funfetti cookies without the lots of sprinkles! I recommend using jimmy sprinkles and NOT nonpareils or else you’ll get the colors bleeding much more into the sugar cookie dough.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Cream the wet ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 cup butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup light brown sugar. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Add 1 egg and 1 tsp clear vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated and smooth.
  2. Add the dry ingredients. Add 2 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt). Mix until just combined. 
  3. Add the sprinkles. Add 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles to the dough and gently mix until combined. Do not overwork or the dough will change colors.
Three photos showing how to make Funfetti Cookie dough, in a glass stand mixer bowl on a white background.
  1. Portion Funfetti cookie dough into balls. Shape dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, 2 inches apart. 
  2. Bake. Bake these rainbow sprinkle cookies for 10-11 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and set (the centers will still be a bit pale). Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. Enjoy! 
Two side-by-side photos of a baking sheet with (left image) unbaked Funfetti Cookie dough balls on it, and (right photo) has baked Funfetti Cookies on the baking sheet.

Recipe Tips

Be sure to use the clear vanilla extract. This will give you that iconic funfetti flavor that regular vanilla won’t give you. 

Don’t over mix! You’ve heard me say it a million times when it comes to baking, but really don’t! Especially when you add the rainbow sprinkles, you don’t want to over mix and get multi-colored cookie dough!

You don’t need to chill the dough, it can be baked right away, however if you want thicker cookies that don’t flatten as much you can chill the dough balls for 30 minutes and then bake them.

These sprinkle cookies will be barely pale when you pull them out of the oven. The edges should be set and lightly golden though! The cookies will continue setting up as they cool on the cookie sheet — we just don’t want to over bake the cookies or else they won’t be deliciously soft! 

These sprinkle cookies would be perfect to serve as ice cream sandwiches! Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream and sandwich it between two cookies for the ultimate funfetti ice cream cookie sandwich! 

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

You can make this funfetti cookie recipe ahead of time and chill the dough for up to 24 hours. I would roll the dough into balls before chilling them. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. This will make it easier since the dough will firm up while chilling. 

Store the confetti cookies in an airtight container or ziplock bag at room temperature for 3-4 days. 

Funfetti cookies are perfect for freezing! Freeze in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Remove and let thaw. 

My post on Freezing Cookie Dough goes through everything you need to know about storing cookie dough, freezing cookie dough, and baking frozen cookie dough! Then check out my Freezing Cookies post for tips and tricks to get the best results on how to freeze baked cookies. 

Soft Funfetti Cookies on a white background.

Recipe FAQs

What are funfetti cookies?

Funfetti cookies are a sugar cookies with sprinkles! They are colorful cookies inspired by delicious Funfetti Cake which is a vanilla cake with sprinkles. 

Can I use regular vanilla extract instead of clear vanilla extract?

Yes, technically you can. But you get that funfetti flavor by using the clear vanilla extract. So if you use regular vanilla, it will still taste good, but more like plain sugar cookies with sprinkles. 

When do I add the sprinkles?

You’ll want to add the sprinkles to these confetti sugar cookies at the very end. Gently mix in the sprinkles and don’t over mix or else your dough will turn multi-colored! 

Why are my funfetti cookies dyed?

You probably over mixed the cookie dough when you added the sprinkles in. You just want to mix it just barely so the colors don’t bleed into the dough. 

What kind of sprinkles for funfetti cookies?

I use rainbow sprinkles in this sprinkle cookie recipe, also known as jimmies. You won’t have nearly as much bleeding of the colors as you would with nonpareils. But, remember, if you over mix, you’ll get bleeding even with jimmies! 

The best Funfetti Cookies on a white background with a bite taken out of one cookie.

Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a star rating and review or scroll below the recipe card and do so there. 

Stay up-to-date by following us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and Pinterest.

The best Funfetti Cookies with a bite taken out of it.
Print Save Review
5 from 1 vote

Funfetti Cookies

These funfetti cookies come together in less than 30 minutes! In addition, they are ultra soft, loaded with sprinkles, and we use clear vanilla extract to guarantee a true FUNFETTI flavor!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 28 cookies

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar - packed
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract - using clear vanilla extract will give these cookies a *true* funfetti flavor.
  • 2 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt - use 1/4 teaspoon if using regular table salt
  • 1/2 cup sprinkles

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, or bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed for 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix to combine.  
  • Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Mix to combine, but don’t overmix. Stir in the sprinkles. 
  • Portion into 2 T sized balls. (You don’t need to chill the dough, it can be baked right away, however if you want thicker cookies that don’t flatten as much you can chill the dough balls for 30 minutes and then bake them.) Place the cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each cookie, and bake for 10 -11 mins. Or until the edges are lightly golden brown and set. 
  • Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. 

Nutrition

Calories: 188kcal (9%)Carbohydrates: 28g (9%)Protein: 3g (6%)Fat: 7g (11%)Saturated Fat: 4g (20%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 24mg (8%)Sodium: 66mg (3%)Potassium: 40mg (1%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 12g (13%)Vitamin A: 212IU (4%)Calcium: 13mg (1%)Iron: 1mg (6%)
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Did you make this recipe?Leave a star rating and review on the blog post letting me know how you liked this recipe! Take a picture and tag @saltandbaker on Instagram and Facebook so I can see what you’re making!