Funfetti Christmas Cookies: Easy Sprinkle Sugar Cookies

Last December, I volunteered to bring cookies to my kid’s class party. I had grand visions of perfectly decorated sugar cookies with royal icing. Then reality hit: it was 10 PM, I felt exhausted, and piping tiny snowflakes made me want to cry. I grabbed a jar of sprinkles, mixed up a simple sugar cookie dough, and called them funfetti christmas cookies.

The kids loved them, the teachers asked for the recipe, and I looked like a hero without doing much. These sprinkle sugar cookies holiday style use butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, cornstarch, and jimmies. You roll the dough into balls, chill them for at least 1 hour, and bake them at 350°F for 11 to 12 minutes. They turn out soft, chewy, and colorful for a cookie exchange, bake sale, or holiday cookie platter.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• No long chilling required: Roll the dough balls first, then chill them for at least 1 hour.
• Kid-friendly and fun: Children can help add sprinkles and roll the dough.
• Budget-friendly: Pantry staples create the cookies.
• Crowd-pleaser: The cookies disappear at parties, bake sales, and ordinary Tuesday afternoons.
• Soft and chewy: Cornstarch helps create a tender texture.

Tools You’ll Need

Nothing fancy, I promise.

• Stand mixer or hand mixer: Cream the butter and sugar easily.
• Baking sheets: Use light-colored baking sheets for even baking. Dark pans can brown the bottoms too quickly.
• Cookie scoop: Portion uniform dough balls. A tablespoon measure works too.
• Parchment paper or silicone mat: Prevent sticking and simplify cleanup.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour. Regular flour works well.
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Cornstarch keeps the cookies soft.
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Baking soda helps the cookies puff slightly.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce it to 1/4 teaspoon if you use salted butter.
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature. Cut cold butter into cubes and let it sit for 15 minutes if needed.
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar.
• 1 large egg, room temperature. Place a cold egg in warm water for 5 minutes if needed.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 1/2 cup sprinkles, jimmies. Use jimmies rather than nonpareils because nonpareils bleed color into the dough.

How To Make Funfetti Christmas Cookies

This is about as straightforward as cookie baking gets. Just follow the steps and you will be fine.

1. Combine dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. If you skip the whisking, you might get a pocket of baking soda in one cookie, which tastes terrible. Trust me.
2. Cream butter and sugar: In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. It should look paler and increased in volume. If it looks grainy, keep going.
3. Add egg and vanilla: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Scrape down the bowl and mix again until well combined. The mixture should be smooth.
4. Add dry ingredients: With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry mixture. Mix until almost combined – you should still see some streaks of flour. Overmixing leads to tough cookies.
5. Fold in sprinkles: Add the sprinkles and mix on low until just combined. You can also fold them in with a spatula. If you mix too much, the colors will start to bleed.
6. Roll and chill: Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion out about 2 tablespoons of dough (40g). Roll into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, about 2 inches apart. Top with extra sprinkles if you like. Chill the dough balls in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Do not skip this – it prevents spreading.
7. Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the chilled dough balls for 11-12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops look slightly puffed but the centers still look soft. They will continue to bake on the hot pan.
8. Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If you try to move them too soon, they will fall apart.

Perfect Pairings

These go perfectly with…

• A cold glass of milk balances a sweet sprinkle cookie.
• Hot cocoa with extra marshmallows doubles the sugar.
• A game day spread makes the cookies easy to grab and munch.
• A holiday cookie platter gains a pop of color beside gingerbread and shortbread.

Funfetti Cookies

These funfetti christmas cookies combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and jimmies into soft sprinkle sugar cookies holiday style. You chill the dough balls for at least 1 hour, bake them at 350°F for 11 to 12 minutes, and cool them on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Make these funfetti christmas cookies for a class party, cookie exchange, or holiday cookie platter when you need an easy holiday funfetti cookie recipe for kids.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 11 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 31 minutes mins

Servings: 16 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 158

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour ((180g))
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature (113g))
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar ((150g))
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sprinkles (jimmies)

Equipment

• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Baking sheets
• Cookie scoop
• Parchment paper or silicone mat

Method

 

1. Combine the Dry Ingredients

   In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside. Whisking the dry ingredients helps distribute the baking soda throughout the flour, preventing concentrated pockets that could affect the texture and flavor of the cookies.
2. Cream the Butter and Sugar

   In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture looks light, fluffy, and noticeably paler. Properly creaming the butter and sugar helps create a soft, tender cookie texture. If the mixture still looks grainy or has not increased in volume, continue beating until it becomes lighter and fluffier.
3. Add the Egg and Vanilla

   Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat until well combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Mix again until the mixture looks smooth and evenly incorporated.
4. Add the Dry Ingredients

   With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until the ingredients are almost combined, leaving a few streaks of flour in the dough. Avoid overmixing, as this can develop too much gluten and result in tougher cookies.
5. Fold in the Sprinkles

   Add the sprinkles and mix on low speed just until evenly distributed throughout the dough. Alternatively, gently fold them in using a spatula. Avoid excessive mixing, as some sprinkles may release their colors and cause the dough to become streaky.
6. Roll and Chill the Dough

   Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to portion the dough into balls, using approximately 2 tablespoons or 40 g of dough per cookie. Roll each portion into a ball and arrange the dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. If desired, gently press a few extra sprinkles onto the tops of the dough balls for a more colorful finish.

   Refrigerate the dough balls for at least 1 hour before baking. Chilling helps firm up the butter, which reduces spreading and helps the cookies maintain their shape.
7. Bake the Cookies

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Arrange the chilled dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart if they are not already positioned for baking.

   Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops look slightly puffed. The centers should still appear soft when you remove the cookies from the oven, as they will continue to set from the residual heat of the baking sheet. Avoid waiting for the centers to look completely firm, as this can lead to overbaked cookies.
8. Cool the Cookies

   Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. The cookies will be delicate while hot, so letting them rest briefly helps them firm up and prevents them from breaking when moved. Transfer them carefully to the rack and allow them to cool completely before serving.

Recipe Notes

You don’t want to add the sprinkles too early in the mixing process. Add them at the very end and mix just until combined to help prevent their colors from bleeding into the dough.

Do not skip chilling the cookie dough. Refrigerating the dough for at least 1 hour helps prevent the cookies from spreading too quickly in the oven, allowing them to keep their thick, round, fluffy shape.

Make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature before you begin. This helps the ingredients blend together evenly and promotes consistent baking.

Although it may seem like a small amount, the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch is essential for creating soft, tender cookies. Do not leave it out!

Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent the cookies from sticking and make them easier to remove after baking.

The centers may still look soft when you take the cookies out of the oven, but they will continue to set as they cool. Avoid baking them until the centers look completely firm, as this can cause the cookies to become overbaked and crunchy once they reach room temperature.

If you want to prepare the dough ahead of time, you can refrigerate it overnight. Keep it covered to prevent it from drying out.

Be sure to roll the dough into individual balls before chilling. Once refrigerated, the dough becomes firmer and less pliable, making it more difficult to shape neatly.