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These soft and chewy Birthday Cake Cookies are packed with all the sprinkles! This funfetti cookie recipe is fun for all occasions! So simple to prep, can change the sprinkle colors for any special theme or season. Birthdays don’t have to be just about the cake–why not do cookies?
It’s a proven fact that if you add sprinkles to any treat, it is automatically 100 times more delicious. Not to mention fun to eat too.
These Birthday Cake Cookies have the fun of a funfetti cake all wrapped up into a soft, chewy cookie. A touch more vanilla, sprinkles and just the right amount of sweetness bring cake right to your cookie!
Really, there aren’t many occasions I can think of that wouldn’t be better with these sprinkle filled cookies. Delicious and simple cookie recipes never disappoint!
Try these other fan favorite cookies: Nutella Thumbprint Cookies, Key Lime Cookies, Eggless Sugar Cookies and these Ginger Cream Cookies (my personal favorite!).
Why We Love These Birthday Cake Cookies
- They are soft and chewy. If you are a soft and chewy fan when it comes to cookies, these birthday cake inspired cookies are that perfect combo. Nice chewy edges with a soft chewy, and sprinkle filled, center. The very best dessert recipe!
- So easy to make. There isn’t a whole lot to whipping up the cookie dough. Grab the mixer and whip these up in under 15 minutes!
- Freezer friendly. You can freeze baked cookies or cookie dough. No need to make the whole batch in one go, you can save some for later!
- Easy to customize for any occasion. I love making these funfetti themed cookies because with a simple switch of sprinkle color, you have the perfect treat for any celebration. Red and green for Christmas, orange and black for Halloween, your favorite team’s colors and so much more.
If you are a big fan of sprinkles, make sure to check out these Funfetti Rice Krispie Treats, Edible Sugar Cookie Dough or Funfetti Dip. Life is more fun with sprinkles!
Ingredient Notes
See the full list of ingredients with exact measurements below in recipe card.
- unsalted butter: softened to room temperature, which means not too hard and not too soft. Butter should make a slight imprint when you press your finger into it. Starting with butter that is too warm can make these cookies spread too thin.
- brown sugar: light brown sugar is ideal. I have not tried making these with dark brown sugar.
- vanilla extract: you can use clear imitation in these funfetti cookies if you don’t want the cookie dough to brown much, if you use extract it’s really subtle, but some may prefer a lighter looking cookie. I add an optional almond extract as well. Also, you can use a birthday cake extract to make these all the more cake flavored. I don’t really like the flavor it gives, but some may love it!
- flour: measure by weight for best results. If you do not have a scale, makse sure to spoon and level your flour. You should be able to sub a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour to make these cookies gluten free
- corn starch: this was a recent addition to these birthday cake cookies after readers found the cookies were spreading too much. Corn starch helps give the cookies a bit more lift and thickness as well as makes them chewier. The perfect addition to any cookie dough!
- baking soda: make sure it is fresh to keep your cookies from flattening
- sea salt: we prefer sea salt but table salt will work. Also, if using salted butter, half the amount used
- rainbow sprinkles: really your favorite sprinkles should work. My only suggestion is that you avoid naturally colored sprinkles when making these funfetti cookies if you don’t want the color to spread. Natural rainbow sprinkles tend to bleed into the cookies a lot. Also, the little round sprinkles, nonpareils will also tend to bleed a lot into the cookies. If you don’t mind that, by all means use them though!
Recipe Variations
- Ice cream sandwiches: spoon some vanilla ice cream in between two of these funfetti cookies and then roll the outer ice cream edge in even more sprinkles, because sprinkles are everything and there is never ever too much.
- Dip half of each cookie into white chocolate or drizzle some extra white chocolate over top of each cookie.
- Crumble up the cookies and sprinkle on top of an actual birthday cake.
- Spread buttercream frosting in between two of the cookies for another type of birthday cake cookie fun or spread a cream cheese frosting for frosted cookies! Add more sprinkles over top.
- Possible add-ins: 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (use only 1 teaspoon vanilla extract if doing so), white chocolate chips, regular chocolate chips, and more!
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Cream the butter and sugars. Creaming the butter and sugars seems like such a simple task, but it is so important to do it right. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and fully incorporated. This will take about 2-4 minutes. Don’t skimp on this step!
Step 2: Add the egg and vanilla and beat to incorporate fully.
Step 3: In a separate bowl whisk the flour, salt, corn starch and baking soda. This is important to do versus just tossing all of the flour and dry ingredients in separately as you want all of the leavening agents equally dispersed.
Step 4: Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat. This should be a small amount at a time, not more than one cup. Take it slow–you don’t want flour blowing up in your face, right?
Step 5: Fold in the sprinkles. Do this gently to keep sprinkles from breaking up as they can be delicate.
Step 6: After mixed, roll into balls and chill for about 15-30 minutes.
Step 7: Bake the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 9-11 minutes or until edges are set and the cookies are slightly puffy. You will want to take these out just before you think they are ready!
Step 8: Cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Should I chill this cookie dough before baking?
I find these cookies come out best when the dough is chilled. Even if all you have is 15 minutes, do it! I suggest chilling the dough about 15-30 minutes. Chilling allows the fats to harden and in turn, the cookies cook at a slower rate and don’t spread out too much or become too thin.
Recipe Tips
- Rolling into balls versus using a cookie scoop: I find that rolling this cookie dough into balls versus using a scoop makes better looking cookies. If you roll the dough into balls when making these sprinkle filled cookies, the cookies bake smooth and then crinkle slightly after pulling them from the oven to cool. It also allows the spreading of the cookies to slow down since the edges are not touching the parchment to start.
- If you chill the cookie dough longer than an hour, allow it to sit out for about 10 minutes to take some of the chill off before baking. When the cookie dough is chilled too much, it can cause the cookies to spread too slow and then you end up with big round topped cookies. Set them out just to take a bit of the chill off and bake.
- Make sure to cream the butter and sugars well. This is a necessary step to make amazing cookies. Cream for about 2-4 minutes ideally. This adds extra air needed to give the cookies nice lift so they don’t flatten out and over spread.
- Use any color variety of sprinkles to suit your celebration! I love making these with special sprinkles based on occasion. You can adjust the color of the sprinkles for whatever you may be celebrating: red and green for Christmas, red/pink/purple for Valentine’s Day, your favorite team colors and more.
Storage
These cookies will keep for about 4-5 days at room temperature in an air tight container. They will be the softest and chewiest within the first two days, however are completely edible for a few days following that, just may dry out a touch. The cookie dough will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator, in an air tight container.
To Freeze
- Cookies: If you want to freeze these funfetti cookies after baking, allow them to cool completely first. To keep them from sticking together, line them on a sheet pan first in a single layer and allow them to freeze for about one hour. Then transfer them to an air tight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Grab a cookie and thaw to enjoy at any time!
- Cookie Dough: To freeze the dough, I recommend rolling the cookie dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and then freezing them again lined up in a single layer on a plate or sheet pan for about one hour before transferring them to an air tight container. You can bake them at 350°F from frozen for about 11-13 minutes.
What To Do If Your Cookies Spread or are Flat
This is typically one of several things:
- The dough is too warm. Pop it in the fridge for a bit and allow it to chill and give it another shot.
- There is not enough flour. Flour can be tricky. Just a touch too much or too little can really have an impact on baking cookies. Try adding a tablespoon or two of flour to see if that helps. (This is what happened when I was testing the recipe on the first batch.)
- Leavening agents are expired: check your baking powder and baking soda. Make sure they are fresh and up to date. If they are fresh but were not sealed tight that can cause issues as well.
Other Treats To Try
- Loaded Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
- One Bowl Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mini Egg Cheesecake Cookie Bars
- Lucky Charm Cookies
- Gluten Free Blondies
- Cream Cheese Snowballs
- Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Brownies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
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Birthday Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (113 g)
- ¾ cup sugar (150 g)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (50 g)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ -½ tsp almond extract , (optional)
- 1 ½ cup flour (217 g)
- 2 tsp corn starch
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, corn starch and baking soda. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, cream together butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Add in egg and vanilla and beat to incorporate fully.
- Slowly add in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat just to incorporate (do not over mix!) Gently fold in sprinkles. For best results, roll into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and chill for about 15 minutes before baking.
- While cookie dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place cookie dough balls/scoops two inches apart on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes, cookies will be puffed up and may not look 100% done, but pull them just before you think they are done.
- Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes on pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely and enjoy. Store in an airtight container for about 3-5 days.
Notes
- Cookies: If you want to freeze these funfetti cookies after baking, allow them to cool completely first. To keep them from sticking together, line them on a sheet pan first in a single layer and allow them to freeze for about one hour. Then transfer them to an air tight, freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Grab a cookie and thaw to enjoy at any time!
- Cookie Dough: To freeze the dough, I recommend rolling the cookie dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and then freezing them again lined up in a single layer on a plate or sheet pan for about one hour before transferring them to an air tight container. You can bake them at 350°F from frozen for about 11-13 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi – I am about the make these and am planning on adding lemon zest as well. I think it will work as the sprinkles are rainbow not chocolate. Have you tried these with lemon zest? Thank you!
I haven’t but I have no doubt that will be tasty!! I have a lemon sugar cookie recipe as well and it is similar just no sprinkles of course!
I’m planning on making these cpokies today but couldn’t find the suggested size of the cookies anywhere. I’m guessing a rounded tablespoon?
Hi!! I make about 1 1/2 inch balls. A cookie scoop will work as well. A medium cookie scoop works well too!
I just made these as the bakery where I usually get my toddler a rainbow sugar cookie was all out of cookies. The horror! I only had red & green Christmas sprinkles, so we are having a little festive cheer in August. They turned out great! They are a little flat, but I think I over mixed them a bit. Next time I’ll be sure not to do that. Also, I’m getting sime rainbow sprinkles for next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Yay!! So happy they worked out for you! Check your baking soda and baking powder—if they aren’t fresh that can also have an impact.
So sorry to hear this! Did you weigh the flour? Just would love to know for my own testing and development. Thanks!
it would of been nice if you actually printed out the exact measurements instead of trying to guess how much flour sugar ect
Hi there! I have all the measurements listed in the recipe. Maybe there was some sort of glitch that they were missing?
Made these cookies for my girlfriend last night. They were delicious! This was the first cookie recipe I’ve made where the cookies actually spread evenly from their unbaked ball shape when they go into the oven. So soft and delicious. Also loved the large amount of vanilla used. Vanilla makes everything taste better!
Only suggestion would be changing the ingredients to be listed in the order you use them. It was a bit confusing to not have the dry ingredients like flour and baking powder listed first when they are needed for the first step.
Fixing this now! Thanks so much Sean for catching that!
Couldn’t agree more on the vanilla. Sounds like a lucky girlfriend to me!!
Hi!! So sorry, it’s the 217. I updated the recipe a bit ago and didn’t see this.
Hi! I’m planning on updating the photos and retesting this one soon. I didn’t have a scale back when I worked on this one so it’s possible my measurements were off. I will keep you posted and thanks for the feedback!!!
Can we make large batches and freeze them? Also do these cookies come out soft ?
Yes! I freeze these often since we can’t always go through a full batch. If you bake them on the lower end of the amount of time, they end up soft and chewy!
Tastes amazing. Is there anything I can do to stop the cookie from thin? I freeze the raw cookie dough but when it’s in the oven it melts and becomes quiet thin and not thick?
Did you bake any of these before baking? How did they turn out, if so? Also are you baking them frozen or thawing and then baking?
Hi, my name is ananda, would you please telling me the ingredients butter, flour, sugar, and brown sugar with “grams” not with cup, bcs it little bit confused for me. Thankyou for helping me, god bless you!
Hi Ananda! Sorry for the delay-this comment got mixed up in the spam folder so I’m just now catching it. Something seems to be not working for my unit conversion tool for the recipe program I use. I am certain you could plug it in to an online tool. I will see what I can find though.
Do these taste like birthday cake?
They have a funfetti cake taste for sure—lots of similar ingredients. You can get birthday cake extract to make it even more!