Going back to school is fun for maybe the first week. After that, everything is back to work, work, work and sad, sad, sad. My solution for not burning out so early in the year is to celebrate the little things. I recently took the SAT for the third time and to celebrate my confidence after the big test, I baked some cookies.

These funfetti cookies are reminiscent of the frosted animal crackers I grew up loving. They’re simple and most of the ingredients were already lying around from previous bakes. The entire recipe takes no longer than an hour to make, bake and frost, so it’s the perfect recipe for an afterschool celebration if the day really calls for it.

Ingredients

Funfetti Cookies

• two sticks (16 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
• one cup (4 oz) of confectioners’ sugar
• one large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• two cups (10 oz) of all-purpose flour
• two teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/3 cup of rainbow sprinkles (and a little extra to decorate)

Pink Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 stick (four tablespoons) of unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) of confectioners’ sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of half & half
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon of almond extract
• Neon pink gel coloring

Instructions

For the cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, using a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugars at low speed for 2-3 minutes. The mixture should be lighter in color and fluffy.
3. Add in the egg, vanilla extract and beat the mixture until combined.
4. Add flour, baking powder and salt to the mixture and beat everything together on low speed until combined. Be sure to scrape the sides so that the dry and wet ingredients are well-incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Using a spatula, fold in the rainbow sprinkles to the dough.
6. Let the dough chill in the fridge for around 15-30 minutes.
7. Once chilled, roll the dough in 3-tablespoon portions until you have roughly 20 cookies. Evenly space them out on the two cookie sheets.
8. Bake one tray at a time, placing it on the middle rack of the over for 10-12 minutes until it starts to turn golden brown on the edges.
9. Let cool while preparing the frosting.

For the frosting

1. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter, half of the confectioners’ sugar, half & half, vanilla extract and almond extract, starting at low speed and slowly switching up to medium-low speed for about two minutes.
2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the confectioners’ sugar. Repeat the same mixing process from step 1.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more and mix to make sure all sugar has been incorporated.
4. Add two drops of the neon pink gel coloring to the frosting and mix so that there are no white streaks.
5. Frost each cookie once they’ve fully cooled and sprinkle some of the extra rainbow sprinkles on top

This recipe is simple and does not take high-level mastery to make. Whether you’re celebrating a big achievement or trying to treat yourself after a long week of school, they’re worth the time to make.