These Birthday Cake Cookies are soft, chewy, and filled with sprinkles! A classic birthday cake flavor without the hassle of baking a cake. Made entirely from scratch and one of our family favorites.
Looking for more cookie inspiration? I have over 80 Must-Make Cookie Recipes you need to browse. A few favorites? Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Homemade Thin Mints, and Edible Cookie Dough!
Recipe Features
- Make-Ahead: These last about a week, if stored properly.
- Freezer Friendly: You can freeze the batter OR baked cookies for up to 8 months!
- Customizable: Add white chocolate chips, dried berries, or any other mix-in’s you’d like.
Today is my birthday. Sometimes birthdays need to be celebrated with cake, and sometimes they need cookies. Today happens to land on the cookie side. These cake batter cookies are filled with classic yellow cake flavor and loaded with sprinkles, which happen to be my personal fave. You can’t help but feel like celebrating when you bite into the incredibly soft and buttery cookie.
Frosting is optional, although I happen to LOVE my vanilla buttercream.
Funfetti Birthday Cake Cookies
One thing I love about this recipe is that you can switch up the look by using any color of sprinkles! Want a Valentines theme? Opt for red and pink! Searching for the perfect treat for your 4th of July barbecue? Toss in those red white and blue sprinkles!
- Butter: I know this is a very unpopular opinion, but I really like to use salted butter in my cookies. It’s what we purchase normally, and adds a slight boost in the cookie flavor. However, I do not add salt to the dry ingredients.
- Sugar: Regular white sugar for the cookie, since this is a sugar cookie you will not be using brown sugar, and powdered sugar for the optional frosting.
- Eggs: Large eggs, at room temperature. Starting with room temperature ingredients helps the dough come together quickly without a ton of mixing.
- Extracts: Vanilla,almond, and butter extract can combine to give you that classic cake flavor. However, you can also purchase Cake Batter Extract (affiliate)! This is a pre mixed version of the previous three.
- Flour and Baking Powder: All-purpose flour will give your cookie a solid structure that is still soft and crumbly, while baking powder adds lift and lightness.
- Sprinkles: Avoid the small ball nonpareils. Jimmy style, the oval stick types, work best in this batter. They mix in without dissolving and distorting the color of the cookie dough.
- Cream: Just two tablespoons. This is my secret to the most insanely delicious light and fluffy cookie frosting.
How To Make Thick Birthday Cake Cookies
I like to call these my no-fail cookies. They are SO BIG and yet super light, fluffy, and moist on the inside. The steps are pretty straight forward and they never fail to please.
- PREP: Measure all of your ingredients in advance. This helps to make sure the dough comes together quickly and no ingredients are looked over or missed.
- CREAM: Add the soft butter and sugar to a mixing bowl. If using a stand mixer, fit with the paddle attachment. Beat for 2 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Whipping these two ingredients together is key in creating air pockets that expand in the oven, which leaves your dough tender.
- MIX: Stir in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the extracts and dry ingredients. Once the dough comes together it’s time to fold in the sprinkles! What do I mean by fold? Pour the sprinkles directly on top of the dough. Using a spatula, fold the sides of the dough over the top of the sprinkles. Work your way around the edges until the sprinkles are evenly distributed.
- ROLL: Measure the ingredients out into 1/4 cup fulls. Roll into balls and place on a lined baking tray.
- PRESS: Gently press the tops of the cookie balls down to flatten the top.
- BAKE: Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the edges have curled and the tops are no longer shiny.
- FROST: Let the cookies cool, spread a spoonful of frosting, and add more sprinkles to finish the look.
- ENJOY: Serve immediately OR place inside an airtight container for later.
Helpful Tools
- Silicone Baking Mats: For around $13 you can get TWO Silicone Baking Mats (affiliate). These are a game changer in my baking. They lay perfectly flat on sheet pans and keep cookies from sticking. Reusable, which means they last YEARS (I’ve had mine for 6) and cut down on your parchment waste.
- Cookie Scoop: Save the hassle of using a measuring cup and invest in a 1/4 cup scoop (affiliate). It is a breeze to measure out your cookie dough and gives you the perfect cookie size.
- Cookie Storage: Having a large airtight container (affiliate) in your kitchen is going to be one of those things you never knew you needed. Perfect cookie storage that keeps them fresh for days.
Recipe Notes:
No. Normally I suggest to chill all cookie doughs, especially sugar cookies. However, this recipe turns out delicious every single time without the need to chill the dough! Straight from the mixer to the oven.
Yes! Roll the dough balls and place in a single layer on a small tray. Freeze for 20 minutes. Transfer to a freezer safe zip top bag and keep stored for up to 3 months. When you are ready, lay out the dough balls onto a lined tray and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Bake as directed.
The key to keeping cookies fresh is to use a quality large airtight container (affiliate). Place on the counter, or a cool dry place.
You can purchase Cake Batter Extract (affiliate) which is a pre mixed version of the three extracts called for in this recipe. It gives a more bold cake flavor.
MORE MUST-TRY COOKIES
- Copycat Savannah Smiles
- S’more Cookies
- Cookies and Cream Cookies
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Sugar Cookie Bars
- Coconut Lime Frosted Cookies
MORE MUST-TRY BIRTHDAY RECIPES
- Cake Batter Pretzels
- Waffle Bar Party
- Birthday Cake Pancakes
- No-Churn Cake Batter Ice Cream
- Vanilla Birthday Cake in a Mug
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Birthday Cake Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups 3 sticks butter, at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon butter extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
For the Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon butter AND almond extract
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large measuring cup. Gently stir with a fork to combine and set aside.
- Place the butter and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or into a large mixing bowl for a hand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, stopping once halfway through to scrape the sides.
- Once the butter mixture is light and fluffy, add the eggs and extracts. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients and mix until the dough begins to form, about 2 minutes.
- Fold in the sprinkles.
- Scoop 1/4 cup of dough per cookie, rolling into balls and placing at least 2-3 inches apart on the baking tray. Gently press the tops to flatten slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges begin to curl and the top is no longer glossy.
- Transfer to a cooling rack and let the cookies cool completely before frosting.
The Frosting:
- Place the butter into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Beat for 1 minute.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and start to add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well between each addition.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and stir in the extracts with the heavy cream.
- Turn the mixer onto medium speed and let the frosting mix for 5 minutes.
- Spread onto cooled cookies and top with additional sprinkles.
Notes
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Nicole says
Hi! I’m making this for my son’s 3rd birthday. What is the weight of the flour? Or at least how should I scoop it? Spoon and level, sifted, packed, etc.
Jesseca says
Hi Nicole, I spoon mine into a measuring cup and level off the top with the back of a knife so the flour is level with the top of the measuring cup.