This soft and chewy confetti cookies recipe makes about 20 to 24 thick, colorful cookies in just 15 minutes of preparation, followed by a recommended 30-minute chill and 9 to 11 minutes of baking per tray at 350°F (175°C). The cookies have lightly crisp edges, tender centers, and plenty of cheerful rainbow sprinkles in every bite.
Brown sugar brings a gentle caramel note while cornstarch helps keep the centers soft and chewy. These festive cookies are perfect for birthdays, bake sales, school celebrations, holidays, or any afternoon when a bright, buttery sugar cookie is exactly what you want.
Jump to RecipeWhy You’ll Love This Recipe
These confetti cookies bring the familiar comfort of a soft sugar cookie with the playful look of a birthday treat. They are buttery without being heavy, sweet but balanced by a small amount of salt, and filled with colorful sprinkles that make every cookie feel like a celebration.
The texture is the real star. The edges become lightly set in the oven while the centers stay tender, creating the soft and chewy bite that makes it difficult to stop at just one.
- Easy preparation: The dough comes together with basic pantry ingredients and no complicated techniques.
- Reliable texture: Cornstarch and a short chill help produce thick, tender cookies.
- Party-ready color: Rainbow jimmies add a bright confetti effect without icing or decorations.
- Flexible serving: Make them for birthdays, lunchbox treats, cookie trays, or casual weekend baking.
If you enjoy cookies with a tender center, you may also like these soft cream cheese cookies, which offer a delicate texture and rich flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need
All-purpose flour forms the structure of the cookies, while cornstarch keeps the crumb tender. Baking soda and baking powder work together to provide a little lift without turning the cookies cakey, and fine salt keeps the sweetness lively.
Use softened unsalted butter rather than melted butter. Soft butter creams properly with the sugars, creating a light, smooth base that helps the finished cookies bake up thick and pleasantly chewy.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps the edges develop a delicate golden finish.
- Light brown sugar: Supplies moisture and a mild caramel flavor for a softer bite.
- Room-temperature egg: Blends smoothly into the butter mixture and supports the dough structure.
- Pure vanilla extract: Rounds out the buttery, sugary flavor.
- Rainbow jimmies: Use about 3/4 cup, plus 2 to 3 tablespoons more for topping if you want extra color.
Rainbow jimmies are the best choice for this recipe. Nonpareils can dissolve, bleed, or create streaks in the dough, while jimmies generally hold their shape and color during mixing and baking.
How to Make It Step-by-Step
Step 1: Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F (175°C) and lining your baking sheets with parchment paper. Prepare the sheets before mixing so the dough can be portioned as soon as it is ready.
Step 2: Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a bowl, then whisk until evenly combined. This distributes the leaveners and salt throughout the flour so every cookie bakes consistently.
Step 3: Place the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat for about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice, until the mixture looks light, creamy, and smooth.
Step 4: Add the room-temperature egg and vanilla, then beat until the mixture is fully blended. If the egg is cold, it can make the butter mixture look slightly curdled, so bringing it to room temperature helps everything combine more evenly.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on low speed just until the last traces of flour disappear. Stop as soon as the dough comes together because excessive mixing can make cookies less tender.
Step 6: Fold in the rainbow jimmies gently with a spatula. A light hand keeps the sprinkle colors distinct and prevents the dough from becoming streaky.
Step 7: Scoop the dough into roughly 1 1/2- to 2-tablespoon portions and roll each portion into a ball. Place the balls on parchment-lined sheets with about 2 inches of space between them, pressing a few additional sprinkles on top if desired.
Step 8: Chill the shaped dough for about 30 minutes. Chilling firms the butter and gives the cookies a better chance of staying thick as they bake.
Step 9: Bake for 9 to 11 minutes per tray at 350°F. The edges should look set, but the centers should remain pale and slightly soft because they will continue cooking from the residual heat of the baking sheet.
Step 10: Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before moving them to a wire rack. This brief cooling period allows the soft centers to set enough for easy transfer without losing their chewy texture.
Pro Tips for Soft, Chewy Cookies
The most important tip is to remove the cookies before the centers look fully baked. If the middles appear completely firm and golden in the oven, the cookies may cool into a drier texture than intended.
Measure flour carefully, preferably by weight. If using cups, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it rather than packing it down, since too much flour can make the dough stiff and reduce the soft center.
- Soften butter until it is pliable but not melted or greasy.
- Use a cookie scoop for evenly sized portions and consistent baking.
- Keep the dough chilled while waiting for the first tray to bake.
- Bake one test cookie first if you are unsure how much the dough will spread.
- Let the baking sheet cool before adding another batch of chilled dough.
For another classic cookie with a wonderfully chewy middle, take a look at these chewy chocolate chip cookies. Their texture tips are useful whenever you want soft centers and lightly crisp edges.
Storage, Freezing, and Serving
Cool the cookies completely before storing them. Place them in an airtight container at room temperature, where they are best enjoyed within several days for the softest texture.
You can also freeze the shaped, unbaked dough balls after the 30-minute chill. Arrange them on a lined tray until firm, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container; bake from chilled or frozen, checking the first tray carefully because frozen dough may need a little additional time.
For serving, pile the cookies onto a colorful plate or tuck them into individual treat bags. They pair beautifully with cold milk, hot cocoa, coffee, or vanilla ice cream.
If you are building a varied cookie platter, add these brown sugar butter cookies for a deeper caramel flavor alongside the bright confetti cookies.
Easy Flavor and Sprinkle Variations
The classic recipe uses both granulated and brown sugar for a soft, lightly caramelized flavor. Some versions use about 3/4 cup granulated sugar without brown sugar, creating a lighter cookie with a flavor closer to a traditional sugar cookie.
You can vary the sprinkle colors to suit the occasion. Use school colors for a classroom party, pastel jimmies for a baby shower, red and green for winter celebrations, or a single color for a polished party theme.
- Add extra sprinkles to the tops immediately after shaping.
- Use seasonal jimmies while keeping the total sprinkle quantity close to 3/4 cup.
- Serve with a simple vanilla glaze if you want additional sweetness.
- Pair the cookies with chocolate desserts for a colorful contrast.
For chocolate lovers, a batch of double chocolate chip cookies makes a rich companion to this buttery sprinkle version. Peanut butter fans can also add a contrasting flavor with these chewy peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.
Soft and Chewy Confetti Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper so the cookies release easily and the bottoms bake evenly.
- Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, and fine salt together in a medium bowl. Set the dry mixture aside while you prepare the buttery dough.
- Beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and packed light brown sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until light, creamy, and slightly fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the room-temperature egg and vanilla extract until fully combined. Add the dry ingredients and mix only until no dry flour remains; do not overmix.
- Gently fold in the rainbow jimmies with a spatula. Work carefully to keep the sprinkle colors bright and prevent them from streaking through the dough.
- Portion the dough into roughly 1 1/2- to 2-tablespoon balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheets with about 2 inches between each cookie, then add a few extra sprinkles on top if desired.
- Chill the shaped dough for about 30 minutes. This step helps the cookies remain thick instead of spreading too quickly in the oven.
- Bake each tray for 9 to 11 minutes, until the edges look set but the centers are still pale and slightly soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Notes
Final Thoughts
Soft and chewy confetti cookies are proof that a simple sugar cookie can be both easy and memorable. With softened butter, a balanced blend of granulated and brown sugar, a little cornstarch, and a careful bake, you get thick cookies with tender centers and just-set edges every time.
Keep the rainbow jimmies visible, chill the shaped dough for about 30 minutes, and trust the oven timing rather than waiting for fully firm centers. Once cooled, these colorful cookies are ready to brighten a dessert table, lunchbox, or ordinary afternoon.
Make one test cookie first if needed, then bake the remaining batches with confidence. The result is a cheerful homemade treat that looks festive straight from the baking sheet and tastes even better with a glass of milk.