Birthday Cake Cookies

These cookies will bring you back to childhood birthday parties where sprinkle cake was doled out in generous slices.

birthday cake cookies
Photo: Photographer: Antonis Achilleos, Prop Stylist: Christine Kelly, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee
Active Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
1 hrs 45 mins
Servings:
44

The classic sprinkle cake gets the cookie treatment with our Birthday Cake Cookies. With a distinctive vanilla cake flavor, jimmies, and white chocolate chips, one bite will transport you back to childhood birthday parties where this cake was doled out in generous slices. Serve them at a birthday celebration or tuck them into a lunchbox for a fun dessert. These cookies are versatile; with just a change in sprinkles, they can suit nearly every occasion. Cake batter extract imparts an intense cake flavor, so be sure not to skip it. You'll also want to give yourself time to chill the dough, as it is essential to keeping your cookies from melting all over the pan as soon as they hit the oven. When rolling out the dough, use a one-tablespoon scoop for uniform proportions, and wet your hands with a damp paper towel for easy rolling and less sticking.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar

  • ½ cup granulated sugar

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 tablespoon cake batter extract

  • 2 ¾ cups (about 11 ¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • ½ teaspoon baking soda

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • ¾ cup white chocolate chips

  • ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles, divided

Directions

  1. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until incorporated. Add extract, and beat until combined.

  2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. With mixer running on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating just until combined after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add white chocolate chips and ½ cup sprinkles; beat on low speed just until combined, about 20 seconds. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and chill 1 hour.

  3. Preheat oven to 350°F with racks in the upper and lower thirds of oven. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. (For a more uniform shape, roll dough into balls using damp or lightly greased hands.) Lightly press remaining 2 tablespoons sprinkles on tops of cookies. Bake in preheated oven until edges are golden and cookies are set, 11 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely, about 30 minutes.

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