Food and Recipes Recipes Birthday Cake Cookies These cookies will bring you back to childhood birthday parties where sprinkle cake was doled out in generous slices. By Karen Schroeder-Rankin Karen Schroeder-Rankin Karen Rankin is a chef, recipe developer, and food stylist with over 25 years experience cooking, developing recipes, styling food, and entertaining guests at her table and in restaurants. During the past 11 years, Karen has been styling food for various publications such as Cooking Light, Southern Living, Eating Well, Real Simple, as well as creating instructional videos for Southern Living Magazine's Tips from the Test Kitchen, featured on select television programming, and on websites. With an interest in the use of color, texture, and presentation, she develops recipes that are intended to surprise and delight the recipients of these dishes, both from a visual standpoint and a flavor experience. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on January 26, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email 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 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. 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. 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. Print