Birthday Cake Cookies
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Celebrate ANY day with these amazing birthday cake cookies! They have the decadent texture of a blondie combined with fluffy buttercream icing that’s destined to melt in your mouth.
Today’s birthday cake cookies are the result of a conversation with Katy. It isn’t anyone’s birthday but they remind me of when Brady was a toddler. He loved my birthday cakes and so he brought me his teddy bear one day and told me that it was Teddy’s birthday. Being the mother that I am, I acted surprised and horrified that I’d forgotten such an important occasion and got to work mixing up cake batter and buttercream icing. Little Brady was so impressed with the results that a few days later, wouldn’t you know he found another stuffed animal who was celebrating its entry into this world. We celebrated a lot of birthdays back then :).
So last week I asked Katy “If you could invent any cookie, what would it be?”. Without missing a beat she said “birthday cake cookies.”
Hmm. I was intrigued by that and started running ideas by her. I chose the flavoring so that the cookie mimics the taste of a homemade birthday cake and the texture of these cookies is really most closely akin to a blondie, for extra deliciousness. Top it off with a generous layer of fluffy buttercream icing and a sprinkling of rainbow candies and we have a treat fit for the most special of days!
Recipe Ingredients
- Sugar
- Self-rising flour
- Brown sugar (light or dark brown sugar is fine)
- Butter (I use unsalted but if you only have , use that)
- Eggs
- Sprinkles
- Vanilla extract
- Butter flavoring
- Almond extract
How to Make Birthday Cake Cookies
First, place the butter in a bowl and melt it in a microwave. You can also melt it on the stovetop.
If you want, you can even build a fire in the backyard and melt it over that if you have a hankering. Or, if you live in the south right now, just put it out on the back porch for a few minutes and that should do the job.
The point is, you need to melt your butter.
Add in sugars and stir well by hand.
In a separate mixing bowl, beat the mess out of your eggs. This is when you get out all those frustrations.
Add flour, eggs, and flavorings to the sugar mixture.
Stir that up really well by hand.
If you want to make sprinkle cookies, toss in a handful of those and stir in well.
Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray and add the cookie dough.
Bake your birthday cake cookies at 350 for about 30 minutes.
When they’re done, the will still be soft in the center but golden brown all over.
Top with buttercream frosting
In a large bowl, cream the butter and about 1 cup of confectioner’s sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the butter flavoring, half of the milk, and remaining sugar and beat again until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides and adding a little extra milk if needed.
Ice the cooled cookie bars.
Top with sprinkles, if desired. Allow icing to set by leaving uncovered for about half an hour.
How good do these birthday cake cookies look? I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does!
Storage
Store leftover funfetti cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, but the icing won’t be as creamy once thawed.
Recipe Notes
- To make your own self-rising flour, simply add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt for EACH cup of all-purpose flour. Stir well.
- Add a cup of white chocolate chips when you add the rainbow jimmies to your birthday cake cookie dough.
- Use this birthday cake cookie recipe and adapt it for any occasion, like adding red and green sprinkles for the holidays or red and pink sprinkles for Valentine’s Day.
- For an extra indulgence, serve your with a scoop of .
Celebrate a special day with these other delicious treats:
Easy Birthday Cake Recipe From Scratch
Valentine’s Day Brownies With Frosting
Italian Cream Cake with Pecan Cream Cheese Icing
Heart-Shaped Sugar Cookie Recipe With Royal Icing
Super Easy King Cake Recipe (WOW GOOD!)
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter or 1 cup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups self-rising flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
Buttercream Frosting (half this if you want less icing)
- 2 sticks butter at room temperature
- 4 teaspoons butter flavoring can use clear vanilla instead
- 5-6 cups confectioner's sugar
- 4-8 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- First, melt the butter. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar by hand until well blended. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, beat eggs well.2 sticks butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 eggs
- Make sure the cookie dough isn't too hot. If it is, allow it to cool for a few minutes before the next step so you don't cook the eggs.
- Add the eggs, flour, and flavorings to the bowl. Stir well to combine. Stir in rainbow sprinkles, if using.2 cups self-rising flour, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon butter flavoring, 1 teaspoon almond extract, 4 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles
- Grease a 9x13 baking dish and pour in the cake batter. Bake cookies at 350 for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and set in the center. Center will still be soft. Allow to cool completely before icing.
To make the icing
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and about 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the butter flavoring, half of the milk, and remaining sugar and beat again until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides and adding a little extra milk if needed.2 sticks butter, 4 teaspoons butter flavoring, 5-6 cups confectioner's sugar, 4-8 tablespoons milk
- Ice the cooled cookie bars and top with sprinkles, if desired. Allow icing to set by leaving uncovered for about half an hour. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Every day of your life is a day worth celebrating 🙂
When my first baby was on the way, I embroidered the following poem for the nursery:
Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
‘Cause babies grow up I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs and dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.
Your post reminded me of this.
Oh my goodness, I love that poem Dwina!! Thank you so much for sharing it!!
Remember, you can’t control the lenght of your life, but you can control the depth. Relationships are more important than a spotless home. Enjoy life each day as if it is your last and love those who come into your life. For all you know, you may be entertaining angels!
Amen Cheryl!!
This is awesome, as usual! Love sentiment, love the recipe. Love the relatability, too! 😉 AND!!! I have noticed you are using what I think are the 1980’s era Pyrex primary bowl set! Did you get a new treat? Blessings and hugs!
I sure did Reta!!! I found them at a local antique store and Ricky is loving them, since they are the only Pyrex that can be washed in the dishwasher!
Wow! Great timing! Today is my birthday!!
I hope you had a very Happy Birthday Marian!!!
Loved reading this, Christy! I have 3 children the oldest is 4 years old, then we have a 2 year old, and a 1 year old!! Needless to say I am always hoping from one thing to another and nothing ever gets or stays done!! I’ve had to learn that my house will always be messy, and instead of stressing over the house I need to be playing and enjoying every second of these days! It makes me feel so much better to know that I’m not the only one out there whose house is a beautiful, full of life and love mess!! Can’t wait to bake these with my kids! They LOVE to help me cook!
Hi Christy, you said a mouth full. Ido the cooking this wonderful man of mine do the cleaning and the laundry plus some shopping. I AM BLESSED. He loves cookies, I make them for him. Again thanks for all the recipes and for being you. Tell Katy she is a real sweetie pie, and has her own wisdom already. I will make her cookies tonight. GOD BLESS. PS Laura I know the poem, thanks for sharing, I love it.
I can’t wait to make these special treats! I can see Katy’s eyes sparkling as they do in the pictures you post! What a creative mind Brady has as wel! Lol . You could potentially be celebrating every single day of the year! 😉 Happy Birthday!