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Soft and chewy homemade Funfetti Cookies start with a box of cake mix, vanilla instant pudding, and Funfetti chips! They’re loaded with rainbow sprinkles for a sweet treat that appeals to kids of all ages. Grab a tall glass of milk and a handful of these Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies, because you don’t need a special occasion to whip up the quick and easy dessert. No mixer and no chilling required — they’re ready from start to finish in about 20 minutes!
Table of Contents
- Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
- Ingredients for Homemade Funfetti Cookies
- How to Make Funfetti Cookies with Cake Mix
- Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Funfetti Cookies Recipe
- Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
We love cut-out sprinkle sugar cookies when we have a quiet day to devote to mixing, rolling, cutting, and decorating a made-from-scratch dough. But that’s not always our reality! Instead, these easy Funfetti cookies are a perfect solution when you need a sweet treat…fast! They’re soft, buttery, chewy, and loaded with rainbow sprinkles. Nobody will guess that they start with a box of cake mix!
What is the difference between Funfetti and vanilla cake?
Funfetti cake (or “confetti cake”) is a fluffy white cake with sprinkles mixed into the batter. Pillsbury sells a boxed Funfetti Cake mix, Duncan Hines calls its version Rainbow Confetti Cake mix, and Betty Crocker has a Rainbow Chip Cake mix. These are all essentially the same thing, and any of them will work in this cookie recipe. If you don’t have a sprinkle cake mix on hand, you can substitute with a white cake mix (or even a yellow cake mix) and add some extra sprinkles to the batter. In the end, Funfetti is just a vanilla cake with rainbow sprinkles already added to the mix!
Ingredients for Homemade Funfetti Cookies
This is a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make the Funfetti cookies. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Funfetti cake mix: you can use the Pillsbury Funfetti brand, Duncan Hines Rainbow Confetti Cake mix, or Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip Cake mix. In a pinch, you can even substitute with a white cake mix or a yellow cake mix (see my note below for that variation).
- Instant vanilla pudding mix: just the dry mix from a small 4-serving box (do not prepare the pudding according to package instructions).
- Eggs: for structure.
- Salted butter: gives the cookies that buttery homemade flavor of a classic made-from-scratch dough and provides fat, which keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
- Milk: for a little bit of moisture to bring the dough together.
- Rainbow sprinkles: I use Cake Mate rainbow sprinkles, which don’t melt in the oven or bleed in the dough or in the icing. The larger sprinkles also have a softer texture than smaller nonpareils. You can use extra sprinkles to roll on the outside of the cookies if you like.
- Funfetti morsels: these new vanilla cake-flavored chips have little bits of funfetti in them! So fun, right?! If you can’t find them on your store shelves, then regular white chocolate chips are a great substitute.
How to Make Funfetti Cookies with Cake Mix
I’ve been making different versions of cake mix cookies for years and years, but this particular idea came to me when my friend Jackie brought me a bag of Funfetti morsels. She was so excited about the new find at our grocery store and knew that I would love them, too. I’ve since purchased many more bags of Funfetti chips, tested a few different batches of Funfetti Chip Cookies, and ultimately landed on this recipe as our absolute favorite. I certainly had plenty of willing taste testers, too!
- Stir together the dough in a large bowl.
- Fold in the Funfetti morsels and rainbow sprinkles.
- Use a cookie scoop to drop the dough by rounded tablespoons on parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets.
- Chill the dough balls on the baking sheets in the refrigerator or freezer for about 10-20 minutes if you like thicker cookies, but this step is optional. The dough can go directly into the oven without chilling and the cookies will still be great — they really don’t spread too much.
- Bake in a 350° F oven for 10-12 minutes, or just until the edges are lightly browned but the centers are still soft.
- Cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.
Why add pudding mix to cookies?
This secret ingredient isn’t always included in cake mix cookie recipes, but trust me: you don’t want to skip it! The vanilla pudding mix adds flavor to the dough, but it also helps to keep the cookies incredibly soft, moist, and chewy.
Do I have to chill the dough?
No, you don’t. This step is totally optional. I’ve tested the recipe both ways, and I can assure you that baking the dough without chilling still results in delicious cookies that won’t spread too much. That said, I always like to chill the dough on the baking sheets for about 10-20 minutes in the refrigerator or freezer right before baking. This yields a slightly thicker, chewier cookie…which is always my preference! You decide what you like best and which version suits your schedule.
Should you put sprinkles on cookies before or after baking?
For this easy cookie recipe, we’re adding rainbow sprinkles to the dough before baking. If you’d like your cookies coated in rainbow sprinkles on the outside as well, you can roll each ball of dough in a bowl of rainbow sprinkles before baking the cookies in the oven. Adding the sprinkles before baking will help the sprinkles adhere to the cookies — even without any frosting.
Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies Prep & Storage Tips
To Freeze the Dough Before Baking
This dough freezes best if you portion it into dough balls before freezing. Arrange the dough balls on baking sheets, freeze, and then wrap tightly in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. When ready to bake, just pull a couple of frozen dough balls from the oven and bake in a 350° F oven. You’ll need to add about 1-2 more minutes to the baking time since you’re starting with frozen dough.
How to Store Funfetti Chip Cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.They will last on the counter for about 3 days. To extend the life of your cookies, wrap them tightly andfreeze them for up to 3 months.
Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies Recipe Variations
- Chocolate Funfetti Cookies: use chocolate cake mix, chocolate instant pudding mix, and add an extra ¼ cup of rainbow sprinkles to the dough.
- For pretty pink cookies, swap out the Funfetti cake mix for a box of strawberry cake mix. Add an extra ¼ cup of rainbow sprinkles to the dough.
- If you can’t find the vanilla cake-flavored Funfetti morsels, substitute them with an equal amount of white chocolate chips.
- Instead of Funfetti cake mix, substitute with white cake mix or yellow cake mix. Just add an extra ¼ cup of rainbow sprinkles to the dough to account for those missing sprinkles in the cake mix.
Tips for the Best Funfetti Cookies Recipe
- To prevent the cookies from spreading, always use cool baking sheets (never put the dough on warm baking sheets). Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, which give the dough “grip” and prevent excess spreading. Greasing the baking sheets creates a slippery surface for the dough, which causes them to spread more.
- Chill the dough for at least 10-20 minutes in the freezer or refrigerator before baking if you prefer thicker, chewier cookies. You’ll need to bake the cookies for closer to 11-12 minutes if the dough is chilled.
- Don’t overbake the cookies.Watch for the cookies’ edges to just start to turn a slightly darker color. The insides of the cookies should still be soft when they come out of the oven. They will firm up as they cool, resulting in that great moist and chewy texture that we’re looking for. Overbaking the cookies will yield dry, hard, or crunchy cookies.
- Serve the cookieswarm or at room temperature with a cold glass of milkon the side for dipping.
More Cookies Recipes to Try
- Cut-Out Funfetti Sugar Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Classic Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
5 from 1 vote
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 10 minutes minutes
Chilling Time 15 minutes minutes
Total: 35 minutes minutes
Servings 33 cookies
Calories 130 kcal
Soft and chewy funfetti cake mix cookies are semi-homemade using boxed cake mix, pudding mix, sprinkles, and sweet funfetti chips. Delicious fresh-baked cookies in a flash!
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 oz box Funfetti cake mix
- 1 3.4 oz. box instant vanilla pudding mix
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 tablespoon milk
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles, plus extra for coating if desired
- 1 cup Funfetti morsels (or substitute with white chocolate chips)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry cake mix and the dry pudding mix. Add the eggs, melted butter, and milk. Stir just until combined. Fold in rainbow sprinkles and Funfetti morsels.
Use a cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon to scoop the dough into round balls. If you like, you can roll the dough balls in rainbow sprinkles. Arrange the dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie to allow spreading. For thicker cookies, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator or freezer to chill for about 10-20 minutes before baking (this isn’t necessary, though). Bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until the edges are lightly browned but the centers are still soft.
Cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- To prevent the cookies from spreading, always use cool baking sheets (never put dough on warm baking sheets). Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats, which give the dough “grip” and prevent excess spreading. Greasing the baking sheets creates a slippery surface for the dough, which causes them to spread more.
- Chill the dough for at least 10-20 minutes in the freezer or refrigerator before baking if you prefer thicker, chewier cookies. You’ll need to bake the cookies for closer to 11-12 minutes if the dough is chilled.
- Don’t overbake the cookies.Watch for the cookies’ edges to just start to turn a slightly darker color. The insides of the cookies should still be soft when they come out of the oven. They will firm up as they cool, resulting in that great moist and chewy texture that we’re looking for. Overbaking the cookies will yield dry, hard or crunchy cookies.
- Serve the cookieswarm or at room temperature with a cold glass of milkon the side for dipping.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookieCalories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 160mgPotassium: 65mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 103IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
Keyword: cake mix cookies, funfetti cake mix cookies, funfetti cookies
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Author: Blair Lonergan
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