Funfetti Muffins
These Funfetti Muffins are a celebration in every bite with a tender yellow crumb filled with rainbow sprinkles and topped with crunchy rainbow nonpareils. Rainbow sprinkle muffins are perfect, whether you’re celebrating a birthday, hosting a Pride brunch, or just want to add a little fun to your morning.
Read on to learn all the tips and tricks and special insights into different rainbow sprinkles. Or just grab your muffin tin, hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s make a funfetti recipe!
Ingredients
Although rainbow sprinkle cakes existed for decades before, funfetti (a portmanteau of “fun” and “confetti”) was first marketed by Pillsbury in 1989 in a white cake mix with rainbow sprinkles. To get white confetti muffins, you’d have to use only egg whites and artificial vanilla flavor, and I’d personally rather use whole eggs, vanilla, and butter and have a slightly yellow cake!
I’ve adjusted the muffin base for this recipe only slightly from the classic baking ratio. You can see examples of this muffin and quickbread ratio in my blackberry lemon loaf cake, kale and cheese quickbread, or my sourdough discard apple muffins or spinach and feta muffins.
Rainbow sprinkles
Rainbow sprinkles come in different rainbow color combinations and types, including jimmies (elongated and soft), nonpareils (tiny and crunchy), and confetti quins (flat discs). Homemade rainbow sprinkles are easy to make with powdered sugar, egg whites or meringue powder, and food coloring, and are great for this recipe because you can flavor them with vanilla. Testers liked jimmies or homemade sprinkles best for the muffin batter and the crunch of these rainbow nonpareils on top.
No matter what, please taste your rainbow sprinkles before you use them here or in my Funfetti pound cake, because sprinkles can go stale and make your confetti muffins taste like cardboard (ask me how I know). I’d also avoid candy covered chocolate rainbow chips unless you want chocolate chip muffins.
Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe tips and tricks
Making the muffin mixture uses the super easy muffin method. Melt the butter, put the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and then add the wet to the dry. The rainbow sprinkle colors will start to bleed, so don’t combine wet and dry until you’re ready to bake.
You can use spoons or a quarter cup cookie scoop to scoop muffin batter into the prepared tin. Make sure the batter doesn’t completely fill the tin or they’ll overflow as they bake.
Every kitchen should have a set of cookie scoops for cookies and muffins. I also use the same quarter cup cookie scoop for making large meatballs, like for my spaghetti and meatballs.
Top each muffin with a teaspoon of rainbow nonpareils. You can gently shake the muffin tin back and forth to get them to cover the surface.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 16 to 18 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out with just a few crumbs. Carefully remove the funfetti muffins from the muffin tin and let cool on a rack.
The crunch of the rainbow nonpareil sprinkles are best the same day, but your funfetti muffins can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature
Recipe FAQs
It’s not just about frosting – they use different baking methods. Cupcakes typically use a creaming method for incorporating butter and sugar and tend to be sweeter, even without the frosting. Muffins use the muffin method where wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients and just barely stirred together. I may have taken a few liberties with my chocolate chunk banana muffins!
Absolutely, although the color of the sprinkles will likely bleed. Once they have cooled completely, put them in a freezer bag and squeeze out all the air. They’ll keep for 3 to 6 months.
Related rainbow recipes
Check out some other rainbow food recipes from the Ugly Duckling Bakery archives and rainbow desserts from other food bloggers:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.
Recipe
Funfetti Muffins
Equipment
- 1 Muffin tin
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter melted
- 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (64 grams) rainbow sprinkles jimmie type or homemade
- ¼ cup (48 grams) rainbow nonpareils
Instructions
- Melt the butter, heat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and line a muffin tin with paper liners.6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 2 cups of flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and jimmie-type sprinkles.2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ⅓ cup (64 grams) rainbow sprinkles
- In a medium bowl or large glass measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth.1 cup (240 milliliters) buttermilk, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pour the wet ingredients and the melted butter into the dry ingredients and stir just until all visible flour has been stirred in. Do not over-mix.6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter
- Use a large cookie scoop or spoon to divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full.
- Give the muffin pan a quick thwack on the countertop to spread out the batter, then sprinkle a teaspoon of nonpareils over the top of each one. You can give the pan a bit of a gentle shake to get any loose ones to adhere to the batter.¼ cup (48 grams) rainbow nonpareils
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with no more than a few crumbs.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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