This recipe for soft-baked and chewy Bird’s Nest Funfetti cookies is easy to make and the perfect Easter treat! These colorful and fun cake mix cookies are topped with Cadbury eggs and lots of pastel sprinkles.
Cake mix cookies are one of the easiest cookies to make and a great recipe to have handy for busy times like holidays and special occasions when you want a tender, buttery and delicious cookie without having to make sugar cookies from scratch.
These funfetti cookies are Easter ready but you can make them for any occasion. Birthday parties, spring and summer get togethers, mother’s day, baby showers, etc. All you have to do is swap the chocolate Easter eggs with different sprinkles, candies, chocolates or M&M’s.
This funfetti cookies recipe is made with a few simple ingredients:
- Cake Mix: You can use funfetti cake mix or white cake mix and add your own sprinkles. Both ways will work.
- Butter: I prefer using unsalted butter for baking, but if you only have salted butter, you can use it. The butter should be at room temperature.
- Eggs: I use a large egg.
- Cream Cheese: I use regular, full fat cream cheese. Cream cheese gives the cookies a moist, softer, rich and luxurious texture.
- Salt: I use Kosher or sea salt for baking. If you are using salted butter, simply skip the salt.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla gives an extra boost of flavor to an already delicious cake batter flavored cookie.
- Sprinkles: Roll the cookies in pretty pastel colored sprinkles or use any other color for different holidays.
- Mini Chocolate Eggs: You can’t have a bird’s nest without little sweet chocolate eggs!
- Jimmies: Only use jimmies to add sprinkles to white cake mix. If you get funfetti cake mix, you really don’t need to add jimmies (unless you want more sprinkles! There’s nothing wrong with more sprinkles).
- Prep: Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix: In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla extract and salt and beat to combine. Stir in the cake mix and beat until combined.
- Scoop and Shape: Shape the dough into 1-inch balls or use a 1 inch ice cream scoop for convenience. Roll the cookie dough balls into the sprinkles or simply top with extra sprinkles. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking pan.
- Bake: Bake for 8 to 12 minutes.
- Decorate: Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately push the Easter chocolate eggs in the middle of the cookie. Cool before serving.
✔️ Make Ahead and Freezing
Make the cookie dough, roll it into balls, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 2 months.
When baked, these cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 4-5 days. The cream cheese in the batter keep these funfetti Easter cookies moist and fresh longer.
Baked cookies also freeze well! Store them in an airtight container or freezer safe resealable bag for up to a month.
- Make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. The ingredients will blend easily that way.
- For convenience, scoop the cookie dough with a 1-inch ice cream scoop.
- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking pan, about 1.5 to 2 inches apart. They will spread a bit while baking.
- If you use white cake mix and would like to add your own sprinkles, make sure you use jimmies which are little rods. Don’t use nonpareils which are little tiny balls. Nonpareils bleed in the batter turning the cookie dough into weird colors.
Take A Look At These Other Fun and Easy Easter Recipes:
- Easter Bunny Cookies (with fluffy tails)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, (regular/full fat)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 15.25 ounces Funfetti cake mix or white cake mix
- Sprinkles, (pastels or easter colors)
- Mini chocolate Eggs, (like Cadbury)
- 1/2 cup rainbow jimmies, (only if using white cake mix)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract and salt and beat to combine.
- Stir in the cake mix and beat until combined, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- If using rainbow jimmies, fold in with a spatula.
- Shape the dough into 1 inch balls or use a 1 inch ice cream scoop for convenience.
- Roll the cookie dough balls into the sprinkles or simply top with extra sprinkles. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking pan, about 1.5 to 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately push the chocolate eggs in the middle of the cookie. Carefully place the cookies on a cooling rack. Allow to cool before serving.
Notes
- Make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature. The ingredients will blend easily that way.
- For convenience, scoop the cookie dough with a 1-inch ice cream scoop.
- Place the dough balls on the prepared baking pan, about 1.5 to 2 inches apart. They will spread a bit while baking.
- If you use white cake mix and would like to add your own sprinkles, make sure you use jimmies which are little rods. Don’t use nonpareils which are little tiny balls. Nonpareils bleed in the batter turning the cookie dough into weird colors.
- Nutrition facts are an estimate as it will change depending on the brand of cake mix you use.
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