Best Sourdough Discard Funfetti Cookies
Soft and chewy sourdough funfetti sugar cookies, rolled in rainbow sprinkles for a colorful twist on a classic recipe. It’s easily customizable to just about any holiday or occasion, making it the perfect recipe to keep in your back pocket!
Beautiful, Festive, & Fun.
This recipe was born purely out of my kid’s love for rainbow sprinkles. I was looking for a quick and easy cookie recipe, but one that I could quickly whip up with sourdough discard.
My sourdough sugar cookie recipe immediately came to mind, and thus, this sourdough funfetti cookie was born! They are thick and insanely soft and chewy, with just a little added crunch from the sprinkles that is just perfect. I have a feeling these cookies may make an appearance at birthday parties and on Christmas cookie trays for years to come.
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Quick Recipe Snapshot
TOTAL TIME: No chilling is required for this dough, making it quick to whip up. About 25 minutes total!
YIELD: 24 cookies.
STORAGE: These cookies store well in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days (if they last that long!)
BEST SERVED: Anytime 😉
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
This is a quick overview of a few essential ingredients needed for this recipe. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list!
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Baking: I always like to slightly underbake my cookies in order to obtain a chewier texture. They will continue to cook briefly on the cookie sheet once they are pulled out of the oven.
- Variations: This recipe is incredibly customizable! Simply swap the rainbow sprinkles for festive Christmas or Halloween sprinkles, use red white and blue for July 4th, pink and red for Valentine’s Day… the options are pretty endless.
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below!
Step by Step Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until combined.
- Beat in the egg, sourdough discard, vanilla and almond extract until light (about 1 minute).
- Begin adding in the dry ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat and set aside.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, begin scooping out balls of dough. Roll the dough balls into the sprinkles, being sure to evenly coat. Place on the prepared baking pans, about 2 inches apart (the cookies will spread only slightly).
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 9-11 minutes. Take them out when they are just barely starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Allow to cool briefly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can! Since the discard isn’t being used for rise, it doesn’t need to be active—cold discard works perfectly here.
Not at all. The discard adds a slight depth of flavor, but nothing sour or too tangy.
For the best texture and color, use rainbow jimmies (the soft, rod-shaped sprinkles). They hold their shape and color during baking, ensuring the cookies look nice and colorful.
Make Ahead & Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: The cookie dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use, up to 2 days.
- Storage: These cookies store well at room temperature on the counter for up to 3 days, or an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. If you haven’t heard of the bread trick, definitely try it! Simply add a small slice of bread to your container to keep your cookies extra soft.
- Freezing Instructions: Scoop out balls of cookie dough, roll in the sprinkles, and then add them to a gallon sized freezer safe bag, making sure to store the bag lying flat in the freezer. Once you are ready to bake, pop the cookies straight from the freezer into the oven, or set out on the counter to thaw beforehand. If you are putting them straight in the oven from the freezer, you may need to adjust your baking time to allow the frozen dough extra time to bake.
I love seeing your recipe creations! If you make this recipe, be sure to share and tag me on Instagram @ourhandcraftedhomeblog.
More Sourdough Discard Cookie Recipes
Sourdough Discard Funfetti Cookies
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
Soft and chewy sourdough funfetti sugar cookies, rolled in rainbow sprinkles for a colorful twist on a classic recipe. It’s easily customizable to just about any holiday or occasion, making it the perfect recipe to keep in your back pocket!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup sourdough discard
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup rainbow jimmie sprinkles, for rolling the cookies
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a medium bowl, cream together softened butter and sugar until combined.
- Beat in the egg, sourdough discard, vanilla and almond extract until light (about 1 minute).
- Begin adding in the dry ingredients, mixing until thoroughly combined.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or a silpat baking mat and set aside.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, begin scooping out balls of dough. Roll the dough balls into the sprinkles, being sure to evenly coat. Place on the prepared baking pans, about 2 inches apart (the cookies will spread only slightly).
- Bake in preheated oven for approximately 9-11 minutes. Take them out when they are just barely starting to turn golden brown around the edges.
- Allow to cool briefly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Baking: I always like to slightly underbake my cookies in order to obtain a chewier texture. They will continue to cook briefly on the cookie sheet once they are pulled out of the oven.
- Variations: This recipe is incredibly customizable! Simply swap the rainbow sprinkles for festive Christmas or Halloween sprinkles, use red white and blue for July 4th, pink and red for Valentine’s Day… the options are pretty endless.
- Make Ahead: The cookie dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use, up to 2 days.
- Storage: These cookies store well at room temperature on the counter for up to 3 days, or an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. If you haven’t heard of the bread trick, try it! Simply add a small slice of bread to your container to keep your cookies extra soft!
- Freezing Instructions: Scoop out balls of cookie dough and add them to a gallon sized freezer safe bag, making sure to store the bag lying flat in the freezer. Once you are ready to bake, pop the cookies straight from the freezer into the oven, or set out on the counter to thaw beforehand. If you are putting them straight in the oven from the freezer, you may need to adjust your baking time to allow the frozen dough extra time to bake.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Sourdough
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
If you enjoyed this recipe for sourdough funfetti cookies, be sure to come back and leave a comment and a 5 star rating! Tag me on Instagram with your creations @ourhandcraftedhomeblog.
