Funfetti Muffins

A sweet treat in the morning can be a great way to kick off your day. While I’ll always have a soft spot for a chocolate chip muffin, these funfetti muffins are special. They feel like a birthday cake muffin but also just a happy, cheery muffin to start any day on a better note. From the colorful sprinkles to the blast of vanilla flavor, they’re a treat that you can easily make at home.

Light and Fluffy Bakery-Style Muffins

When I was developing my small batch chocolate chip muffin recipe, I wanted to learn more about baking with oil versus butter.

I was so curious about the benefits of baking with these two fats that I put together my findings in a post on my blog about baking with each of them.

With everything I read in mind, I landed on using a combination of butter and oil. The butter gives these muffins flavor and structure, while the oil helps make them softer.

Vanilla Funfetti Muffins Ingredients

The full list of ingredients is in the recipe card below, but I’m calling out some of the noteworthy ingredients:

• Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature – Room temperature butter mixes more evenly with ingredients. Give your butter time to reach room temperature before using it.
• Canola oil – Canola oil helps keep these muffins moist for days!
• Granulated sugar – In an effort to keep the insides a light color, we use granulated sugar instead of other options like brown sugar. Also, when sugar is creamed with butter, it traps air. That helps the muffins expand and become nice and fluffy while baking.
• Room temperature egg whites – Funfetti or confetti cakes have a light, airy texture. I tweaked my blueberry chocolate chip muffin recipe to incorporate egg whites to make these muffins. They are key in recreating that soft, nostalgic feel you’ll find in vanilla Funfetti or confetti cake.
• Room temperature buttermilk – Buttermilk tenderizes the gluten in the muffin. This process yields a softer texture.
• Clear imitation vanilla extract (pure vanilla extract works but is different) – Not only does clear imitation vanilla extract tend to be cheaper, it actually creates a more authentic Funfetti flavor. It also keeps your cake whiter (given that vanilla extract is brown) and retains more flavor when baked at higher temperatures. You can read more about it from Wilton’s blog.
• Almond extract – Taking a note from Molly Yeh’s funfetti cake recipe, we use a hint of almond extract to bring in those sweet and classic Funfetti box cake vibes.
• Rainbow sprinkles – Whether you’re making this recipe for a birthday celebration or a regular weekday, these muffins call for sprinkles! The pops of color are truly a joy as you bite into these fluffy treats.

How to Make Vanilla Funfetti Muffins at Home

About an hour before beginning this recipe, bring your buttermilk, eggs, butter, and full-fat Greek yogurt (or sour cream) out of the refrigerator. Place them on your counter so they warm to room temperature.

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Generously grease and flour a standard muffin pan or line with muffin liners. Set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together your sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and butter on medium-high speed until well-incorporated, about 4 minutes.

Scrape down bowl before then adding oil, eggs, and egg whites. Mix together until combined, about 4 mins. Follow up by adding sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and buttermilk and mixing well.

Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients. With a wooden or rubber spatula, fold together wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Avoid over-mixing, as it can yield a more dense muffin. The batter will be thick. Gently fold in the sprinkles. 

Distribute batter evenly into the pan, filling each muffin cup to the top. 

Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the temperature to 375°F. Continue baking for 12-13 more minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the tops are a light golden brown. Test doneness with a toothpick in the center of a muffin, and if it’s clean, remove the pan from the oven.

Keep them in pan for about 10 minutes. Then let them come to room temperature on a cooling rack before storing in a container or serving immediately if desired (but they’ll be even tastier the next day!).

Funfetti Muffins FAQ

More Tips and Tricks for Moist and Fluffy Homemade Muffins

• Hold off on biting into these muffins immediately after baking. I know it’s tempting! But when you cut into a freshly baked good, you’re releasing its steam. That steam is key in keeping your baked goods stay moist and delicious for longer.
• When possible, prepare these muffins an evening or day before you actually plan to eat them. Allowing the flavors time to meld together makes the taste ultimately a stronger one.
• And if you want a warm muffin the next day, simply reheat them for about 10 seconds in the microwave on medium power.
• If you’re not already, use a kitchen scale for accuracy in baking. Weighing your ingredients and writing or following a recipe using a standard metric like grams ensures consistency. You may use a set of measuring cups, but the problem is that yours and mine could be quite different. That can result in noticeable discrepancies in the end product between what each of us is baking.

I highly recommend investing $30 or less in a kitchen scale. I almost always write my recipes using grams and many other food bloggers do, too. If you want the same kinds of baked goods and treats you see from recipes online, this is an important step to take.

More Sweet Recipes

If you liked these colorful Funfetti muffins, you may also want to try my matcha white chocolate cookies. The bright green is so cheery and pretty.

And if you’re looking for a something more citrusy, check out these very cute mini lemon Bundt cakes. They’re great for sharing with a crowd, and everyone gets to enjoy his or her own mini cake! They’d make for a more decadent breakfast dessert or anytime-of-day dessert, really.

Print