Birthday Cake Cookies
Birthday Cake Cookies bring the joy of celebration to every bite, combining soft, chewy textures with a burst of nostalgic flavor. With just under an hour of prep and a quick 9-minute bake, they’re surprisingly simple to make yet feel indulgent.
Ingredients
For Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg white
- 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract may substitute regular vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon table salt
Frosting
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 4 oz cream cheese softened (use full-fat “brick-style” cream cheese)
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract may substitute regular vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 batch confetti crumbs
Instructions
- Combine softened butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer (or stand mixer) to beat until light, creamy, and well-combined.
- Stir in egg, egg white, and vanilla extract until completely incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cake flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring on low-speed until completely combined (I’ll usually add the flour mixture in 4 parts, stirring until just-combined after each addition).
- Form dough into a 1” thick disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before proceeding (note: while the dough chills you can prepare your confetti crumbs, linked in the ingredients list above).
- Once dough has chilled, preheat your oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or bake cookies directly on ungreased cookie sheet).
- Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll dough to be between ¼-½” (about 1 cm) thick (see note if you have any difficulty).
- Use a 2” (5cm) round cookie cutter to cut out cookies as close together as possible and place on prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” (5cm) apart.
- Bake in 350F (175C) oven for 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on their baking sheet for at least 5-10 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack to cool completely before decorating.
- Combine butter and cream cheese and use an electric mixer to stir together until smooth, creamy, and lump-free.
- Gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Stir in vanilla extract and salt.
- Pipe or spread frosting over cooled cookies (I use a ½” open tip for piping). Immediately top with confetti crumbs, if using (or just top with sprinkles!).
Nutrition
Calories: 261kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 3gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 126mgPotassium: 30mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 403IUCalcium: 26mgIron: 0.2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!