M&M Funfetti Cookies

Red, white, and blue candy and sprinkles are very popular when baking patriotic treats! So delicious and so fun, both kids and adults alike will love these M&M Funfetti Cookies!

Whipping up a batch of these M&M Funfetti Cookies and sharing the recipe with you is how I celebrate the Fourth of July with my readers to the south. I’ve mentioned before that about half of the readers and subscribers of Lord Byron’s Kitchen are from the United States. In comparison to the rest of the world’s population, that is quite high. I can’t tell you why Americans seem to love food blogs, but I’m happy that they do!

That is why I have no issues with publishing recipes that celebrate America’s Independence Day. People ask me why I do it and the answer is simple – it’s food! Food is synonymous with celebrations and holidays and I’m a food blogger. If a particular cuisine is one I feel comfortable with, I’ll work on a recipe which celebrates it.

And besides, no matter where you live, you can adapt these cookies accordingly and use M&Ms and sprinkles that match the colours of your national flag.

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 – This baking ingredient helps with leavening or rising. 
• 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 the 4th of July, I used red, white, and blue M&Ms.
• Sprinkles – Use red, white, and blue 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 red, white, and blue jimmies in this M&M Funfetti Cookie recipe. They have a large selection of jimmies to choose from!

HOW TO MAKE M&M 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 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.

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 M&M 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.