Funfetti Cookies

You're not dreaming.

I'll pinch you, if you want - which is exactly what I had to do to myself when I took a bite out of these Funfetti Cookies. They're even more delicious than they look, and they'll take you right back to your childhood, if funfetti was a thing when you were a kid. For me, it reminds me of dipping my finger into a tub of Pillsbury Funfetti icing: one of my many ridiculous cravings that, honestly, I sometimes still crave today. (Marshmallow Fluff is also one of them.)

Anyway, these are just downright ridiculous. It's a sugar cookie as soft and chewy as can be, courtesy of the cream cheese added to the dough. This recipe is very slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen, one of my very favorites; the only change here is decreasing the number of sprinkles and instead mixing them into the dough instead of rolling the dough in the sprinkles. I've tried these both ways, and both are delicious - but I find mixing in the sprinkles creates a softer texture and a subtler cookie all around. But of course, that just depends on what kind of party mood you're in.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3/4 cup rainbow sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk to combine; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat for another minute. Scrape down sides of bowl, then GET THE SPRINKLES OUT and fold gently into the dough. In 3 additions, add your flour mixture, stirring to combine after each addition - do not over-stir. Cover and chill dough for 20-30 minutes before using.

While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove dough from the fridge, and using your hands or a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop, roll dough into balls and place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a drinking glass, press down dough balls until the cookies look like the most perfectly-shaped lil cookies you've ever seen.

Bake for 9 minutes until they're puffy and look underbaked - don't worry about underbaking. They will be magical and soft after cooling completely the next day. Set them on a wire rack to cool, and then store in an airtight container for a few days.