These gluten-free funfetti cookies require just one bowl and less than 30 minutes to make! They are easy to make at home, perfectly chewy, and so delicious. Plus, I include my top tips for selecting sprinkles that are completely gluten-free.
More Gluten Free Cookie Recipes
Be sure to check out my full list of gluten-free cookie recipes including my chewy gluten-free chocolate chip cookies, gluten-free m&m’s cookies. gluten-free butter cookies, flourless peanut butter cookies with brown sugar and for something new and different, try my cinnamon mesquite cookies.
From Scratch Recipe
There are a lot of recipes out there that use funfetti cake mix as the base for cookies. This recipe is so easy that using a box mix doesn’t really save any time and is much less expensive. Cake mixes only provide the dry ingredients, and this recipe has just 5 – gluten-free flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and sprinkles. No need to pay 5-$6 for that!
I have found that cookies, more than other gluten-free baked goods are very particular about the flour blend used. The best all purpose gluten-free flour for baking is not always the best for cookies. If you want a chewy cookie or crunchy, or cakey cookie using the right flour is key. So I tested these cookies with several gf flour bends to make sure they baked up like the perfect cookie.
Are Sprinkles Gluten-Free?
Yes, there are gluten-free options for sprinkles. In addition to being gluten-free, I also try to avoid artificial colors. It is not easy to find both plant based dyes and gluten-free in rainbow sprinkles. If you are strictly gluten-free, here are the options:
Chef’s Select rainbow sprinkles are the best option if you need certified gluten-free sprinkles, but they do use artificial dyes. These sprinkles’ colors ran a little bit with baking.
Sweets Indeed are labeled gluten-free and are artificial dye-free rainbow sprinkles. They held up the best to the baking process without too much melting or running of colors. But they are not certified GF. When I inquired with the company, this was their reply (March 2021):
“Some of the product we package (which shares equipment) is sourced from facilities that have traces of gluten, peanuts, dairy and tree nuts. We clean all of our equipment with product changeover, however we strongly suggest anyone with a serious allergies to avoid consuming our products. We are working on getting our facility certified by the end of this year so we can assure customers with 100% confidence there are no traces of any allergens listed present in our products.”
Color Kitchen Foods Sprinkles use plant-based dyes and are labeled gluten-free but are manufactured in a facility that is not gluten-free. They state on their website that they are “third-party lab tested for gluten to ensure product meets gluten-free certification standards.”
India Tree uses plant based dyes but doesn’t make a definitive gluten-free statement.
A Great Surprise is also artificial dye free and and is labeled gluten free, but packages the sprinkles an a non-gluten-free facility.
Sweetapolita sprinkles are made in Canada and make some gluten-free sprinkles but also some that contain traces of wheat. So read carefully. This is the statement on their FAQs page: “The sprinkles and sprinkle medleys we deem gluten-free are suitable for those with Celiac disease, as they contain no wheat and trace amounts are noticeably less than 20 parts per million.”
Ingredients
I tested many versions of these cookies with several different certified gluten-free flour blends. Cookies tend to be the most finicky baked good when it comes to the brand of flour. The same recipe might come out cakey with one GF flour blend, soft and chewy with another or flat and crispy with another.
My go-to flour for gluten-free baking is King Arthur Measure for Measure. The cookies were a little more cakey but also buttery and delicious. Pamela’s All Purpose Artisan Blend gave the cookies a little snap on the edges but soft in the middle.
All the other ingredients are pretty simple! Salt, baking powder, butter, vanilla and an egg. Add your choice of sprinkles and you’ll have a fun easy cookie.
From Scratch Gluten-Free Funfetti Cookies
Ingredients
- ο»Ώ2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 c sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2ΒΌ c gluten-free flour blend*
- ΒΌ tsp baking soda
- ΒΌ tsp salt
- ο»ΏΒΎ cup rainbow sprinkles, split into ΒΌ and Β½ cup see above for gluten-free sprinkles recommendations
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Β°F and line baking sheet(s) with parchment.
- Use a medium sized mixing bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and sugar. Mix no more than 1-1Β½ minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla. Beat just until combined. Overbeating will form air bubbles in the batter and cause the cookies to spread too much when baking.
- Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated
- Stir in ΒΌ c of the sprinkles by hand.
- Portion about 2 tbsp dough per cookie and roll the top in the remaining Β½ c sprinkles.Place on the baking sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart. Gently flatten the top so they are disk shaped. The cookies do not spread very much, so flattening them a little bit creates a good sized cookie.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes. They will brown just a little on the bottom. Do not be tempted to over bake if they look a little pale.
- Cool 5 minutes on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- These cookies stay fresh for at least a week when stored in a sealed container.
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