Tag Archives: funfetti

One Big Sprinkle Sugar Cookie

This is a break from my regularly scheduled Savory January programming because I have a new One Big Cookie and it’s too good to wait to share.

What’s a One Big Cookie, you ask? Why, it’s basically my favorite dessert: a recipe for exactly one cookie the size of my hand. It’s perfect for random dessert cravings, or when you want a dessert you don’t have to share (though you can if you’re kinder than I am).

I’ve made several One Big Cookies over the last few years, so whether you’re into chocolate chip, chocolate M&Ms, snickerdoodle, oatmeal, or peanut butter cookies, there’s one to fit your tastes. Today’s has been a long time coming: One Big Sprinkle Sugar Cookie! It’s got all the buttery vanilla flavor and chewy texture you love in a classic sugar cookie, plus a ton of crunchy, colorful sprinkles. Truly, this is the cookie of my rainbow sprinkle dreams.

Just like all my other variations, this big cookie is measured in spoons and mostly mixed with a fork. Form the resulting soft dough into a ball, then press it into a puck before baking for optimal crinkly top formation. Crinkly cookie tops bursting with sprinkles are one of my love languages.

Basically anything with rainbow sprinkles is one of my love languages.

That said, if you are one of those people who doesn’t like sprinkles, this recipe will work without them. I may fundamentally misunderstand you as a person, but you can still have a helluva sugar cookie all to yourself, and that’s what really matters here.

One Big Sprinkle Sugar Cookie
makes 1 large cookie

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon water (not cold)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.

Make the dough. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together melted butter and sugar. Mix in water and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk until a dough forms; a silicone spatula may be helpful here. Fold in sprinkles.

Use your hands to form dough into a ball. Place on parchment and use the heel of your hand to press down gently, just so that the dough is more of an inch-thick disk/puck and less of a ball. 

Bake for 13-14 minutes or until the top is craggy and appears just slightly underdone.

Let cookie cool on the pan for 5-7 minutes before using a spatula to remove it to a plate. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Funfetti Shortbread

1 Reply

I got my second vaccine shot earlier this week, and now it’s time to celebrate (while waiting two weeks for it to kick in) 🎉

Is there anything that says “hip hip hooray!” quite like rainbow sprinkles? I think not. They’re just so dang happy, like I am when I book trips to see my family or search for theatre tickets for the first time in forever.

These colorful little cookies are as fun to make as they are to eat! Their ingredients list is short & to the point, as most shortbread recipes are. The base of flavor and texture comes from softened butter, flour and sugar (in this case, a mix of granulated and confectioner’s sugar). I’ve added some vanilla and a hint of almond extract for that signature Funfetti flavor, and finished the dough off with a borderline-absurd amount of rainbow sprinkles. That’s my style.

Rather than going the slice & bake route with these shortbread, I prefer to flatten the dough into sheets and briefly freeze it. This means that I can bake/eat cookies sooner than later, and as they will be cut with a cutter, the results will be perfectly uniform.

While these sprinkle-speckled cookies need no adornment, I couldn’t help myself. A little drizzle of glaze and a few more sprinkles really make this recipe for me. The extra pops of sweetness and crunch are perfect paired with the buttery shortbread, and give them a bakery-esque quality that I adore.

Funfetti Shortbread are good the day they are made, but I think they are actually better as time goes on. By day two, the cookies crisp up a bit, resulting in a super-satisfying texture. I have not shared a single one, and can say with certainty that they’re still wonderful on day seven.

A cookie that’s still great after a week? Now that’s something to celebrate.

Funfetti Shortbread
makes about 3.5 dozen

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract or imitation butter extract (optional)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils)

Glaze & Garnish:
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3-3 1/2 teaspoons milk
1-2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles (jimmies or nonpareils)

Special Equipment:
rolling pin
2-inch cookie cutter (I used round)

Place softened butter in a medium-large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat it until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add dark brown and confectioners sugars and mix until fluffy. Mix in vanilla, optional almond extract (or imitation butter extract), and salt. With the mixer on low, beat in flour. Dough will be crumbly looking, but should hold together very well when pinched. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold in sprinkles.

Divide dough in two parts. Working with one half at a time, sandwich dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll until 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to the freezer (on a baking sheet, if desired) for 20 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. It is okay to stack the sheets of dough in the freezer.

While the dough is freezing, place racks in the center positions. Preheat the oven to 300F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Set two cooking racks over parchment or wax paper.

Remove one sheet of dough from the freezer. Peel on of the pieces of parchment off. Use a lightly floured 2-inch cookie cutter to cut cookies. Place them close together on prepared pans. Repeat with remaining dough. Scraps can be re-rolled, frozen, and cut.

Bake cookies for 20-22 minutes, or until no longer shiny (not browned). Let cool on the pans for 7 minutes. Use a thin spatula (not your fingers!) to remove cookies to cooling racks to cool completely.

Make the glaze. In a small bowl use a fork to whisk together confectioner’s sugar, salt, vanilla and 3 teaspoons milk. Add more milk by the 1/2 teaspoon, until desired consistency is reached.

Use a fork or piping bag to drizzle glaze over cookies as desired. Top with sprinkles. The glaze will be dry to the touch within 20 minutes and harden after a few hours.

Serve. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days.

Funfetti Bundt Cake

1 Reply

Funfetti Bundt Cake Funfetti, confetti, whatever you want to call it, white cake dotted with rainbow sprinkles is one of my favorite things on earth. Like, I logically know that sprinkles don’t qualify as a flavor, but that won’t keep me from saying that sprinkles are my favorite flavor. Seriously, add sprinkles to pretty much anything and I’ll love it. Those little pops of color are just so…happy. Is happiness a flavor?I haven’t made many layer cakes in the last year—it’s hard to believe I used to make 10-20 a month!—but that doesn’t mean I haven’t fed my craving for rainbow sprinkles. Last summer’s Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes are one of my favorite recipes in a long time, as is this Funfetti Bundt Cake.Like the traditional layer cake, this is a moist sour cream white cake positively loaded with rainbow sprinkles. Unlike the traditional cake, this batter takes exactly four minutes to mix; just dump everything in a bowl and let your electric mixer have at it until it’s impossibly smooth, thick and voluminous, then stir in 3/4 cup of rainbow sprinkles before baking.

Like most bundt cakes, this one takes its sweet time to bake and cool, but I promise your patience will be rewarded. Once your cake hits room temperature, pour on a glaze, scatter on some more sprinkles and slice it up! Funfetti Bundt Cake would be great for birthdays, picnics, holidays or any old time.I know that restrictions are starting to loosen as vaccines becomes more available, but if you’re not attending gatherings that require a cake of this size, don’t worry, I’m not either. What that means is that I happen to know that this recipe halves well and can be baked in a loaf pan for your immediate pod or just yourself. I don’t know about you, but dipping into my own personal Funfetti cake over the course of a week sounds a lot like happiness to me. Funfetti Bundt Cake

Funfetti Bundt Cake
makes one 10-cup capacity bundt*

Cake:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 16 pieces
4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract or imitation butter extract (optional)
3/4 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk, room temperature
3/4 cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils)

Icing & Garnish:
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
rainbow sprinkles (jimmies or nonpareils)

Place an oven rack in the center position. Preheat oven to 325F. Heavily grease a bundt pan with softened butter (or shortening) and dust well with flour. Set aside.

Make the cake. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, egg whites, vanilla, almond extract, sour cream and milk in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to mix on low for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix for 3 minutes. Batter will be thick. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to fold rainbow sprinkles into batter.

Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth the top with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Tap full pan on the counter five times to release any large air bubbles. Bake 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in several places comes out clean.

Let cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a thin, flexible knife around all exposed edges. Invert cake onto a cooling rack and let cake cool completely. Cake may be made up to a day in advance; it will keep double-wrapped in plastic wrap.

Make the icing. In a small bowl, use a fork to whisk together confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla and salt. Mixture should be very thick, but pourable. If it’s too thick, add more milk by the teaspoon up to 3 teaspoons (1 tablespoon); if it’s too thin, add more confectioners sugar in 2 tablespoon increments. Pour over cake. Scatter rainbow sprinkles on immediately. Let sit for 20 minutes to set. Move cake to a serving plate before slicing and serving.

Leftover cake will keep covered at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Note:

This recipe may be halved and baked in a parchment-lined 9×5-inch loaf pan. Start checking the cake for doneness at the 55 minute mark.

Funfetti Bundt Cake

Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes

2 Replies

Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes Full disclosure, I am tired. Like in-my-bones tired. It’s been a long week and I haven’t been sleeping well and I just can’t seem to get my brain to concentrate on this blog post. I would say I’m trying my best, but I am actually trying as much as I absolutely have to and not the tiniest bit more. It’s that sort of day.I usually take pride in writing a “real” blog post, but was tempted today to just leave it at “Um, hi. I took cookie cake and threw sprinkles in there and made it smaller. Oh, and there’s a plume of vanilla buttercream on each one. Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes, y’all!” …and leave it at that. I mean, that about sums it up, right?Well, almost. It doesn’t tell you that these Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes were born because I deeply miss baking for groups. I really wanted to make a cookie cake for weeks, but resisted because who would I share it with?

When the thought of cookie cupcakes popped into my head, it only took me a day to make them and a few more hours before I found some friends to give them away to in exchange for petting their dog and some homemade lemon-basil sorbet. I doesn’t tell you how incredibly heartening it was to see (masked) familiar faces and love on my pup friend and casually envy someone else’s ice cream machine, even though I absolutely do not need another piece of kitchen equipment. Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes That rambling, incoherent, grammatically incorrect blurb says nothing of how the exteriors of these little cookie cakes crackle ever-so-slightly against your teeth when you first bite in, or how the centers are a tad underbaked and chewy like almost every great cookie out there. Just like their larger counterparts, these tiny cakes are a bit sunken in the center, perfect for holding a copious amount of frosting. That sentence doesn’t tell you that even when these aren’t fresh and get a little crumbly, they are still pretty wonderful, as all things topped with a small mountain of vanilla buttercream are.There’s no mention of how much I absolutely love sprinkles, and how even though they mostly just taste sweet and waxy, I consider them (combined with vanilla and almond extracts) a flavor profile all their own. The little pops of color in and on these Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes make me happy, as does their buttery sugar cookie flavor. These are like having everything I’m nostalgic for all rolled into one single-serve dessert.And speaking of single servings, that half-assed blog “post” I wanted to write has one more gross oversight. These are perfect for socially-distanced celebrating or for delivering to someone you love and can’t really see right now. It doesn’t tell you that even though you bake all the time, even when you are tired and feel uninspired, making these will feel nothing like work and completely like joy. And how even when you’re a completely depleted puddle of a human who needs a weekend so badly it’s ridiculous, you’ll find a way to find the words to say it all. Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes

Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes
makes 2 dozen cookie cupcakes

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed (not dark brown sugar)
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract or imitation butter extract (optional)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils)

For Garnish:
Vanilla Buttercream (recipe below)
rainbow sprinkles (jimmies or nonpareils)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. Set aside.

In a medium-large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, granulated sugar and light brown sugar. Mix in egg and yolk, vanilla and optional almond extract. Stir in flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fold in rainbow sprinkles (jimmies). Scoop dough in 1 1/2 tablespoon increments and press into prepared cupcake liners. Bake 12-13 minutes, until the tops no longer appears shiny and the edges are just slightly golden. Centers may not be fully puffed when baking is finished and will sink a bit during cooling.

Let cookie cupcakes cool 20 minutes in the pan on a rack before removing to the rack to cool completely.

Remove cupcake liners, if desired. Pipe vanilla buttercream into the center of each cookie cupcake (recipe below). Top with rainbow sprinkles.

Decorated cookie cupcakes will keep at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five.

Vanilla Buttercream
makes enough for 2 dozen cookie cupcakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
pinch of Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

In a medium-large mixing bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in confectioner’s sugar in two installments, scraping down the bowl as necessary. Beat in salt, followed by vanilla. Add heavy cream by the tablespoon until desired consistency is reached.

How to pipe: Stand a piping bag fitted with a coupler and star tip in a tall cup and fold any bag overhang over the outside. Use a silicone spatula or spoon to “load” 1/3-1/2 of the buttercream into the bag. Unfold bag overhang and lift piping bag out the cup.

Press frosting toward the tip. Twist bag overhang closed and hold tight between your thumb and forefinger of your dominant hand, letting the main portion of the bag be held by your palm and remaining fingers. Use your non-dominant hand to tap the bag a couple of times to dislodge any air bubbles. Pipe a dab or two of frosting onto a surface or small plate, just to get the buttercream going in the right direction.

Pipe buttercream into each cookie cupcake, refilling the bag when necessary. Funfetti Cookie Cupcakes

Super Sprinkle Popcorn

Leave a reply

Super Sprinkle Popcorn In trying to work with the baking supplies I’ve already got during this pandemic, I’ve uncovered a hoard of rainbow sprinkles that I bought at Sahadi’s in January. I don’t know what I was doomsday prepping for back then, but it involved four containers each of jimmies and nonpareils. Good thing they don’t go bad, and that they go in (or on) pretty much everything. I’ve put them in cookies, truffles, blondies, doughnuts, layer cake, and crumb cake, just to name a few. Today, they’re being scattered alllll over some popcorn!Yes, this Super Sprinkle Popcorn is loaded with rainbow sprinkles—absolute heaven for a sprinkle enthusiast like myself. The popcorn is popped in oil (you can also use the plain microwave stuff), then tossed with melted white chocolate, sprinkles, and Funfetti crumbs.Yeah, Funfetti crumbs. Like crispy, crunchy pieces of Funfetti cookie that are the size and texture of what you’d find on top of a crumb cake, which is exactly what these are. I’ve simply taken the crumb topping from my Double Funfetti Crumb Cake and baked it on a sheet pan, let it cool, and crumbled it into a big bowl of popcorn.

Lest you think I am more creative than I actually am, these crumbs are a riff on Christina Tosi’s confetti crumbs. Mine have fewer ingredients and require melted butter instead of softened, but still bake up perfectly and are hard to stop eating once you start! Super Sprinkle Popcorn All that said, if you don’t have the ingredients for the crumbs, this popcorn can be made without them and still be sweet, sprinkly and colorful. You can also toss in a couple of cups of broken Oreos (regular, Golden or Birthday Cake!), vanilla wafers, graham crackers, or any other crispy addition you can think up. Super Sprinkle Popcorn This popcorn is so delicious! If you are a texture person, you’re in for a treat. Light, airy popcorn, crispy crumbs, creamy white chocolate coating and crunchy sprinkles make for texture heaven! No two bites are the same; you might get equal parts popcorn and crumb, big crumbs, little crumbs, or a big cluster of sprinkles. It’s all part of the fun!Super Sprinkle Popcorn is the perfect treat to have for a movie or game night, for spending some time outside, or as an alternative to a traditional celebration cake. Or, you know, just another thing to spend time making and sharing during this quarantine weekend.

Super Sprinkle Popcorn
makes about 8 cups

To clarify, jimmies are the long, cylindrical sprinkles. Nonpareils are the tiny ball-shaped sprinkles. For more information, click here.

For the Funfetti Crumbs:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles (jimmies, not nonpareils)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Popcorn:
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or canola oil)
1/4 cup popcorn kernels

Coating:
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil (or canola oil)

For finishing:
3/4 cup Funfetti Crumbs
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles (jimmies and/or nonpareils)

Preheat oven to 300F.

Make the crumb topping. In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in rainbow sprinkles. Add vanilla and melted butter and stir until dry ingredients are saturated and clumps form. Scatter mixture over a dry rimmed baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. It will be puffy and clumpy and soft, but will crisp as it cools. Once cool, crumble into pieces. Reserve 3/4 cup of the crumbs for finishing, and set the rest aside.

Make the popcorn. Put oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add 4-5 popcorn kernels. Heat over medium heat until kernels begin to pop. Add remaining kernels and cover with lid, leaving it a little bit ajar. Jostle constantly while popcorn pops, until pops are 2-3 seconds apart. Do not burn.

Remove pot from heat and pour popcorn into a bowl. Measure popcorn to ensure there are about 6 cups. Discard unpopped kernels. Place popcorn in a medium-large mixing bowl.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Set aside.

Make the coating. Fill a small pot with 1-2 inches of water. Set a heatproof bowl over the top, ensuring that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Remove bowl and bring water to a simmer.

Place white chocolate chips and oil in the bowl. Turn simmering water to low. Place the filled bowl over the water. Use a dry whisk or fork to stir constantly until the mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

Pour coating over popcorn and toss with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon. Add Funfetti crumbs (not the reserved ones) and toss. Spoon/pour/spread mixture on parchment-lined baking sheet. Scatter with reserved Funfetti crumbs and rainbow sprinkles.

To expedite hardening the coating, put the pan in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Break popcorn into pieces and serve.

Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
Super Sprinkle Popcorn

e2 bakes brooklyn

sweets & sass from a baking brooklynite.

Tag Archives: funfetti

Funfetti Shortbread

Funfetti Bundt Cake

Super Sprinkle Popcorn