Birthday Cake Cookies
Celebrate every day like it's your birthday with these Birthday Cake Cookies! These cookies are packed with colorful sprinkles, birthday cake flavor, and a soft, chewy texture, and topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting. Whether you're baking for a party or just need a little pick-me-up, these cookies are sure to bring a smile to your face.
What Are Birthday Cake Cookies?
Birthday cake cookies are inspired by the sweet, buttery flavor of classic funfetti cake. Think of them as the perfect mashup of vanilla cake and soft sugar cookies, loaded with rainbow sprinkles and a rich, cakey texture. They're festive, flavorful, and super easy to make.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make with pantry staples
- Fun and festive for all ages
- Customizable with different sprinkles or toppings
- Perfect texture-soft, chewy, and slightly crisp on the edges
Ingredients You'll Need
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated cane sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Cake batter flavor
- All-purpose flour
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Rainbow sprinkles
For the Cream Cheese Frosting: - Cream cheese
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Birthday Cake Cookies
Make the Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add egg, vanilla, and cake batter flavor, and beat until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
- Fold in sprinkles.
- Scoop dough into 2-3 tablespoon-sized balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the Frosting:
- Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Then mix until fluffy and spreadable.
- Transfer into a plastic bag and cut a tip off of the corner of the bag.
Frost and Decorate:
- Once the cookies are cool, pipe the icing on top.
- Finish with sprinkles or festive toppings.
- Store in the fridge if not serving right away.
Tips For Success
- Frost only once cooled - Warm cookies will melt your frosting.
- Make it mini! Use a small scoop for bite-sized frosted cookies.
- For firmer cookies that hold frosting better, chill the dough 30 minutes before baking.
Fun Variations
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Vegan: Substitute dairy-free butter and flax egg.
- Holiday themed: Swap in seasonal sprinkles for Valentine's, Halloween, or Christmas!
Storage & Freezing
- Freeze dough balls for up to 3 months. Bake straight from the freezer-just add 1-2 extra minutes.
- Store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Make frosting ahead and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.
For more birthday cake-inspired baking, check out our birthday cake pancakes!
Birthday Cake Cookies
Celebrate every day like it's your birthday with these Birthday Cake Cookies! These cookies are packed with colorful sprinkles, birthday cake flavor, and a soft, chewy texture, and topped with a swirl of cream cheese frosting. Whether you're baking for a party or just need a little pick-me-up, these cookies are sure to bring a smile to your face.
Equipment
- 1 Kitchen-Aid Stand Mixer or a hand mixer
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Cake Flour can sub all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cup Cane Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1½ teaspoon Corn Starch optional
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ cup Rainbow Sprinkles can use more or less if desired
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter softened
- 2 Eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Cake Batter Flavor
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
- 4 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and cake batter flavor, and mix on medium speed for another 2 minutese.
- Add the flours, baking powder, baking soda, corn starch, and salt. Mix on low until well combined. Fold in the rainbow sprinkles.
- Scoop dough into 2-3 tablespoon-sized balls and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting by combining the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla- using a stand mixer or hand mixer. Mix until a smooth icing forms.
- Transfer the icing into a small plastic bag and cut a small corner off of the bag.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, pipe each cookie with icing and enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
