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.

Fork digging into a birthday cake cookie.

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!

Labeled recipe ingredients for birthday cake cookies.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Sugar
  • Self-rising flour
  • Brown sugar (light or dark brown sugar is fine)
  • Butter (I use unsalted butter but if you only have salted butter, use that)
  • Eggs
  • Sprinkles
  • Vanilla extract
  • Butter flavoring
  • Almond extract

How to Make Birthday Cake Cookies

Melt butter.

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 sugars to mixing bowl and mix well.

 Add in sugars and stir well by hand. 

Beat eggs in separate mixing bowl.

 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 sugar mixture.

 Add flour, eggs, and flavorings to the sugar mixture. 

Stir ingredients together and then add sprinkles.

 Stir that up really well by hand. 

 If you want to make sprinkle cookies, toss in a handful of those and stir in well. 

Press cookie batter into pan.

 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.

Baked birthday cake cookies.

When they’re done, the baked cookies will still be soft in the center but golden brown all over. 

Ingredients for the buttercream frosting.

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.

Spread buttercream frosting over birthday cake cookies

Ice the cooled cookie bars.

Add sprinkles to buttercream frosting if desired.

Top with sprinkles, if desired. Allow icing to set by leaving uncovered for about half an hour.

Birthday cake cookies

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.

Stack of birthday cake cookies.

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 cookie cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

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!)

Mini Red Velvet Cakes

Birthday cake cookie bar on plate.

Birthday Cake Cookies

These amazing birthday cake cookies have the decadent texture of a blondie combined with fluffy buttercream icing that melts in your mouth.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, cookies
Servings: 4
Calories: 174kcal

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

Calories: 174kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

Every day of your life is a day worth celebrating 🙂

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70 Comments

  1. Hi Christy, I first came across your site while searching the web for anything interesting. It was a very low time for me in my life, (I will not bother you with the details). Since reading that first article, and the one’s I have recieved there after, some things seem to go a little easier. You some how make it seem like you are writing to me personally, like you know just what kind of a day I had. It isn’t always right on the head but I can take bits and pieces from each article and work from there.
    I know that I am just one of many, of the thousands of people who follow you, but I thought that I would let you know how this one, felt. Thanks

    1. John, YOU are so very important to me! Each and every one of you are!! I am so glad that you have found a blessing by being here and I am so blessed to have you here. Thank you for letting me know that things are a bit easier and I pray that they will get better and better as the days go by! ~Christy

  2. Katy, great idea! Christy, thank you for the recipes that I already have the ingredients for. Buttercream is truly a wonder of the world. My grandma always said, only the bored have spotless houses the rest of us are too busy living in our homes! Keep making the wonderful memories with your family.

  3. Love this post! I just made a cookie cake. You better bet next time it will be covered in frosting & sprinkles! Isn’t it wonderful to know, even in your own opinion of your shortcomings, you are still nailing it with your kids?? That’s all we can ask for. My 10 year old daughter has friends that LOVE coming to our house. I’m like, “Your room looks like a cyclone has hit it & you would think the vacuum cleaner has never been used.” My daughter says, “But you make us peanut butter & crackers with marshmallows melted on top & give us ice cream & judge our beauty contests.” I guess unfolded clothes is no match for melted marshmallows! 🙂 You are doing LOTS of stuff right Christy!! 🙂

    1. And Christy, I appreciate your light hearted approach to what plagues most of us working women. (Trying to keep up with housework, while making a life with our families). My uncle always told me to clean my house when my kids were grown. That I would never get the time back with my kids. SO TRUE!!:)

  4. My, my, my……. Christy, you can see an overwhelming response that supports and validates your belief that being with those most important to you tops a spotless house. However, I doubt you really need that validation since you seem to know yourself and your priorities well, and are generous enough to spread the joy to your readers.

      1. Christy, you are the blessing, and such a wonderful, positive influence. Thank you for sharing your life with us! We love you! God bless!

  5. Christy..this is disgusting. Hire help to assist with your
    Housekeeping & do your laundry! you are setting a
    Bad example for your children!

    1. I’m afraid you’ve missed the point of the type of example I want to be for my children. I’d rather show them imperfect but devoted love than have them live in a showplace home. Our house is paradise because of the people in it. The dirty dishes are there because of wonderful family meals. I’ll accept being “disgusting” and a “bad example” in your eyes if my priorities make me so. Thanks!

      1. I now have even more respect for your frankness about your house. It was quite brave of you to share this part of yourself knowing there was a risk of people calling you disgusting and a bad example. Clearly, you are neither. No one else thinks so. Thanks again.

  6. Christy I just had to make Katy’s cookies today but since there was no one around with a birthday my neighbors and I decide it was to celebrate “Thank God we made it another day” day. Worth celebrating with a yummy cookie like yours. Guess tomorrow we can come up with a different reason.

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