Name: Easy Funfetti Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 21 min
Ingredients: 2 cups All-Purpose Flour - spooned and leveled; 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda; 1/2 teaspoon Salt; 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter - melted and slightly cooled; 3/4 cup Granulated Sugar; 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar - packed; 1 Large Egg - room temperature; 1 Large Egg Yolk - room temperature; 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract; 3/4 cup Rainbow Sprinkles (jimmies)

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These soft funfetti cookies pack every bite with rainbow sprinkles and deliver that nostalgic birthday cake flavor without pulling out a mixer. They’re thick, tender, and stay soft for days—the kind of cookie that makes ordinary Tuesday feel like a celebration.

Quick Summary

Simple pantry ingredients, one bowl, and 25 minutes from start to finish. These funfetti cookies skip the chilling step and bake up with those signature crackled tops that scream homemade. Perfect for when you need a quick dessert that looks impressive but comes together effortlessly.

Why This Recipe Works

Melted butter method creates soft, tender cookies without waiting for butter to soften—mix and bake immediately
Extra egg yolk adds richness and prevents the cookies from spreading too thin or turning crispy
Sprinkles mixed throughout ensure every bite has color and that subtle vanilla-sugar crunch
No chilling required means you can go from craving to cookie in under 30 minutes
Slightly underbaked centers keep these cookies soft and chewy for days, not just hours

Ingredient Notes

All-Purpose Flour – Provides structure without making the cookies tough. Spoon and level for accuracy.

Granulated Sugar – Creates those beautiful crackled tops and adds sweetness without overpowering the vanilla flavor.

Light Brown Sugar – Keeps the cookies soft and adds a subtle caramel note that complements the sprinkles.

Unsalted Butter – Melted butter means no waiting and creates a denser, fudgier texture than creamed butter.

Eggs – One whole egg plus one yolk creates the perfect soft, bakery-style texture.

Vanilla Extract – The backbone of that birthday cake flavor. Use pure vanilla for best results.

Baking Soda – Just enough lift without making the cookies cakey or puffy.

Salt – Balances the sweetness and makes all the flavors pop.

Rainbow Sprinkles – Use jimmies (the rod-shaped ones), not nonpareils (the tiny balls). Jimmies hold their color during baking and provide better texture. Avoid “natural” sprinkles as they often bleed.

How to Make Funfetti Cookies

Prep Your Space

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 350°F. Having everything ready means these cookies go from bowl to oven in minutes.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

Melt the butter and let it cool for 2-3 minutes—it should be warm but not hot. Whisk together the melted butter with both sugars until the mixture looks like wet sand with no visible sugar granules. Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, whisking until smooth and glossy.

Add the Dry Ingredients

Whisk together your flour, baking soda, and salt in the same bowl (just clear a space in the center). Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula until you see just a few flour streaks remaining. The dough will look slightly crumbly at first but will come together as you fold.

Fold in the Sprinkles

Add your rainbow sprinkles and fold them through the dough with 4-5 gentle strokes. You want even distribution without overmixing—the dough should still look slightly marbled with sprinkle colors, not uniform.

Shape and Bake

Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon portions (about the size of a golf ball) and place them 2 inches apart on your prepared sheets. Don’t flatten them—they’ll spread naturally. Bake for 10-11 minutes. The edges should look set and lightly golden, but the centers will still look slightly puffy and underbaked. This is exactly what you want.

Cool Properly

Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 full minutes. They’ll continue cooking from residual heat and firm up enough to transfer. Move them to a cooling rack—they’ll finish setting as they cool and develop that perfect soft-chewy texture.

Pro Tip

Press 4-5 extra sprinkles onto the tops of the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven. This gives you those picture-perfect tops and intensifies the sprinkle-to-cookie ratio where it counts most.

Expert Tips

Visual doneness check: The edges should be golden and set, but the centers should look slightly puffy and pale—almost underbaked. If the centers look fully baked, you’ve gone too far.
Texture validation: Gently press the top of a cooled cookie. It should feel soft with a slight give, not firm or crispy. If it feels hard, reduce baking time by 1 minute next batch.
Spacing matters: Keep cookies 2 inches apart. Too close and they’ll merge; too far and you’re wasting oven space. They’ll spread to about 3 inches wide.
Pan rotation: If your oven has hot spots, rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking for even color.
Cooling patience: Those 5 minutes on the pan aren’t optional. Moving them too soon means broken cookies; leaving them too long means they’ll stick.

Storage & Freezing

Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container with a piece of bread. The cookies will absorb moisture from the bread and stay soft for 5 days. Replace the bread every 2 days.

Freezer (Baked): Cool completely, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet for 1 hour. Transfer to a freezer bag with parchment between layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Freezer (Dough): Scoop cookie dough balls and freeze on a baking sheet until solid (about 2 hours). Store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 2 extra minutes to the baking time.

FAQ

Can I use nonpareils instead of jimmies? Stick with jimmies (the rod-shaped sprinkles) for best results. Nonpareils tend to bleed their color during baking and can make the cookies look muddy rather than festive. If you only have nonpareils, reserve them for decorating the tops after baking.

Why are my cookies spreading too much? Your butter was likely too warm when you mixed it, or your dough was too warm going into the oven. Make sure the melted butter cools to lukewarm before mixing, and if your kitchen is very warm, refrigerate the scooped dough for 10 minutes before baking.

Can I make these without the extra egg yolk? You’ll get thinner, crispier cookies without it. The extra yolk is what creates that thick, soft, bakery-style texture. If you must skip it, expect a more traditional crispy cookie texture instead.

How do I keep the sprinkles from sinking? Toss your sprinkles with 1 teaspoon of flour before folding them into the dough. This light coating helps them stay suspended throughout the cookie instead of settling at the bottom.

Can I add other mix-ins? Yes, but replace only half the sprinkles to maintain the funfetti identity. White chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips work well—add 1/2 cup along with 1/2 cup sprinkles.