Softbatch Funfetti Sugar Cookies
Who can say no to super soft cookies with sprinkles baked in.
I sure can’t.
It’s been on my bucket list to come up with a softbatch-style sugar cookie recipe that’s soft, and not at all cakey, with just hints of chewiness around the edges.
And I wanted to make these from scratch, not from Funfetti cake mix. I have nothing against it, and once upon a time used cake mix a whole lot more, but this recipe is 100% from scratch.
I wanted cookies with less cakiness than Lofthouse Cookies, and I wanted drop rather than rollout cookies recipes. I didn’t want to have to frost them, so baking in sprinkles was my solution.
I definitely didn’t want hard or crispy cookies, which are words don’t belong with cookies.
I know people love sugar cookies and decorated Christmas cookies, but I think they’re tasteless and way too hard. I would never waste my calorie budget on cardboard cookies with frosting that’s crunchy. No way.
Earlier this year I made these Chewy Sugar Sprinkles Cookies and while I like them, I felt like I could improve on them, and I did just that.
For these, I worked cornstarch into the dough. It’s my secret weapon for creating softbatch-style cookies.
I’ve written about it before so many times and swear by it.
I included both almond and vanilla extracts in the cookies to really play up the Funfetti cake batter taste.
I used clear imitation vanilla extract rather than real vanilla extract. This is a recipe where using the cheap stuff is preferred to the real thing because imitation provides a classic, bakery-cake, nostalgic flavor. It’s found in the baking aisle next to real vanilla and it’s a fraction of the cost.
You can’t have Funfetti without sprinkles and the abundance of them adds texture and flavor. Everything is better with sprinkles. The more the merrier.
The recipe makes a smaller batch, just 15 cookies, perfect when you don’t want or need dozens of cookies laying around and tempting you. Feel free to double it if you’d like.
You absolutely must chill this dough before baking, no exceptions. The cookies will spread and bake flat and thin if you don’t chill the dough.
Don’t overbake. The cookies will look quite raw and underdone at 8 minutes, but they firm up while they cool. Don’t be tempted to bake them longer because they’re not meant to be browned, golden, or crisp. They’re meant to be white and soft.
I make the dough, scoop into balls, cover and refrigerate them, for up to 5 days, before baking.
The cookies are pillowy soft and tender with just a tiny bit of chewiness around the edges. They’re lightweight without being airy or dry.
They’re moist with a rich buttery flavor. If you’re a ‘dough’ person, rather than an add-ins person, and can appreciate the simple pleasures of a really good, flavorful dough, this dough will be your new best friend.
I have no willpower around super soft tender cookies like these.
Especially when sprinkles are involved.
Softbatch Funfetti Sugar Cookies
Move over cake mix. These easy, super soft cookies are from scratch and loaded with sprinkles. They're super soft and tender, with just hints of chewiness, and are my new favorite sugar cookies. They're pillowy soft without turning cakey or crunchy, thanks to a bit of cornstarch. It's my secret weapon for making softbatch-style cookies. The extracts used give the cookies a cake batter-like taste, while the abundance of sprinkles baked in adds texture and flavor to the rich, buttery dough. They're fast, easy, and the recipe makes a small batch size. Feel free to double it. Chilling the dough is imperative before baking and don't be tempted to overbake.
Yield: 15 medium cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, for dough chilling
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract (real vanilla extract may be substituted)
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons corn starch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
3/4 cup sprinkles (jimmies)
Directions:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, egg, extract, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use a hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes). Do not shortcut the creaming process; make sure dough is very light in color and fluff, stop to scrape down the sides of the mixer as necessary.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the sprinkles and beat momentarily to incorporate, less than 1 minute, or fold in by hand.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two tablespoon mounds (I made 15). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line two baking sheets with Silpats, or spray with cooking spray. Place mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for 8 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. These cookies should not turn golden or brown at all and should stay white. Do not bake longer than 9 minutes for soft cookies because they firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
- Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Adapted from Chewy Sugar Sprinkles Cookies and Sugar Doodle Vanilla Cookies
Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
Related Recipes:
White Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies – The dough is rolled in a cinnamon-sugar coating and white chocolate chips are folded int0 the batter for a fun twist on classic snickerdoodles. Soft, moist, and chewy
Thanks for the 25 Fast and Easy Recipes In a Snap and Cookbook Giveaway entries
Do you have a favorite sugar cookie recipe?
