Funfetti Sprinkle Cookies
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Big, colorful cookies with a tender crumb and crunchy sprinkle coating. Uses combo of all-purpose and cake flour plus cornstarch to keep edges crisp and centers soft. Baked high temp for light browning with a bit of chew. Egg yolks add richness. Cake batter extract swapped in for vanilla to give subtle nostalgic notes. Rolled in sprinkles both inside and out for bursts of color and texture. No greasing pans needed; dough’s fat handles the stickiness. Watch for visual cues not just timer. Look for edges set but centers slightly puffed and glossy. Cool on sheet 15 minutes to finish cooking gently. Great for easy festive treats or summer cookie swaps.
Prep:
15 min
Cook:
11 min
Total:
36 min
Servings:
7 large cookies
#cookies
#funfetti
#baking
#sprinkles
#soft cookies
Sprinkles everywhere. Bright, fun, messy. Thick slabs of cookie dough bursting with rainbow crunch. Soft centers, crispy edges—finally cracked how to get both. Tried regular only flour, ended up flat and greasy. Adding cake flour and starch changed everything. Texture clean, not dense. Butter gets creamed just right, no overwork; helps pockets of air. Cake batter extract swapped for vanilla, subtle sweet hint without fake smell. Rolling dough in sprinkles before baking seals in bursts of color and crispness. Baking hot, watch those edges. You want puffed, not sunken centers. Let rest or face a mess. Learned this after gooey disasters. These are better big, not cookie-cutter small. Seven giant, proud cookies. My way with sprinkle chaos, because regular cookies are overrated and boring.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup cake flour
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 whole large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tsp cake batter extract (sub vanilla extract if unavailable)
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles, divided
About the ingredients
Cake flour—don’t skip or replace only with AP; needed for tender crumb. Cornstarch adds silkiness and prevents toughness. Use unsalted butter at room temp for even creaming; cold butter won’t mix properly, melted butter changes texture drastically. Cake batter extract is key for that carnival vibe; vanilla extract works but flavor changes. Whole eggs and yolks add extra richness and chew, don’t swap with only whites. White sugar for crisp edges; brown sugar would give softness but lose contrast. Sprinkles: use sturdy ones (not melting gumdrops) because low temp baking preserves color and texture. Under 1/2 cup sprinkles in dough balances taste with structure. Dressing dough balls in sprinkles before baking adds punch. No oil or nonstick spray—dough fat enough to keep from sticking, too much spray ruins crisp bottoms.
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 F. This higher temp helps for light browning without drying too much.
- In large bowl whisk all flours, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt thoroughly. Break clumps now. Set aside.
- Place butter in stand mixer bowl. Attach paddle. Start mixer on low. Cream butter about 30 seconds. Add sugar gradually. Cream until fluffy and pale (about a minute). Scrape bowl if necessary; avoids clumps stuck on paddle.
- Add eggs, yolks, and cake batter extract. Mix until combined but don’t overbeat. Gummy dough is tough.
- Turn mixer to low. Add flour mix in quarters. Incorporate slowly avoids over mixing. Then add 1/4 cup sprinkles first. Blend till just combined. Dough should be soft, not sticky but not dry. If needed add up to total 1/2 cup sprinkles but no more; too many sprinkles and dough won’t hold.
- Lightly wet hands if sticky. Form ~7 large balls, about 6 oz each. Roll each ball generously in extra sprinkles in shallow bowl. Press sprinkles in so they stick well—keeps crispy sprinkle crust after baking.
- Arrange 4 on one baking sheet, 3 on another (no oil or parchment needed). Leave enough room to spread, about 3 inches apart.
- Bake 9-11 minutes. Watch edges—when they begin to set and just turn golden, but centers still look glossy and puffed, pull from oven. Overbaking means dry insides. These cookies continue cooking on sheet off heat.
- Let rest on cookie sheet 15 minutes. The surface will firm but centers stay soft. Transfer carefully to wire rack to cool completely or enjoy warm with melty centers.
- Store airtight. If cookies soften too much over days, crisp in 350 F oven for 3-4 minutes. Too gooey? Chill dough 20 minutes before baking next batch or bake 1-2 minutes longer.
Cooking tips
Cream butter low speed; high speed heats and melts butter — kills texture. Add sugar slowly; faster creaming traps air, but don’t overdo. Eggs in one by one to avoid breaking emulsion, mix just enough. Flour mix folded in gradually avoids gluten overdevelopment—tough cookies. Adding sprinkles last minimizes color bleeding and uneven texture. When rolling dough, sprinkle hands lightly if sticky. Baking on bare sheet crisps bottoms; parchment muffins cookies softer. Timing tricky: watch edges carefully. When edges dry but center jiggly, pull. The cookie continues cooking standing on hot pan—rest crucial to avoid collapsing or gooey messes. Cooling wire rack last step, crucial for texture and preventing soggy bottoms. If cookies too gooey, refrigerate dough twenty minutes next bake; if too dry, add an extra yolk or tablespoon water next time.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Cream butter on low speed only. High speed heats butter which melts fat pockets you want for airiness. Add sugar gradually. Slow creaming traps air better. No shortcuts here. Crumbs fine tuned by texture early on.
- 💡 Flour blend matters—cake flour softens crumb, cornstarch cuts toughness. Don’t swap all with AP flour or expect chewiness to vanish. More cornstarch can dry dough. Flour addition done in quarters prevents gluten overwork. Mix till just linked, never fully smooth.
- 💡 Sprinkles last. Add 1/4 cup into dough, keeps color from bleeding. Then roll dough balls in extra sprinkles so crust stays crunchy. Too many sprinkles inside--cookies lose structure. Too few, crust lacks punch. Balance by feel and look.
- 💡 Watch baking edges closely. When edges look dry and just light gold while centers stay puffed, glossy—pull immediately. Oven hot 400 solves browning without drying centers. Cookies keep cooking off heat. Cooling on pan firms up crust, soft insides remain intact.
- 💡 If dough too sticky, dampen hands lightly. Big dough balls, ~6 oz each. Skip parchment or oil. Butter fat keeps cookies from sticking. Parchment softens bottom, no crisp crust then. If cookies limp days later, crisp in hot oven few minutes or chill dough 20 minutes before baking batch two.
Common questions
Can I replace cake flour?
Partial swap possible but crumb changes. Cake flour makes softness silkier. Without it, cookies denser. Cornstarch helps but not same. If no cake flour, try blending AP with cornstarch but watch consistency closely.
What causes flat greasy cookies?
Usually butter too warm or over creamed. Cream butter just till fluffy, no melting. Also too much sugar or overmixing with flour activates gluten. Dough should hold shape and not spread too thin when baking.
How to fix too gooey cookies?
Chill dough 20 min before baking next batch. Cooler dough spreads less. Or bake 1-2 minutes longer watching edges carefully. More yolks add chew but can also soften structure; balance needed.
Best way to store cookies?
Airtight container ideal. If softened over time, pop in 350 F oven 3-4 mins to crisp back up. Paper towels in container soak moisture but can dull sprinkles. Freezing dough balls good plan too, thaw slightly before baking.
