These Funfetti Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with frosting are soft, buttery, and packed with rainbow sprinkles. Each one is filled with a dollop of buttercream frosting for the perfect bite! They’re fun, festive, and guaranteed to brighten any occasion. These can be made with any variation of sprinkles and frosting colors as well as in any shape and size.
I have my base shortbread cookie recipe that I use to create many different recipe variations, like my lemon poppy seed shortbread sandwich cookies or these chocolate ganache filled shortbreads! Find all of my cookie recipes here for more recipe inspiration. Fan of funfetti desserts? Try these soft funfetti sugar cookies or these Oreo filled funfetti cookies as well!
Why You’ll Love These
If you’re a fan of buttery cookies with soft centers, these are for you. The dough is simple, studded with sprinkles, and they bake up perfectly every time. A swirl of vanilla buttercream in the center adds just the right amount of sweetness to create the perfect mix of flavor and texture in every bite.
I love the almond extract, it’s add a lovely flavor in addition to the vanilla extract. I love making bite-sized treats for caterings and parties – I find people like the smaller desserts because they can try a variety of different items without feeling like they had too much! I also love the endless variations I can make with these for holidays like Christmas and Easter.
-Rachel
Key Cookie Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter: if using salted butter, omit adding more salt later in the recipe. Do not substitute margarine.
- Granulated white sugar: I do not recommend swapping any other type of sugar for this recipe. Other sugars can impact the dough differently and change how the cookie bakes and rises.
- Whole eggs: I like fresh pasture raised farm eggs if available, but any kind will work for this cookie. Let your eggs come to room temperature for this recipe, this helps the eggs incorporate better.
- Extracts: this recipe uses almond extract and vanilla extract, use homemade or store-bought vanilla extract.
- Cream of Tartar: this creates a chewy, slightly cakey texture.
- Baking powder/soda: make sure these are fresh and not expired, after a couple months it will start to lose it’s potency.
- All-purpose flour: no substitution here, other types of flour will change the texture and affect baking differently.
- Sprinkles: any color or type of sprinkle will work, just make sure it is a soft sprinkle that won’t be hard to bite into!
- Unsalted Butter: if using salted butter, omit adding more salt later in the recipe. Do not substitute margarine.
- Granulated white sugar: I do not recommend swapping any other type of sugar for this recipe. Other sugars can impact the dough differently and change how the cookie bakes and rises.
- Whole eggs: I like fresh pasture raised farm eggs if available, but any kind will work for this cookie. Let your eggs come to room temperature for this recipe, this helps the eggs incorporate better.
- Extracts: this recipe uses almond extract and vanilla extract, use homemade or store-bought vanilla extract.
- Cream of Tartar: this creates a chewy, slightly cakey texture.
- Baking powder/soda: make sure these are fresh and not expired, after a couple months it will start to lose it’s potency.
- All-purpose flour: no substitution here, other types of flour will change the texture and affect baking differently.
- Powdered Sugar: I would not recommend any other sugars for the buttercream, this created a smooth, creamy frosting.
How To Make The Sandwich Cookies
Let’s talk a little about how to make these Funfetti Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Frosting (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Quick overview:
- Cream butter and sugar. Add in egg and extracts.
- Mix in dry ingredients and sprinkles. Roll out, cut cookies, and chill.
- Bake and cool completely.
- Make buttercream, frost cookies and sandwich together.
For the cookies:
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Stir to combine, set aside
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add in the vanilla and almond extract, and the egg. Scrape down the sides.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined. Gently mix in the funfetti sprinkles.
- Transfer the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4″ thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all dough is used.
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Chill for 45-60 minutes. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Once chilled, remove from the fridge and bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes.* Allow to cool on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack.
For the frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and heavy cream, mix to combine.
- With the mixer on low add in 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing until combined each time. Scrape down the sides occasionally. Continue to add powdered sugar until you have reached a desired consistency, you may not need it all.
- If your frosting is too thick, add more cream, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If desired, use food coloring to achieve a color of choice.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, pipe or spread on the buttercream, sandwiching together. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Funfetti Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Frosting
Equipment
- 1 1/2" round or fluted cookie cutter, any shape will work a
Ingredients
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups Powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp Heavy cream
- Food coloring, optional
For the Shortbread Cookies:
- 1 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1/2 cups Sugar
- 1 Egg, room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- 1/2 cup Funfetti sprinkles
Instructions
For the Vanilla Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and heavy cream, mix to combine.1/2 cup Unsalted butter, 1 tbsp Vanilla extract, 1 tbsp Heavy cream
- With the mixer on low add in 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing until combined each time. Scrape down the sides occasionally. Continue to add powdered sugar until you have reached a desired consistency, you may not need it all.2 1/2 – 3 cups Powdered sugar
- If your frosting is too thick, add more cream, if it is too thin, add more powdered sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If desired, use food coloring to achieve a color of choice.Food coloring
For the Shortbread Cookies:
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Stir to combine, set aside1 3/4 cups All-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp Baking Powder, 1/4 tsp Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar , 1/4 tsp Salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add in the vanilla and almond extract, and the egg. Scrape down the sides.1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, 1/2 cups Sugar, 1 Egg, 2 tsp Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp Almond Extract
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined. Gently mix in the funfetti sprinkles.1/2 cup Funfetti sprinkles
- Transfer the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll out to 1/4" thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into shapes. Re-roll the remaining dough and continue cutting until all dough is used.*
- Arrange the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Chill for 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Once cookies have chilled, remove from the fridge and bake at 350 for 7-9 minutes.* Allow to cool on the baking sheets before transferring to a cooling rack.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, pipe or spread on the buttercream, sandwiching together. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed this recipe, I would appreciate if you left a star rating on the recipe card above or a comment below sharing your experience! I value your feedback, it would also mean a lot if you could share this recipe or my website with friends or loved ones. Cheers!
Related Recipes
Fan of these Funfetti Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Frosting, try these other popular cookies!
Storage & Recipe Variations
These Funfetti Shortbread Sandwich Cookies with Frosting cookies are easy to store. Simply allow to cool completely and transfer to an airtight zip top bag or container. Store unfrosted cookies at room temperature for 3-4 days or frosted cookies in the fridge for 4-5 days. Cookies can also be kept in the freezer, see below for how to!
Variations:
- Frost with cream cheese frosting,
- Create a cookie decorating station with baked cookies, frosting, and different sprinkles.
- Use different combinations of frosting color and sprinkles for different occasions.
- Roll edges in sprinkles.
- Cut into different shapes and sizes.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, chilling cookie dough allows the fat to set up so the cookie doesn’t spread too thin. This dough only needs to chill for an hour, if you do not chill this dough – the cookies could spread into each other.
I like a mix of pastel sprinkles, the smaller the better. You want a soft sprinkle that won’t be a surprise to bite into! I would stay away from large round sprinkles or anything over hard. Keep in mind you want a sprinkle that will hold up to the cookie dough.
Leftover cookies can be cooled completely, frosted, transferred to a airtight zip top bag or glass container ,and kept in the fridge for 3-4 days. Since the frosting is made with butter, we want to keep these chilled. You can also stored the unfrosted cookies at room temperature and the frosting in the fridge separately.
Depending on the texture you desire, cookies are best rolled out between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch. This creates a thick, somewhat chewy cookie that stands up well to frosting. If you desire a thinner, more crunchy cookie you can roll out thinner. Keep in mind, the thickness of your cookie will impact how many cookies you get per batch.
Yes! Baked cookies can be stored in the freezer for a later time. You can freeze your cookies two ways, frosted and unfrosted. Unfrosted cookies can be cooled and store in freezer safe bags and placed in the freezer for 2-3 months. Frosted cookies can be placed in the freezer on a sheet pan to set up then transferred to a freezer safe bag and stored for 1-2 months. Simply remove cookies from the freezer and allow to come to room temperature, frosted cookies will be ready to eat.
Tools I Recommend
- USA Pan Half Sheet Pan – my go-to sheet pans, these are truly non-stick and clean up nicely.
- Rubber Spatula – a must have! I like these because they don’t come apart so I don’t have to worry about water getting inside the spatula and causing mold.
- Plastic Bench Scraper – I use my plastic dough scrapper all the time, it is perfect for scrapping cookie dough out of a round mixing bowl or off of the counter.
- Cookie Cutters: you always need fun cookie cutters on hand! This set has some of my favorite shapes!
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know what you thought by leaving a comment below and sharing your final dish on Instagram, Facebook, & Pinterest!
Cheers!
-Rachel
These were tasty but did not feel like a shortbread – dough was really sticky and the cookies spread a lot while baking. Call it a sugar cookie, and I’m here for it.
Thank you for trying this recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly and also ended up with very wet dough that spread a lot while baking. Because of that, the pretty scalloped edges did not remain. If you try this recipe, maybe add another 1/4 cup of flour.
This recipe didn’t work out for me. I weigh all my ingredients with a kitchen scale so I use the metric conversion. The amount of flour in cups is 1.75 but in grams the recipe says 156g. However, 1.75 cups of flour is actually around 210g. My dough was way too sticky and I had to add a bunch more flour until I realized the metric conversion in the recipe was wrong. Even with chilling, the cookies spread and didn’t retain their shape.
These came out perfectly, made them for my kids and everyone loved them. Thanks!
These came out chewy and perfect! I rolled the dough out, chilled it, then cut, chilled again prior to baking and had zero issues with spreading
Thanks for giving them a try, Kristy!
This is a great recipe that makes reallyyyy pretty cookies. I would like to make a suggestion, though: preheating the oven probably should not be the first step. If we are to chill the dough for 45 to 60 minutes, there’s no need to preheat the oven in the very beginning. Just a thought.
Thank you, Rochelle. Appreciate the feedback!