Funfetti Sugar Cookies

This recipe is for my brilliant sister, who just received these delightful cookies to celebrate finishing her first year at Harvard as an English Literature PhD candidate. 

"How do I love thee funfetti cake? Let me count the ways..."

Of course I love you as cake, as cupcakes and as cake pops. I even dare to dream of you as creamy cheesecake and mile-high pancakes, as cake-batter ice-cream and sprinkled donuts. But today, I love you as soft, fluffy, melt-in-your mouth cookies.

{Recipe Adapted from: http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/07/softbatch-funfetti-sugar-cookies.html}

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons corn starch
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup rainbow sprinkles 

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar, egg, extract, and beat on medium-high speed with an electric mixer for about 7 minutes, until well-creamed, light in color and fluffy.
2. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Add the sprinkles and beat to incorporate, or fold in by hand.
4. Form dough into heaping two-tablespoon mounds. Place mounds on a large plate or cookie sheet, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. (If you bake without refrigerating the dough, the cookies will spread too thin).
5. Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets parchment paper. Place mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart (they will become quite large!). Bake for 8 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set. You don't want these cookies to turn gold brown at the edges, they should look almost undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
6. Dance with joy because you just made funfetti cookies!

Yields 15-17 cookies

Tower of Cookies!