Levain Bakery-Style Funfetti Cake Batter Cookies taste like they should be served from the famed Levain Bakery in NYC but are made at home! Supremely thick, chewy, soft and totally gooey, they’re chock-full of white chocolate chips and rainbow sprinkles for a cake batter explosion of flavor!
I am SO excited to share this recipe with you guys – it is a good one!
A few weeks back I shared a series of Levain Bakery cookie copycat recipes and they went gangbusters on here and social media! So many of you have made them and it thrills me to pieces! I am so glad everyone has been enjoying them, especially seeing that it isn’t easy to get to NYC right now and shipping for them is astronomical, especially when you can make a nearly identical recipe at home.
If you didn’t know, Levain Bakery is a bakery in New York City that is famous for their ginormous cookies. Each cookie is a whopping 6 ounces and is super buttery, gooey and tender. They only have four flavors: Chocolate Chip Walnut, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip, and Oatmeal Raisin, but those flavors all work together to make a complete line-up…
…until now.
Technically, these Funfetti Cake Batter Sugar Cookies are NOT sold or made at Levain Bakery. They have no association to Levain Bakery, actually. But, since the Levain copycat recipes have been doing so well, I made a Levain Bakery-esque Funfetti Cake Batter Sugar Cookie that will blow your mind.
There are a few key components to making Levain Bakery-style cookies, and those are:
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is my number 1 secret cookie ingredient. It aids in creating an amazing light and tender texture and crumb. Time and time again, adding cornstarch yields soft cookies.
- Cake flour: Cake flour is used to create an even lighter texture and fluffy crumb. If all all-purpose flour were to be used, it would create a denser, more scone-like cookie. The cake flour really does lighten the crumb.
- Extra mix-ins: The amount of white chocolate chips and sprinkles in this recipe is a LOT (4 cups total!) but all those mix-ins helps prevent too much spreading while baking and gives it plenty of flavor!
- Brief chill time: These cookies need to chill for about 30 minutes before baking. For best results, we’re going to bake one sheet at a time and keep any unbaked dough refrigerated. This helps prevent too much spreading during baking.
For optimal results, follow these tips:
- Shape: I like to shape these cookie dough balls VERY roughly and loose. They should not be compact, tightly rolled and smooth cookie dough balls like we’d normally use with a cookie dough scoop, but rather a rougher, craggly texture. For accurate results, I would recommend using a digital kitchen scale to weigh out exactly 6 ounces of dough.
- Size: These cookies are massive, so I recommend only baking 4 at a time on one baking sheet, staggering the dough balls so they are at least 3″ apart from one another. This helps when they spread so they don’t all pool into one cookie and keeps the baking consistent.
- Do not over-bake! Levain’s cookies are notoriously underdone and gooey in the center and these cookies are no exception! They are going to have soft, slightly underdone centers with drier, duller textured exteriors. Everyone’s ovens operate differently, but in general these cookies can take anywhere from 10-13 minutes to bake. I recommend experimenting with baking off one cookie at first to gauge how long it will take your oven to produce gooey cookies. Remember, cookies will continue to set up and finish cooking from residual heat after being removed from the oven since they cool off on the sheet they baked on.
- One at a time: Bake each sheet one at a time in the center rack of the oven for optimal results!
Buttery, sweet, gooey and sprinkly Funfetti Cake Batter Sugar Cookies will soon become your new fave!!
Levain Bakery-Style Funfetti Cake Batter Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup COLD unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- 1½ cups granulated white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1½ cups cake flour
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 cups white chocolate chips
- 1½ cups rainbow jimmie sprinkles
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cold butter cubes and granulated sugar with the paddle attachment on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium and continue creaming for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for another 30 seconds or until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. Add in the cornstarch, baking soda, salt, cake flour, and all-purpose flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Lastly, stir in the white chocolate chips and 1 cup of the rainbow jimmie sprinkles.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes uncovered. While dough chills, preheat oven to 400° degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
- Using a digital kitchen scale for accuracy, measure out 6 ounces of cookie dough, shaping it roughly into a ball. Roll it loosely in the remaining sprinkles and place it on the baking sheet. Dough balls should be rougher textured and craggly looking, not smooth and compacted like a usual cookie dough ball. Place 3 more cookie dough balls 3" apart on the baking sheet, staggering them so they have plenty of space in between them.
- Bake one sheet of cookies at a time in the center rack of the oven for 10-13 minutes. Cookies will be slightly underdone in the centers but appear dull and set on the outside. Allow cookies to continue to cool on the baking sheets after baking for up to 30 minutes as cookies are quite fragile after being removed from the oven. While one tray of cookies bake, keep remaining cookie dough refrigerated for best results and to minimize spreading.
Notes
You guys are going to love these easy and amazing Funfetti cookies!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Ashley says
I’m super excited to try these but the butter is partially missing its measurement. It just says cup…I’m assuming it’s 1 cup but also I don’t want to assume I’m case I’m wrong!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Ashley, it is now fixed! Thanks for catching that. It is 1 cup aka 2 sticks of unsalted cold butter!
Victoria says
What can I do if I don’t have a scale to weigh cookie dough?
thedomesticrebel says
You can measure out around 1/3 – 1/2 cup of dough per cookie.
Lindsay says
Can these be cut into shapes with a cookie cutter or are they too soft?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Lindsay, unfortunately no, this recipe would not work well with cookie cutters.
Lindsay says
O.M.G!! I made these with the Funfetti chips instead of the white chocolate chips and they were AMAZING. These might be my favorite cookies ever. They were super sweet, and I loved every bite. Thank you for this recipe, it absolutely made my day!
thedomesticrebel says
Lindsay, woohoo! So glad you loved the recipe!
Maddie says
Any tips on why my butter and sugar aren’t creaming together nicely? The recipe calls for cold butter but that is making it very difficult to cream. Can i soften it a bit?
thedomesticrebel says
Hmm, it definitely takes a minute for it to cream together. The butter does need to be cold for best baking results. Are you using real butter, not margarine?
Merida says
I’ve made all of the domestic rebel’s levain inspired cookies and not one disappoints, including these funfetti ones. This recipe slaps. If they weren’t so big, I could probably eat the entire batch myself. Luckily I’m forced to share because they’re so massive and delicious.
thedomesticrebel says
Merida, so glad you enjoyed!
Tegan says
If I omit the white chocolate chips, will that make these not work out? Thanks! Super excited to try this recipe!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Tegan! Yes, the chocolate chips are definitely needed for structure since Levain’s cookies are so full of them! You could use any kind of chocolate chip, though – doesn’t have to be white chocolate!
Valerie says
Each of the Levin copycat cookie recipes have been fantastic to try! I am wondering if there is a recipe for peanuts butter cookies?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Valerie, have you seen the chocolate peanut butter Levain cookies? Those are excellent! As far as a cookie with a peanut butter cookie base, I don’t have one – yet!
Summer Sheard says
Hello I was wondering how many calories are in this recipe
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Summer, I do not post calories but you’re welcome to input the ingredients into a calorie calculator yourself.
Angela says
Has anyone tried this using the Funfetti Chips?
Jacquie says
If I don’t have a stand mixer, will using a hand mixer work? These look amazing and I must try!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Jacquie, yes it will work! Just may take a little longer.
Fahad says
Can’t wait to try these. In terms of the flour, how many grams would that be?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Fahad, I am not sure – maybe try googling what the gram conversion would be!
Lyndsey says
These look so good! I can’t wait to try them. Would the extra dough freeze well?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Lyndsey, it should freeze fine!
Slugs says
Thank you. I have been wondering if your dough will freeze well for later use.
Kate says
I am making these this week at super high altitude. Are there any edits to the ingredients I should make for the altitude? Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Kate! Unfortunately I am not familiar with higher altitude changes – maybe do a google search to see if it has an affect on cookies? I’m sorry I’m not more help!
Breanna says
This recipe is AMAZING! If you have a hand mixer it will take a bit longer for step 1 to mix together, but worth it so don’t give up. Literally mouth watering.
Sameeha Patel says
Hi,
I do not have cake flour at home but I found that you can make cake flour at home by taking 1 cup of all purpose flour, removing 2 tbsp and then adding in 2 tbsp of cornstarch.
I know the recipe already calls for cornstarch.
Would too much cornstarch ruin the cookie?
I really want to make these tomorrow but I’m just missing cake flour!!
Also, how long can the cookies be refrigerated? I plan to make them in the morning and bake them right before dinner
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Sameeha, I have not tried these with any additional substitutions so I cannot say for sure with the homemade cake flour. You can certainly try. Also, these cookies only need about 15-20 minutes to chill so I have not experimented with a longer chill time. It shouldn’t hurt them, but let them come close to room temperature before baking.
Deb says
Can I make these ‘normal’ size and not so massive? If yes, how long should I bake them?
Laura Vargas says
These cookies are fantastic!!! I’ve tried making levain style following other recipes and have never gotten it right. This time they’re better than I could have ever expected, thank you!! I didn’t have cake flour so I did the hack of removing a 2tb flour from one cup AP flour and adding in 2 tb of corn starch and then removing 1tb flour from a half cup AP flour and adding in 1 tb of corn starch for the 1.5 cups of cake flour that were called for. I also did the usual suggested amount of corn starch and regular AP flour. Thanks!!!
Deb says
Can I make these regular size and if so, how does that change the baking time?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Deb, of course you can make them regular size! I have not tried this, so I cannot say for sure on the baking time change. Perhaps check around 5 minute mark and see?
Mariana Corcuera says
Hi!!
How are you?
can I freeze de batter in advance and cook them afterwards, say 2 days later?
thank you!!
M
BTW. They are unbleievable!!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Mariana, you can probably freeze the dough in advance, yes. I would let the cookie dough come close to room temperature before baking though.
Andrea says
Hello! Dying to try this recipe out, but I was hoping to make them smaller in size. Would you recommend cutting down on baking time at 400 degrees or baking them at a lower temperature but keeping the baking time between 10-13 minutes? Thank you!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Andrea, I wouldn’t change the temperature but I would just make them smaller (3 oz or so) and changing baking time to about 5-6 minutes or so, checking to see if they’re done around that time.
Ashley Murray says
Do you have a brand of sprinkles you recommend for baking? Plan on making these for Easter 🙂
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Ashley! I recommend using rainbow jimmies (aka the little bar-shaped sprinkles you probably think of when you think of rainbow sprinkles). Those don’t bleed too much when they are mixed into baked goods and they hold up well.
Ashlee says
I made these using a basic cake flour substitute (1 c. – 2 tbsp AP flour + 2 tbsp cornstarch) – hopefully this will be helpful for those asking!
The flavor was on point, total funfetti vibes! I think the substitution may have affected the texture and overall bake though. After cooling, they were still a little too underdone in the middle but the outside edges VERY crispy.
Overall love the recipe and I’m excited to get some cake flour to try it properly! Thank you!
jordyn says
hi! could i refrigerate the dough a day in advance or would that effect the cookies?
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Jordyn, I have not tried refrigerating the dough that long. I would bring closer to room temperature before baking, as they won’t spread too much if they are very cold.
amber says
Have you ever tried making these with the cake batter flavored extract by Mccormick?
thedomesticrebel says
No, but that would be perfect! I would start with maybe 1 tsp and see how you like it.
Marleigh says
Hello! Would these cookies freeze well after they are baked? Wondering if I could freeze some. They are so good!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Marleigh, absolutely! I would let them cool completely, then freeze them in freezer-safe bags or containers stacked between wax paper or wrapped individually in plastic wrap and then placed in the freezer bags/containers.