Homemade Funfetti Cookies Recipe

Sometimes a plain old chocolate chip cookie just won't do — some days you need a festive splash of color. If you're throwing a party and want something as bright and cheery as a shower of confetti, these homemade funfetti cookies might just be the recipe you're looking for. Funfetti cakes were all the rage in the 90s, and were the first type of cake to use sprinkles in the batter instead of just as decor on top. This spinoff is a creative combination of a classic sugar cookie and birthday cake. We're skipping the boxed mix and using pantry staples to create a thick and chewy cookie that is rich and buttery. The two types of sugar and corn starch give the cookies a tender texture, and the vanilla and almond flavorings give every bite that nostalgic flavor you enjoyed as a kid.

One of my favorite things about these cookies is how fun they are to make. Little hands can help with rolling the dough into round balls and pressing the extra jimmies on top. It makes for a fun activity to fill summer afternoons, and a great excuse to make something sweet the whole family will love.

To make this recipe, you'll need some baking basics like all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar. For the vanilla and almond flavoring, pick up almond extract and clear imitation vanilla extract to deliver more of the old-school box-mixed taste and keep the cookies on the paler side. Of course, you'll need some rainbow jimmies (aka rainbow sprinkles). Then, hit up the refrigerated aisle for unsalted butter and eggs.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and almond extract and mix until combined.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until a soft dough forms.

Fold in ¼ cup of the jimmies.

Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions and roll them into balls.

Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.

Press a few of the remaining jimmies onto the tops of each dough ball.

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes until the edges are just set and the centers look slightly underdone.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.

Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool for 5 more minutes before serving.

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Unless you are big into baking, you might not know that there are quite a few types of vanilla: extract, essence, paste, powder, and varieties hailing from Madagascar, Tahiti, Mexico, or Indonesia. Add to that list imitation vanilla extract. The most commonly used type of vanilla is real vanilla extract, which is made from actual vanilla beans and is brown in color. Imitation vanilla is made from vanillin, which is synthetically produced. 

There are two main differences between real and imitation vanilla: color and flavor. The imitation vanilla is clear in color, making it better suited for any baking when you want to preserve a white or light-colored batter or dough. Since we are shooting for a bright cookie to make the rainbow jimmies really pop, it's important to use clear vanilla in this recipe. The other difference is flavor-related. The clear imitation vanilla has a sweeter and stronger flavor that lends itself to birthday cake-related baked items. Real vanilla is deeper and more complex with a truer vanilla taste. Some of the most common recipes that call for clear imitation vanilla are white frosting, especially frostings used in wedding cakes, white cake, and marshmallows.

If you want to make some ingredient substitutions based on dietary restrictions or on the ingredients you have on hand, here are some suitable swaps. For the all-purpose flour, you can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour. There will be a slight texture difference, but it's minimal. If you don't have cornstarch, arrowroot powder acts in the same way, so that will do the trick. If you want to make the cookies vegan, you can swap regular butter with vegan butter and use 2 flax eggs. To make the flax eggs, mix 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water, and let it sit for ten minutes. These 2 changes will make the cookies spread out a little more when they bake, so just give them a little more room in between. 

If you don't have powdered sugar, use more granulated sugar, which will give you a firmer cookie. If you don't mind tinting the dough slightly, you can switch out the clear imitation vanilla for true vanilla. And if you don't have almond extract, just add extra vanilla. Any type of sprinkles work, but we don't recommend the tiny round balls called nonpareils because they will bleed color into the dough.

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