confetti cookies

Name: Confetti Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes; 1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese (not softened), cut into cubes; 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar; 1 egg; 2 teaspoons vanilla; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional); 1 1/4 cups rainbow sprinkles

September 10, 2020 //Jump To Recipe

confetti cookie on parchment paper with a bite taken out of it

These Confetti Cookies (aka super-soft funfetti sugar cookies) are just the cookies we need in 2020. They’re fun, bright, EASY and ready to eat in 30 minutes, tops. No need to chill the dough, no need to get fussy, no need for frills beyond a boatload of rainbow sprinkles. These cookies are the kind of cookies you can bake anytime, for any occasion, and everyone will love them. They’re a guaranteed win during a year when we could really use one, amiright?

stack of confetti cookies on parchment paper

Hello, my friends! We started our school year at home this week and let me tell you, if ever there was a time to eat a cookie or five, it is now. I have the emotions of a toddler when it comes to distance learning, prone to fits and bouts of frustration, anger, contentment, confusion, excitement, etc. But at the end of the day, I know I need to be patient with myself and with my kids… and to stop and eat a confetti cookie every now and then, for the coping.

What Are Confetti Cookies?

Welcome to the colorful world of confetti cookies, aka super-soft sugar cookies coated all over with sweet rainbow sprinkles. The dough is made with cream cheese and both vanilla and almond extracts, so the results are uniquely tender and flavorful. You don’t need to chill the dough or use any equipment beyond a food processor and a bowl to hold the sprinkles, and you don’t even need to soften any ingredients on your counter before you decide to bake. These are truly “on-a-whim” cookies, and the best part is they look SO fun. My kids love them as an after-school treat, and I sent a batch off with my husband to work the other day and he came home with an empty container — so there’s proof enough that adults love them, too.

confetti cookies on a sheet of parchment paper

Best Ingredients for Confetti Cookies

You probably have almost everything on hand to make these cookies in your pantry/fridge, but if not, don’t worry! You can find all of these ingredients with ease at the grocery store. Here’s the rundown:

All-purpose flour
Baking powder and baking soda
Salt
Cream cheese
Sugar
Butter
Egg
Vanilla extract (and almond extract, which gives the cookies an added depth of flavor!)
Sprinkles! (preferably jimmies, aka the longer rod-like sprinkles)

Once you’re fully equipped to bake these cookies, you just need to set aside 30 minutes of your day from start to finish to get ’em done. GLORIOUS.

How to Make Confetti Cookies From Scratch

You can go about this recipe one of two ways. If you decide to use chilled cream cheese and butter, you’ll want to use your food processor to make the dough. If you decide to use softened cream cheese and butter, you can use a stand mixer or large bowl with an electric hand mixer to make the dough (you’ll also likely need to add a little chill time — see Recipe Notes for details).

In recipe testing, I went the food processor route for ease and efficiency, so we’ll cover how to make these soft sprinkle sugar cookies that way:

Time needed: 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven.
Heat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the dry ingredients.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well-mixed.
Add in the wet ingredients.
Add the cream cheese, butter and sugar; pulse until the mixture is powdery and clumpy. Add in the egg, vanilla and almond extract (if using); process mixture just until a dough forms.
Shape the dough.
Using a 1 1/2-tablespoon (#40) cookie scoop, scoop the dough from the food processor. Roll each piece of dough between your hands into a ball, then roll in a bowl of sprinkles to coat. Place cookie dough balls 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Press and bake.
Once you’ve rolled all the dough balls in sprinkles, use the bottom of a drinking glass to press each cookie to 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch disc. Bake 9 to 11 minutes until lightly golden; cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack.

confetti cookies on parchment paper with a bite taken out of one

Tips for the Best Sugar Cookies

Since these are effectively sugar cookies with a tasty rainbow sprinkle costume on, let’s cover a few top tips for baking the best sugar cookies you’ll ever have:

Don’t overwork the dough. As soon as the dough clumps up in the food processor, stop the machine. Even if you have a few bits of sugar or flour that haven’t been incorporated into the dough, you can use your hands to work them in; it’s better than overmixing the dough and ending up with tough cookies (literally).
Embrace the cream cheese! A little cream cheese goes a long way in this recipe, lending its abilities to yield extra-soft, extra-tender and perfectly chewy sugar cookies with a bit of a tangy flavor. Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese in this recipe, or at the very least Neufchatel (low-fat cream cheese); skip the fat-free cream cheese for this one. You are making COOKIES, after all.
If the dough feels too sticky, chill it! I never needed to chill my dough when preparing it in the food processor, but if you do find your dough is sticking too much to your hands to roll it well, then give it a few minutes to chill in the fridge so it’s easier to work with. No shame in the chill game.
For best results, I recommend using jimmies (aka the long, rod-like sprinkles) for this recipe — they ensure the most sprinkle coverage per cookie square inch and they hold their shape and color well during the baking process. You can certainly try using nonpareils, but I can’t speak to their success in this recipe.

Friends, if you, too, are in the throes of the first days of school in 2020, I raise my cookie (and my wine glass, let’s be real) to you. If you’ve got a special occasion coming up and you need a stress-free, totally fun treat, this one’s for you. And if you are just in need of a dang good cookie recipe these days, I’m here for you. We are all in this together.