Rainbow Rave Cookies
Updated Dec. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 40 minutes, plus cooling
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:About 24 cookies
- ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter or vegan butter, melted
- ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
- ½packed cup/107 grams light or dark brown sugar
- 1¼teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- ½teaspoon baking powder
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1large egg, straight from the fridge
- 1½teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1teaspoon clear (imitation) vanilla extract
- ¼teaspoon almond extract
- 1⅔cups/200 grams all-purpose flour
- ½cup/115 grams mini M&M's, plus ¼ cup/58 grams more for rolling
- ¼cup/50 grams large rainbow sprinkles, plus ½ cup/100 grams more for rolling
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the dough: In a medium bowl, using a silicone spatula, stir together the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Step 2
Add the egg and the extracts, and stir until smooth and evenly combined. (If you have time, let this mixture sit for 30 minutes, stirring twice. This dissolves some of the sugar and results in a chewier cookie.)
- Step 3
Add the flour and stir until the mixture comes together into a soft dough. Add the M&Ms and sprinkles, and stir until evenly distributed.
- Step 4
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Step 5
Portion and bake: Using a #40 cookie scoop or 2 spoons, divide the dough into 35-gram portions (about 2 tablespoons each). Roll each portion into a ball and flatten slightly into a 1-inch-thick disk. Mix together some M&Ms and sprinkles, and roll the disks in the mixture. Do not chill the disks before baking — these cookies are best baked the same day the dough is mixed.
- Step 6
Arrange disks 2 inches apart on prepared sheet pans. Bake until barely golden at the edges and just set in the center, 14 to 16 minutes. Using a fish spatula, immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Tip
- Cookies keep for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
watch the video
I recommend watching the video. It answers the questions that are here and likely will be here, plus it's entertaining. - there's a ton of sugar in these recipes, that's the point - use whatever mix-ins you want - imitation vanilla is used with the other extracts to get "that nostalgic packaged cookie vibe" - rolling the dough in mix-ins yields prettier cookies - the dough is formulated around being mixed and baked. Making the dough ahead is likely to dry it out and yield less chewy cookies
Christine B.
No imitation vanilla in this household and no plans to buy…would one substitute with the same quantity of pure vanilla extract…or reduce it a bit? Asking for adult kids who love anything sprinkles. Thanks.
Trish
I found this, hope it’s helpful: Imitation Vanilla Substitutes - Use 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for every 2 teaspoons of imitation vanilla To substitute use half of the pure vanilla extract
Hillary from Durham
Watch the video -Sohla is so lovable and funny. My favorite line: (reference to her husband who doesn't like these cookies) "He doesn't understand joy". Can't wait to bake these, joyfully!!
jmb
Made these with weed butter. Got pretty high so I liked them.
susan
Wondering if these cookies can be successfully frozen?
Natalie
I am obsessed with these!!! Fun to make and fun to eat. The perfect cookie. Mine took only 12 minutes to bake, but they might have been on the smaller side.
Meg Greer
Be careful with the timing! I made the full-size cookies with a number 40 scoop, and they only took 12 minutes to cook. The ones that I baked for 16 minutes came out brown, crisp and almost too hard to bite. Anyway, so easy to make I made another batch. I mixed up the second recipe in my stand mixer with the paddle, on low. Easier than by hand. Grandkids were over last night, and they thought they were great. Ten seconds in the microwave before eating will also soften these up.
s. speight
i will not add the sprinkles to the dough next time around . . they bleed color and make the finished cookie a tad ugly ( unlike those pictured ) . . . just gonna use them on the tops will cut back a bit on the salt, and up the flour by a couple T.
vreetMD
My cookies were perfectly golden after an 11.5 minute bake. To speed the shaping process I popped the cookie batter from the scoop, rolled the dome portion in the m&m and sprinkle mixture (leaving the bottom of the cookie plain) then placed and pressed on the sheet pan. I omitted the almond extract due to a tree nut allergy. The cookies were chewy when warm then light and quite crisp upon cooling.
Joanne D
Made these today but didn’t have imitation vanilla at home. I upped the real vanilla to 2 teaspoons and the cookies were delicious. I thought 12 minutes might be too long so I sat and watched them. It was spot on. I weighed each one to make sure they’d bake evenly. If yours are smaller or larger than 35 grams you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
Cat
Mine were perfectly salted with Diamond brand kosher salt and still had great chewiness with about 10-11 minutes in the oven at 375. I wonder if you used something other than diamond kosher which might explain the saltiness?
kerrie H
I had difficulty getting the toppings rolled onto the cookie dough. Too dry! I read all the comments and watched the video but no other bakers commented on this issue.
Mzh
Cookies were too salty and ended up very hard, wouldn’t make again
McKlem
Don't put it in the fridge. She says that will dry it out.
Jen
I thought the batter was really dry. It was falling apart when I tried to roll them. Also, I baked the first batch according to the recipe and they were almost burnt.
Arao
I loved these! Crispy and colorful and baked up fast. Subbed out imitation vanilla bec I just couldn’t find it.
Alissa
I made these cookies exactly as the instructions and video describe and they were chewy and crunchy and beautiful and people couldn't believe I made them! One batch was a few minutes more done than the other and the slightly underdone cookies were my favorite. I served them the same day although the next day they were still chewy too.
Liz C.
I actually had a similar experience to many other reviewers. I baked the cookies for 16 minutes and they came out way too hard to bite into. I lowered the cooking time to 14 and they were a bit softer, but still had quite the chew to them. I don't know if I would make these again, but if I did I would try to lower the baking time to see if that would help.
Emma
This is my favorite kind of cookie, crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle, made in one bowl, and endlessly customizable. Per other's recommendations, I cut the salt by a bit since I wasn't using diamond crystal, and baked the cookies for 11-12 minutes. I also made mine slightly larger at 45g each.
bee
I’ve already made a different variation of this recipe using Sohla’s cookbook (the corn chip/marshmallow/chocolate ones, also great!) but these really shined. Yeah, they’re super sweet, that’s the point! These taste like something I’d be served at a birthday party as a kid and I loved them. I only got 12 cookies out of the batter but they were pretty large. The only change I made was using my homemade vanilla extract for both extracts since I didn’t wanna buy imitation just for this one recipe.
Lauren Coffey
Loved these! Used 1 tsp cake batter flavoring instead of the imitation vanilla and almond to give them a more birthday cake vibe.
violet
It should say that it should look like appel sauce not wet sand
Mallori
My batch were hard at 14 minutes. I wish have followed reviews that said 12 but I was distracted……following the recipe.
NCSong
This cookie is divine. The only change I made was using pecans instead of sprinkles because I don’t like sprinkles. My cookies were perfect at 12 minutes. I just ate the first warm one that came out of the oven and I had to go to another room to keep from eating two or three more. The saving grace of a cookie this sweet is that I can’t eat more than one or two at a time although they are addictive. The video was very helpful.
Katy
I made these the night before my kiddo's birthday and sent him to school with the batch. These are officially my go-to birthday cookies! Absolutely delicious with tiny celebrations in each bite! I found sprinkles with hearts and stars and it made them even more fun.
Elizabeth L.
This is the sixth cookie from cookie week that I’ve made. I’m so glad at least one of those recipes is super quick and easy! I read all the comments about the reduced bake time. You won’t believe it—mine only baked for TEN minutes! Go figure. Just keep an eye on your batch and I’m sure they’ll be fine.
Tori Jane
Will it cookie cake? Yes! Made this dough exactly as instructed and pressed it into a standard 10 inch cake pan. I used a round of parchment and lots of butter so it wouldn't stick. I pressed extra sprinkles and m&ms into the top since I couldn't really roll it. Decorated with white icing. It's giving Great American Cookie Co. Took a while to bake (30 min or so?) and got a little over cooked at the edge while waiting for the center to finish up. Next time, I'll divide the dough into 2 pans.
Pilar
Yum! Made 2x so far. Second time added mini-marshmallows and black pepper potato chips with the mini m&ms and rainbow sprinkles. Very fun combo! Formed 36g flattened balls baked at 375 for 15 minutes.
Laura
Made these tonight with 4 T of "Just Egg" instead of an egg. Next time would use just 3 T; I think the texture was a little too runny. I accidentally added an extra 1/4 t of salt so they were definitely salty, but in the finished version, kind of addictive. I ended up cooking mine for just 7 minutes-- any longer and they were too dark.
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