Easter Funfetti Cookies

Candy-coated chocolate and pastel sprinkles are very popular when baking for Easter – especially if you’re baking for kids! However, the kids are going to have to share with the adults, because when it comes to these Easter Funfetti Cookies, they appeal to everyone! With a sweet, sugary coating, these soft and chewy cookies are loaded with lots of colour and flavour! It’s hard to eat just one of these!

I have been waiting for a year to share this recipe with you, Dear Reader. Being a food blogger might seem like a fun and easy job, however, it might come as a surprise that most of the time, we are testing and re-testing recipes. There are so many recipes that never get shared here for many reasons. I won’t get into them all right now, but one particular reason is that I run out of time. That was the case with these Easter Funfetti Cookies. Let me explain!

Last year, one of the organizers of our local Delta Maple Syrup Festival, reached out to me to ask if I’d bake up a batch of cookies to help with fundraising at the book sale. (Hi Liz P.!) Of course, I agreed right away, because I’ve never been one to shy away from a good cause. I thought if I was going to bake cookies, I might as well come up with a new recipe and photograph the end result for the blog.

Because the event was being held on Easter weekend, I thought something with lemon would be a good idea, because lemon reminds me of spring, and so does yellow! I made these Lemon Glazed Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies. I thought I should make something for chocolate lovers too, so I made these Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies. And, finally, because I have a tendency to do everything over the top, I made these Easter Funfetti Cookies for the kids.

SEASONAL INGREDIENTS

But, I couldn’t get the recipe published before Easter, so I just let the draft sit there in my files until now. It happens more often than you think. Let’s take for example strawberry season. Where I live, the season is short; about 4-6 weeks. I will research and write up several recipe ideas a month or so ahead of harvesting season so that I can prepare the recipes with locally grown strawberries. But, by the time I get those recipes perfect, photograph them and write everything up, not all of them can fit into that season. After all, I normally only publish two recipes per week.

The same thing happens for any holiday, such as Halloween. It makes very little sense to publish a recipe for a Halloween-themed M&M Cookie Cake after Halloween has come and gone. I try to get the recipes out at least a week or two before the holiday, but sometimes, I have no choice but wait until I can find seasonal ingredients on store shelves. I have learned though, that if I have extra holiday-themed recipes left over, it does make life a bit easier the next time that holiday comes around!

DELTA MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL

I included this section just in case you’re interested. And, if you’re local, you might want to check out the event this year! Established in 1967, the Delta Maple Syrup Festival was the first maple celebration to be established in the area. In planning for Canada’s Centennial, a small group of dedicated volunteers met regularly in the Council Chambers at the Old Town Hall.

Originally, the festival was a three-day event held in March which included feeding pancakes and syrup to busloads of students on school trips. In order to keep up with the crowds, meals were served on both floors of the Old Town Hall. Visitors were able to tour local sugar bushes along with watching maple syrup being bottled and maple candy being made as well.

Over the years, the festival continued through the efforts of many local residents and service clubs before becoming a project for the Directors of the Delta Agricultural Society. And now, the tradition continues 55+ years later!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! To be perfectly honest, I have made these with both salted and unsalted butter and there’s no difference in taste or appearance once all is said and done. Use what you have on hand.
• Sugar – Sugar has more than one function in baking.  Not only does it add sweetness, but it will caramelize too, which will help to brown cookies and cakes. 
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies. 
• Baking Soda – Commonly known as sodium bicarbonate, or just bicarb, it is a baking ingredient that’s activated by a liquid and an acid to help with leavening or rising.  In most cases, you will see baking soda in recipes with lemon juice or buttermilk, but that’s not always the case.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Salt – This is a common ingredient in baking and cooking.  In baking, it helps to enhance and balance the sweetness. 
• M&M Candy – To keep my version looking more fitting for Easter, I used pastel-coloured M&Ms. You can use whichever colour you prefer!
• Sprinkles
• Sanding Sugar

NOT ALL SPRINKLES WILL WORK

If you’re like me, you have a big stash of sprinkles. Honestly, Dear Reader, I have a small wooden crate full of jars and bags of sprinkles. For this recipe though, not all types of sprinkles will work. You can use either jimmies or sequins.

I never call them jimmies to be honest. To me, all sprinkles are called sprinkles. For this recipe, you can use sprinkles that have an elongated shape – like a miniature rod! The nonpareils (small balls) will not work very well at all. They are too small to hold up the heat and won’t look as pretty or distinctively separate in the finished product. Another great option is sequins. I love these because they have a great pastel colour and they don’t melt in the oven!

My go-to source for sprinkles is Sweetapolita. I’m using the pastel sequin sprinkles in this Easter Funfetti Cookie recipe. They also have a large selection of jimmies to choose from as well!

HOW TO MAKE EASTER FUNFETTI COOKIES

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time and beat them into the mixture.

Next, beat in the vanilla and salt. Add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. On low speed, beat the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Fold in the candy-coated chocolates (M&Ms) and the pastel sprinkles.

Use a small scoop to portion the cookie dough. Roll into balls and then into the sanding sugar until well coated. Place balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving two inches of space between each cookie. At this point, you can press a few extra candy-coated chocolates into the top of the cookie if you wish. Bake for exactly 12 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.

CANDIES, CANDIES, AND MORE CANDIES!

I know I use M&Ms quite often in many of my cookie and no-bake treats, but there are other candy-coated chocolates out there that you can use. Here in Canada, we have something called Smarties. I think in the United States, smarties are those flat, pressed-powder-like candy that comes in a cellophane-wrapped roll. They’re often found in large bags for Halloween treats. In Canada, smarties are candy-coated chocolate much like the popular M&M.

You might also consider using Cadbury Mini Eggs – they are my all-time favourite! This past year, I found micro mini eggs, which would work extremely well in these cookies.

SANDING VS GRANULATED SUGAR

I use coarse sanding sugar quite often in my recipes, and I hope it hasn’t been too difficult for you to find. Sanding sugar is sometimes referred to as baking sugar, and there are some substitutes. You can use other sugars – which are basically the same, but named something differently – there’s pearl sugar and coarse sugar. You cannot, however, use granulated sugar. Let me explain why.

Whereas an individual granule of sanding sugar is large and hard, a single granule of granulated sugar is quite small. Sanding sugar will hold up to the heat in your oven without melting; granulated sugar will not. If you cannot find sanding sugar, then I’m afraid this recipe is not for you.

You can find sanding sugar online, but it’s expensive in comparison to what you can find at a baking supply store. I buy most of my sanding sugar at Bulk Barn. They have just about every colour you will need!

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Easter Funfetti Cookies, you certainly can! Once completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  

You can freeze these cookies for up to three months. If you plan to give previously frozen cookies as a gift, I would lay them out on a wire cooling rack to thaw completely. If packaging, wait until the condensation has evaporated. Once thawed, pile into cellophane bags and tie with a ribbon, or stack in a cookie tin/box.