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Ok, how cute are these mini sprinkle cookies? With lots of vanilla and rainbow sprinkles, they’re soft, chewy, and bite-sized for a party. All you need is 10 ingredients and about 20 minutes of time to mix up the dough. And, you can use holiday sprinkles to make these cookies for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and more!

Rows of sprinkle cookies next to a white bowl of rainbow sprinkles on a pink counter.

Now that the weather has turned absolutely frigid, my daily uniform has transformed into a combination of drawstring sweatpants, thick fuzzy socks, and my indoors-only Hoka slides. (Because just in case being almost-30 wasn’t jarring enough, now I need arch support at all times, wtf??)

Luckily, what I lack in fashion, I’ve been making up for in pretty, colorful, sprinkle-covered everything. That’s right, friends. We’re in full-out holiday cookie mode over here. And what better way to warm up than by turning on the oven and baking a batch of treats for friends?

In addition to mini chocolate chip cookies and my extra mini M&M cookies, these rainbow-studded cookies are one of my most-requested holiday recipes. As a trained pastry chef, I’m fairly picky when it comes to a basic cookie. But these are always a hit. They’re soft and chewy, have lots of vanilla flavor, and they don’t have that “Play-Doh” taste like the sugar cookies from the grocery store lol.

Obviously, I love a seasonal treat like cardamom gingerbread or spicy molasses crinkle cookies, but sometimes, it’s nice to just have something versatile. I make these drop cookies all the time for birthdays, bridal showers, or holidays like Christmas and Halloween. Plus, the cookies are also freezer-friendly so you make them in advance!

Rod sprinkles

White, brown, and pink bowls of flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla, sugar, an egg, and rainbow sprinkles on a tan counter next to a stick of butter.

I tested this recipe with a few different types of sprinkles and there was a clear winner – rainbow rod sprinkles! These are the classic sprinkles that you usually find in the baking or ice cream aisle at the grocery store. I also tested this recipe with nonpareils but the color bled too much into the dough.

Other than that, you’ll need super basic baking ingredients. Make sure you have all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, Morton’s Kosher salt, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, an egg, and good vanilla extract to make this recipe.

For funfetti cookies, use artificial vanilla extract instead of pure vanilla. Start with 2 teaspoons and add more to taste!

#100 cookie scoop

For those teeny tiny cookies, you need a #100 cookie scoop which is about 1 teaspoon of dough. Of course, you can always use a teaspoon if you don’t want to buy a scoop. But I promise, this recipe goes so much quicker if you have a scoop!

Make the dough

A hand whisking a pink bowl of flour on a tan counter next to white and brown bowls of sprinkles, sugar, an egg, and vanilla.
Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, & salt.
A white bowl of butter and sugar on a tan counter next to a pink bowl of flour, white bowl with an egg, and brown bowl of sprinkles.
Add the softened butter & sugar to a mixing bowl.
A white bowl of beaten butter and sugar on a tan counter next to a pink bowl of flour, white bowl with an egg, and brown bowl of sprinkles.
Beat the butter & sugar with a hand mixer until it’s light & fluffy.
A white bowl with butter, sugar, and an egg on a tan counter next to a pink bowl of flour, white bowl, and brown bowl of sprinkles.
Mix in the room temperature egg & vanilla extract.
A white bowl with flour on a tan counter next to a pink bowl, brown bowl of sprinkles, and empty white ingredient bowls.
Then, add the dry ingredients until the dough is mostly mixed.
Hands folding sprinkle cookies dough in a white bowl on a tan counter next to white and pink bowls.
Fold in the rainbow sprinkles & chill the dough for 2 hours.

Don’t over-mix the dough or the cookies will come out tough and crunchy! You want to beat the flour into the dough until it’s about 80% mixed. Then, fold in the sprinkles until there are no more streaks of flour.

Scoop, roll, & bake

Hands scooping sprinkle cookies out of a white bowl of dough on a tan counter next to a sheet pan of cookies.
Scoop the dough into balls & roll them in more sprinkles.
Rows of unbaked sprinkle cookies on a sheet pan.
Line the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
A hand holding baked sprinkle cookies.
Bake the cookies at 350°F (177°C) for about 6 minutes.

Be careful not to over-bake these cookies if you want them to come out soft and chewy. If they over-bake even for just a minute, they’ll come out crunchy. Lean towards under-baking if you’re not sure!

Holiday cookies

Rows of sprinkle Christmas cookies on a grey counter next to a brown bowl of sprinkles and a plaid linen.

One of the best parts of this dessert is that you can make them with any kind of rod-style sprinkles! These are just some combinations I’ve tried for different holidays, and they always come out so cute.

  • Red, green, and white for Christmas
  • Black, orange, lime green, and purple for Halloween
  • Red and light pink for Valentine’s Day
  • Pastel colors for Easter or Mother’s Day
  • Green, white, and orange for St. Patrick’s Day
A sprinkle cookie with a bite taken out of it on a pink counter next to rows of sprinkle cookies.

Storing cookies

Funfetti cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Over time, they’ll lose their soft and chewy texture, so I recommend eating them sooner rather than later!

Freeze – dough or baked

You can freeze either the cookie dough or the baked cookies. It’s amazing for a make-ahead bake!

  • Dough – scoop the dough into balls and roll them in extra sprinkles. Place the cookie dough balls on a sheet pan and freeze until firm, 1-2 hours. Pop the cookie dough balls in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. You can bake them from frozen – just add 1-2 minutes to the bake time!
  • Baked – place the cookies in a freezer bag or container lined with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost the cookies for 1-2 hours at room temperature before eating.
A sprinkle cookie leaning against a white bowl of sprinkles on a pink counter covered in rows of sprinkle cookies.

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Mini Rainbow Sprinkle Cookies

Yield: 94 mini cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Ok, how cute are these mini sprinkle cookies? With lots of vanilla and rainbow sprinkles, they're soft, chewy, and bite-sized for a party. And, you can use holiday sprinkles to make these cookies for Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and more!
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Ingredients

  • 200 grams all-purpose flour (1 2/3 cups)
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 114 grams unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
  • 150 grams granulated sugar (3/4 cup)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 15 milliliters pure vanilla extract (1 Tablespoon)
  • 100 grams rainbow sprinkles, plus more for rolling (1/2 cup)

Equipment

Instructions 

  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and Kosher salt. Set aside.
  • Add the softened unsalted butter and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until it's light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Then, mix in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
  • Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Beat the dough until it's about 80% mixed. Then, use a rubber spatula to fold the sprinkles into the dough, mixing just until there are no more streaks of flour. Cover the dough and chill for at least 1-2 hours, or overnight.
  • When you're ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
  • Using a #100 cookie scoop or teaspoon, scoop the dough into balls. Roll the cookie dough balls in more sprinkles for extra pretty cookies. Then, line the cookie dough balls about 1-2-inches apart on the sheet pans. Refrigerate any leftover dough while the cookies are baking.
  • Bake the cookies for 5-6 minutes, just until the edges are set and the centers are still a bit under-done. Don't over-bake or the cookies will end up crunchy! Let the cookies cool on the sheet pans for 4-5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

For soft and chewy cookies, I recommend weighing the ingredients instead of using measuring cups. If you do not have a kitchen scale, you can use measuring cups, but make sure to measure the flour the right way. First, fluff it with a whisk and spoon the whisked flour into a measuring cup. Level it off without packing the flour in.
Don’t over-mix the dough or the cookies will come out tough and crunchy! You want to beat the flour into the dough until it’s about 80% mixed. Then, fold in the sprinkles until there are no more streaks of flour.
If the dough is too cold to scoop, let it warm at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. You want it to be chilled but scoop-able.
The cookies are ready when they are puffed up but not browning. They should look a tad under-baked in the middles.
For super round cookies, use the scoot method! Right after the cookies come out of the oven, place a small round cookie cutter or cup around each cookie and scoot it in a circular motion to round out the edges.
For funfetti cookies, replace the pure vanilla extract with artificial vanilla extract. Start with 2 teaspoons and add more to taste.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Sara Lynn Hunt Broka
Serving: 1mini cookie, Calories: 28kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 0.3g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.7g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 19mg, Sugar: 2g
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