Best Birthday Cake Cookies Recipe – Easy Spring Treat
These soft, chewy birthday cake cookies are studded with rainbow sprinkles and taste like the best part of a birthday party. Made with simple pantry ingredients, they come together in under 25 minutes and are perfect for spring celebrations.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes (plus optional 30 minutes chilling)
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (80g) rainbow sprinkles (jimmies)
- ¼ cup (40g) extra rainbow sprinkles for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in ½ cup of sprinkles until just distributed.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes (optional but recommended).
- Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough (about 2 tablespoons each) and roll into balls. Roll each ball in the extra ¼ cup of sprinkles, pressing gently so they stick. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are set but centers are still soft. For softer cookies, bake 10 minutes; for crispier edges, bake 12 minutes.
- Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
For best results, use jimmies (long sprinkles) instead of nonpareils to prevent color bleeding. Chilling the dough for 30 minutes helps prevent spreading. Press extra sprinkles onto warm cookies for a festive look. Store in an airtight container with a slice of bread to keep soft for up to 5 days. Cookies taste even better the next day.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 13
- Sodium: 95
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 21
- Protein: 2
Keywords: birthday cake cookies, spring cookies, sprinkle cookies, funfetti cookies, easy cookie recipe, soft cookies, chewy cookies