30 Minute Birthday Cake Cookies
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These birthday cake cookies are jam packed with colorful jimmy sprinkles and a ton of flavor just like your favorite birthday cake! Made in just 30 minutes with no chill time, these sprinkle cookies are easily made from scratch and will be a big hit at your next birthday party!
Who said birthday parties should just have cake? Your birthday only comes around once a year so you might as well do it up and make allllll the things! These chewy birthday cake cookies pair perfectly well with birthday brownies, confetti cake, or a fluffy chocolate cake with sprinkles. Since these are no chill sprinkle cookies you can easily add them to any party menu!
To take these over the top, you can sandwich two of them (treat yoself, it’s your birthday!) with funfetti frosting!
What makes these cookies so fun is that they have sprinkles inside the batter, but then, they are also rolled in sprinkles before baking. As a trained pastry chef, I have made my fair share of homemade cookie recipes and I have to say these might be the most fun!
Chewy, buttery, and ready in 30 minutes or less, let me show you how to make them!
Ingredients you need
- Melted Unsalted Butter – I always start my no-chill cookie recipes with melted butter for chewy texture.
- Brown and White Sugar – The brown sugar adds moisture.
- Egg Yolks – Using just the yolks also helps make a super chewy cookie.
- Vanilla Extract – For flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour – This is the only flour I have tried this recipe with.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – We need both since brown sugar is being used. Baking soda will react with the brown sugar to help it rise.
- Kosher Salt – A pinch of kosher salt balances the sweetness of the cookies and enhances their overall flavor.
- Rainbow Jimmies – see notes below!
The best sprinkles to use
The best sprinkles to use in this recipe and honestly in any recipe where the sprinkles are being baked, are jimmy type sprinkles. Other kinds like non pareils or glitter sprinkles always bleed their color or melt when baked, so jimmies are always the go to!
For this recipe I used Watkins sprinkles. We love them in our house because they are made without artificial food dyes. Also their colors are pretty!
How to make them
Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Combine the wet ingredients: Add butter to a microwave-safe bowl and melt. Then, add in the brown and white sugar and mix until smooth. Mix in the egg yolks and vanilla extract and mix until fully combined.
Add the dry ingredients: To the bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until a soft dough forms without overworking. Then, gently stir in 1/2 cup of sprinkles.
Scoop and bake: Use a three tablespoon cookie scoop (or two tablespoons) and scoop out the dough into cookie dough balls. Roll the balls into the remaining sprinkles until fully coated on the outside. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.
Perfectly round cookies
To make the cookies a perfectly round shape, place a cookie cutter or bowl that is slightly larger than the cookie over each of them. Move your hand in a fast circular motion to round the cookies into perfect circles.
This is called scooting and has to be done immediately after you pull them from the oven so that they are still malleable. If they have time to cool, even for a minute, they wont be able to perfect their shape.
Yield
If you use a 3 tbsp cookie scoop then you’ll get 8-10 cookies. If you use a smaller cookie scoop youll get closer to 16-18 cookies. The larger cookies will bake for 14 minutes while the smaller ones will bake for 12 minutes.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: To keep your cookies fresh, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. You can also add a slice of bread to the container to help maintain their softness.
Freezing: Freeze the cookies individually on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag, separating the layers with parchment paper. They can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature or warm them in the oven for a few minutes.
30 Minute Birthday Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 2 egg yolks, whites discarded
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup Jimmy sprinkles, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium sized microwave safe bowl melt 1/2 cup butter. Add the 2/3 cup brown sugar and 2 tbsp white sugar and mix till smooth.- Add the 2 egg yolks and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix again
- Add in the 1 3/4 cups flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt and stir till dough forms.
- Stir in 1/2 cup of the sprinkles.
- Scoop out the dough using a 3 tbsp cookie scoop, or using two tablespoons for one cookie dough ball.
- On a plate, pour the remaining 1/2 cup sprinkles. Roll each cookie dough ball into the sprinkles.
- Place 6 on a cookie sheet leaving 1.5 inch space between each one and bake for 14 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie is golden brown.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack.
- To make perfectly round cookies- immediately after baking place a cookie cutter or bowl that is larger than the cookie and move your hand in a fast circular motion to round the cookies into perfect circles.
