Funfetti Sugar Cookies | Soft & Colorful Celebration Treats (No-Chill, Bakery-Pretty)

Setting the Scene: Confetti in Cookie Form

The mixer hums, butter softens to a glossy cream, and a small blizzard of rainbow sprinkles lands like fireworks across pale-gold dough. A tray slides into the oven; minutes later the kitchen smells like vanilla birthday cake and warm sugar. These Funfetti Sugar Cookies are party energy wrapped in chewy, soft-centered circles—crinkly at the edges, plush in the middle, shimmering with confetti. They’re the kind of cookie you bake for birthdays, classroom parties, office treats, or a Tuesday that needs color.

We infuse the dough with pure vanilla (and a whisper of almond, if you like), lean into cornstarch and an extra egg yolk for that marshmallowy softness, and choose the right sprinkles so the colors pop without bleeding. No chilling required—just scoop, roll in sanding sugar for sparkle, and bake to the “barely done” sweet spot. They stay soft for days, ship like a dream, and look as joyful as they taste.

What You’ll Need: Ingredients & Tools (Pin-Friendly Checklist)

Ingredients (Makes 22–24 cookies)

• ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened to cool-room temp
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional but “birthday-cake” good)
• 2¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
• 1 tablespoon (8 g) cornstarch (ultra-soft center insurance)
• ¾ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¾ cup (120 g) rainbow jimmies sprinkles (not nonpareils—they bleed)
• Optional for sparkle: ¼ cup (50 g) coarse sanding sugar to roll

Simple vanilla glaze (optional, for shine)

• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 1–2 tablespoons milk or cream
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Tools

• Stand mixer or hand mixer + large bowl
• Rubber spatula
• 2 rimmed sheet pans + parchment
• 2-tablespoon cookie scoop (No. 30)
• Wire rack and small offset spatula

How to Make It: Soft, Chewy, and Color-Popped

Cream the Butters & Sugars to Fluffy-Pale
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two sheet pans with parchment. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed 2–3 minutes until slightly lightened and creamy; scrape the bowl once. This gentle aeration gives thickness without turning cakey.

Add Eggs & Extracts for Plush, Perfumed Dough
Beat in the egg and egg yolk until glossy and unified, about 30–45 seconds. Mix in vanilla and almond extract (if using). The extra yolk adds fat and emulsifiers for that bendy, chewy center that stays soft for days.

Whisk Dry; Fold Just to Combine
In a separate bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet mixture and blend on low just until no dry patches remain. Sprinkle in the sprinkles and fold with a spatula 2–3 times. Stop mixing early—overworking toughens cookies and smears colors.

Scoop, Sparkle & Bake to “Barely Done”
Scoop 2-tablespoon mounds (about 40–45 g each). If you love a glimmering edge, roll the tops in sanding sugar. Space 2½ inches apart (8–9 per sheet). Bake 9–11 minutes, rotating once, until edges are set and lightly golden and centers look puffed and just underdone. They’ll collapse into perfect crinkles as they cool.

Cool & (Optional) Glaze for Extra Party Shine
Cool cookies on the sheet 7–8 minutes, then transfer to a rack. For glazed tops, whisk powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until thick but pourable. Drizzle over cooled cookies and finish with a pinch of sprinkles (the glaze “locks” them in place).

Storage That Keeps Them Soft
Store airtight at room temp 4–5 days (tuck in a small piece of bread to maintain plushness). For longer storage, freeze baked cookies up to 2 months; thaw at room temp. Dough balls freeze well—bake from frozen at 350°F for 11–12 minutes.

Why These Cookies Stay Soft (Tiny Techniques that Matter)

Cornstarch + Extra Yolk
Cornstarch tenderizes by limiting gluten; the extra yolk supplies fat and lecithin for a supple, fudgy chew—no cakiness, no dryness.

Brown + White Sugar Duo
Granulated sugar encourages spread and crisp edges; light brown sugar locks in moisture and adds gentle caramel notes. The ratio here aims squarely at chewy-middle, delicate rim.

Right Sprinkles
Use jimmies (the short stick kind). Nonpareils (tiny balls) dissolve and bleed, turning dough gray. If you only have nonpareils, fold in at the last second and keep the mix quick and light.

No Chill Needed
This dough is formulated for no-chill ease. If your kitchen is very warm, a 10–15 minute chill helps thicker, puffier cookies—but isn’t required.

Creative Twists: Dress the Confetti

• Birthday Cake Deluxe: Add ¼ teaspoon butter extract + 2 tablespoons rainbow jimmies. Top warm cookies with a faint drizzle of vanilla glaze.
• Lemon Confetti: Rub 1 teaspoon lemon zest into the sugar before creaming; replace almond extract with ¼ teaspoon lemon extract. Glaze with lemon juice.
• Chocolate-Dipped Party: Half-dip cooled cookies in melted white or semisweet chocolate; shower with extra sprinkles.
• Funfetti Sandwiches: Fill two cookies with vanilla buttercream or marshmallow fluff. Roll the edges in sprinkles.
• Gluten-Free: Use a 1:1 GF baking flour; let dough rest 10–15 minutes before baking for best hydration.
• Dairy-Free: Swap in a quality vegan butter stick; choose DF sprinkles (most are).
• Holiday Palette: Swap rainbow for red/green jimmies, pastel shades for spring, or team colors for game day.

Troubleshooting: Before You Bake the Second Tray

• Too flat? Butter too warm or flour under-measured. Start with butter softened, not melty; weigh flour (280 g). Quick-chill scoops 10 minutes if your kitchen is hot.
• Too puffy/cakey? Over-measure flour or overmixing. Fold dry ingredients just to combine.
• Streaky colors? Nonpareils bled. Use jimmies next time; if all you have is nonpareils, fold them in briefly at the very end.
• Dry next day? Store with a small piece of bread or a marshmallow; rewarm 8–10 seconds for gooey centers.

Nutritional Spotlight (Per cookie, 1 of 24; estimate)

The cornstarch–yolk combo keeps these cookies soft for days, so one cheerful, sprinkle-packed round satisfies beautifully.

Final Inspiration: Instant Party, Any Day

There’s a reason Funfetti Sugar Cookies make people smile before they take a bite: they’re edible celebration. The dough mixes in minutes, the colors pop right out of the oven, and the texture—tender center, delicate edge—hits the childhood-memory button in the best way. Keep sprinkles in the pantry, butter in the dish, and this recipe on standby; you’re never more than half an hour from a tray of happiness that looks as festive as it tastes.

Pile them on a cake stand for birthdays, tuck a few into lunchboxes with a note, or mail a tin to someone who needs a little confetti. The first bite is sweet and buttery; the second is pure joy.