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 🙂
I love reading the e- mail from southern plate I enjoy enjoy them a lot.
Thank you Agnes, I always look forward to sending them to you!
My children are grown now and have families of their own. I have never once heard one of them say anything about the state of the house as they were growing up. They do often mention picnics in the woods behind the house ( all the way in 150 feet)! They speak of popcorn balls and caramel apples at Halloween, they remember rolling cookies, and picking their own ears of corn for supper and making jack-o-lanterns. Making memories are much more important in the grand scheme of life than winning a contest for the shiniest kitchen floor and sparkling windows.
Amen Elaine!
It’s just funny that I was sitting here contemplating cleaning house when I saw this post float up on my FB newsfeed. How delightful, I think Birthday Cake cookies are the perfect creation. I am going to make some the next time I am with my niece, she will love it. I wish I had one now to go with my tea! Love your humor! Lori
🙂 I think you definitely need one to go with your tea Lori!!
I just read this post and it couldn’t be more timely. This is exactly what I needed to put life into perspective. Cliff notes version: we have to move soon. Trying to get house ready to sell. (We rent from my dad-in-law who is a kind-hearted wonderful man). So now I have other relatives trying to “help” and criticizing my housekeeping and parenting (getting kiddos – age 5 and 3 – to help). I found a quote on your site that comforted me tremendously “Good mothers have sticky floors, dirty ovens, and HAPPY children!” Exactly! Anyway, big hugs to Christy and Katy for all you do!
P.s. “You know the only people who know the proper way to raise children? Those who never had any” – Bill Cosby. Btw Christy, you’re an amazing mom and an inspiration to me. Don’t let mean spirited people get to you. I’m impressed by how you handle negative comments with such dignity. You rock! 🙂
Big Hugs back at you Gina!!! Never let anyone steal your joy!!
Christy your Katy story brought back so many memories for me. Wish your Katy had been around when I was rearing my daughter – I’d probably have done a better job of it… In a heartbeat they are grown and gone….you keep baking and talking and listening Christy. That old housework will still be here 50 years later – to that I can attest! xoxoxoxo
I just know that you did a wonderful job of rearing your daughter! But I can guarantee that Katy would sure have made it interesting, LOL.
Katy comes up with the greatest ideas. She just like her Mom, and Dad to.
She keeps life interesting Ann!! It is always fun to see what she comes up with next.
Great post Christy! I still say you are so inspirational and such a great cook you could be called the cooking preacher. I totally agree with you. I can look past dirt and dust and would rather be creating something in the kitchen, or some kind of craft. Oh, that old dust has been there a while and ain’t hurt nobody so it can just stay a little longer so I can do what I am thinking about before I forget. Loved Katy’s recipe, well momma’s but I have a feeling Katy’s just like you and that’s a good thing!
I know this is a little strange, but I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to see you acknowledge your lack of enthusiasm for housekeeping. I have never been a champion housekeeper. I always just say I manage to keep the top scraped off the mess and that’s about all I’m up for. Things do get put away, floors swept, dishwasher unloaded, etc., but you’re unlikely to see me scrubbing or polishing or getting into corners. Thank you so much for giving me the feeling I can let myself off the hook.
Also, these birthday cake cookies look fanfreakingtastic, and I don’t know why anybody would want “less frosting,” ever.
I LOVE the way you think Erin!!!!!!