These Birthday Cake Cookies are huge frosted cookies with all the flavors of cake batter but in cookie form. Soft sprinkled cookies with a creamy frosting are as decadent as a piece of cake, and a delight to eat as a cookie!
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Why We Love These Birthday Cake Cookies
- This recipe makes 12 big buttery sugar cookies filled with sprinkles and topped with fluffy and creamy buttercream frosting.
- Perfect for all the cake batter lovers out there.
- An easy homemade cookie recipe with simple ingredients you probably have on hand. No cake mix needed!
- So much easier to make than a funfetti cake!
- No chilling required for these cookies.
- Cookies turn out thick and soft with the most perfect crisped edges.
- These cookies freeze so great with or without the frosting.
- Cookies are great for sharing, gifting or bake sales.
Birthday Cake Cookies Ingredients
- Salted Butter
- Sugar
- Large Eggs
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Pure Almond Extract
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- All Purpose Flour
- Sprinkles
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
Substitution Suggestions
- Salted Butter: You can use unsalted butter, but I suggest adding an extra ½ teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough.
- White Sugar: This recipe is based off a sugar cookie, so only white sugar please.
- Pure Extracts: I repeat this so many times... Pure extracts give the best flavor. Imitation extracts leave an artificial after taste. If you like you could use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract.
- All Purpose Flour: If you like you can use white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour. However, the color of the cookies will be darker and the texture may be a little dense. I recommend all purpose flour for these soft birthday cake sugar cookies.
- Sprinkles: I like to use Watkin's dye free sprinkles, but you can use any type of sprinkle mix or jimmies you want.
- Milk: You can use any type of milk to thin the buttercream. You can also use water. Room temperature liquid works best for making buttercream.
How to Make Birthday Cake Cookies
- First, preheat oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
- Then mix in the the vanilla extract and almond extract.
- Now add the dry ingredients: baking powder, salt and all purpose flour. Mix on low speed just until everything is evenly combined.
- Fold in the sprinkles or mix in on low speed just until incorporated.
- Using a ⅓ cup or large cookie scoop, make 12 cookies and place 6 on each parchment lined baking sheet.
- Roll the cookie dough into smooth balls and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand so they look like thick hockey pucks.
- Bake cookies one pan at a time on center rack for 15-17 minutes until edges are barely golden brown and the centers no longer look wet and glossy.
- Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling make the buttercream frosting.
How to Make Birthday Cake Buttercream Frosting
- While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting.
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or whisk attachment, cream softened butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until fully incorporated after each cup.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract until incorporated.
- Now add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you've reached your desired consistency.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag or gallon zip top bag, cut off the tip or corner or use a piping tip of your liking, and pipe the frosting on the cookies in any pattern you like.
- Add any sprinkles or decorations immediately after you've frosted one cookie. You want to do it right away so the sprinkles will adhere to the frosting and not fall off.
- Let the cookies rest until the frosting has set.
Storing Frosted Birthday Cake Sugar Cookies
Storing: Store these frosted birthday cake cookies in an air tight container between layers of wax paper. Keep them in a cool dry place and they'll last about a week if not longer. If you notice the cookies starting to get a little dry and hard, add a piece of bread or a flour tortilla to the container with the cookies. It'll add moisture back into the cookies.
Freezing: These cookies freeze well! You can freeze them with or without the frosting. Place the cookies in a freezer safe air tight container in single layers, between pieces of wax paper. Label, date and freeze. Cookies will last 3-4 months in the freezer.
Thawing: To thaw the frozen cookies, simply let them sit at room temperature until thawed.
Looking for a more bite size sprinkle cookie? Try these delicious and festive Confetti Cookies!
Heather's Favorite Tool for this Recipe
- I don't think I could live without my KitchenAid Stand Mixer. It's the best tool ever for making cookies and so many other things.
- Long ago, I used to be a Pampered Chef consultant and I still prefer their baking tools and pans to any others. Their cookies sheets are the only ones I use for cookies. Find yourself a consultant, host a party and treat yourself to a set.
- A large cookie scoop is great for these sugar cookies. This large scoop from OXO on Amazon is a great one.
- Pre-cut parchment paper is a life saver and so easy. No cutting my fingers!
- I like to use Watkin's food coloring and sprinkles because they are dye free.
Tips for the Best Birthday Cookies
- Gather all your ingredients before you start baking. It is so much easier to bake when all your ingredients are ready. Plus, there is less room for error. Like forgetting an essential ingredient. I'm not saying I've done this, however, I am speaking from experience!
- Always read the recipe from start to finish before you start. Again, I am speaking from experience.
- Use room temperature ingredients. It helps everything mix together properly.
- Make sure to fluff your flour a bit before you measure it. When it sits for periods of time it becomes packed. Fluffy flour is better for the perfect cookie texture. To fluff your flour, just scoop it and dump it a few times or whisk it and then measure it out.
- Use a measuring cup or ice cream scoop to get the same size cookies, that way they will all bake evenly. I like to use a large scoop.
- For best results don't over bake the cookies. Over baking will cause the cookies to not be soft and chewy as intended. The edges should barely be golden brown and the centers should no longer look wet and glossy.
- Decorate or add sprinkles immediately after frosting each cookie. If you wait too long the frosting will set and harden and then all the decorations will just fall off the cookie.
More Bakery Style Cookies:
- Giant Sugar Cookies
- Gourmet Snickerdoodles
- Frosted Cookies and Cream Cookies
- Gourmet Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Jumbo Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
- Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Monster Cookies
Birthday Cake Cookies
These Birthday Cake Cookies are huge frosted cookies with all the flavors of cake batter but in cookie form. Soft sprinkled cookies with a creamy frosting are as decadent as a piece of cake, and a delight to eat as a cookie!
Servings: 12 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened
- 1½ cups white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sprinkles
Birthday Cake Buttercream Frosting
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. This takes about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg.
- Mix in the the vanilla extract and almond extract.
- Add the dry ingredients: baking powder, salt and all purpose flour. Mix on low speed just until everything is evenly combined.
- Fold in the sprinkles or mix in on low speed just until incorporated.
- Using a ⅓ cup or large cookie scoop, make 12 cookies and place 6 on each parchment lined baking sheet. Roll the cookie dough into smooth balls and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand so they look like thick hockey pucks.
- Bake cookies one pan at a time on center rack for 15-17 minutes until edges are barely golden brown and the centers no longer look wet and glossy.
- Let cookies cool on pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies are cooling make the buttercream frosting.
Birthday Cake Buttercream Frosting
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or whisk attachment, cream softened butter until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until fully incorporated after each cup.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract until incorporated.
- Now add the milk, one tablespoon at a time, until you've reached your desired consistency.
- Add the frosting to a piping bag or gallon zip top bag, cut off the tip or corner or use a piping tip of your liking, and pipe the frosting on the cookies in any pattern you'd like.
- Let the cookies rest until the frosting has set.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 562kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 365mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 762IU | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg
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