Amazing Birthday Cake Butter Cookies made from scratch. These simple slice and bake cookies are filled with sprinkles and boast crisp edges and a chewy shortbread texture.
Say it with me: Birthday Cake Butter Cookies.
Who knew there was such a thing?! But when you combine a simple butter cookie with a boatload of sprinkles and oodles of vanilla, you get something AMAZING.
Better yet, these cookies are slice and bake, which means delicious cookies fast.
Why you will love these cookies
- Butter cookies are super simple to make and require only a few ingredients. The large quantity of butter makes them, well, buttery and DELICIOUS.
- Just like our favourite birthday cake, these cookies are filled with vanilla and sprinkles. We also add a dash of almond extract which brings out that sweet ‘boxed cake’ kinda flavour.
- You can easily make these cookies ahead of time. Store in the fridge or freezer and then slice thick rounds of cookie dough when you’re ready to bake. Bing bam boom. Cookies ready to eat in minutes!
What are slice and bake cookies?
Unlike regular cookies that are scooped into balls of dough and then baked, these cookies are chilled in a log and then cut into thick slices. It makes them easy to store and quick to bake.
You can keep a log of cookie dough in the fridge or freezer and then just slice them when you’re ready to bake. It also means you can bake just a couple of cookies at a time.
How to make butter cookies
- Start with room temperature butter. You don’t want the butter to be fridge cold, but on the flip side, you don’t want it too soft and melty. You should just be able to easily make an indent when you press your thumb into the butter.
- Use an electric mixer to combine butter and caster sugar for a few minutes. If you don’t have caster sugar, you can use granulated sugar instead. Mixture should be lovely and creamy.
- Add vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, almond extract and egg yolk. Mix briefly just to combine. Take the chance to scrap down the sides of the bowl.
- Add plain flour (or all purpose flour), icing sugar (or powdered sugar) and salt. Mix again on a low speed until a soft cookie dough forms. Then, stir through sprinkles.
- Use your hands to massage cookie dough into a log and wrap in a sheet of baking paper or parchment paper. Cookie dough must chill in the fridge for AT LEAST one hour.
- When you are ready to bake, slice cookies using a sharp knife. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for around 14 minutes are until golden on edges. Note that cookies will firm up as they cool.
Commonly asked questions
You can, but I highly recommend getting hold of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste if you can. Vanilla essence is typically made with artificial ingredients and won’t give your cookies that strong vanilla flavour we know and love.
If you don’t have almond extract where you live, just leave it out. The cookies will still tasty lovely.
It’s important not to overmeasure your flour in this recipe. Use a kitchen scale to ensure you add just the right amount. Also, make sure your butter is at room temperature before you begin so it’s lovely and creamy when mixed with an electric beater.
These cookies will spread a little in the oven but not too much. If your cookies spread a lot, it simply means your butter is too soft and you may need to chill your cookie dough for a bit longer in the fridge (or even the freezer).
You can keep your cookie dough wrapped in baking or parchment paper in the fridge for a few days. Alternatively, you can keep it in the freezer for much longer. You can then just leave at room temperature to thaw slightly before slicing and baking. Store the cooked and cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Egg free cookies?
This cookie recipe uses one egg yolk, which helps give the cookies a tender and chewy texture. However, you can omit the egg yolk and add 1 tablespoon of milk instead. Or try my eggless Shortbread Cookie recipe.
More cookie recipes to try
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Let’s Bake
Birthday Cake Butter Cookies
Slice and bake Birthday Cake Butter Cookies made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 230 grams (1 cup or 2 sticks) butter, room temperature, roughly chopped
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean extract or vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 280 grams (2 cups) plain flour or all purpose flour
- 30 grams (1/4 cup) icing sugar or powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) rainbow jimmy sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Add vanilla, almond extract and egg yolk and beat briefly until combined.
- Add flour, icing sugar and salt and mix on a low speed until a soft cookie dough forms. Finally, add sprinkles and mix briefly.
- Place cookie dough on a piece of baking or wax paper and use your hands to mould the dough into a long circular roll, roughly 22 cm / 9 inches in length. Wrap the dough in the paper so it’s completely covered and squeeze the ends shut. Place cookie dough in the fridge for at least ONE HOUR.
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Use a large knife to cut cookies into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place cookie dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving room for the cookies to spread slightly.
- Bake cookies for approximately 14-15 minutes or until just golden on the edges. Leave to cool completely. Note cookies will firm up as they cool. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.
Notes
Vanilla extract: I highly recommend using vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste over vanilla essence for a true vanilla flavour.
Almond extract: If almond extract isn’t available where you live, you can leave it out.
Egg yolk: If you cannot have eggs, you can omit the egg yolk. If mixture is a little dry, add a tablespoon of milk.
Cynthia says
Just wondering how big these cookies are. Seems like an ingredient list that would yield a few dozen. Maybe they can be made smaller?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Cynthia, they are quite big! And you can definitely make them smaller – it’ll all depend on how you large your roll is. Mine is about 2.5 inch in diameter. You could also split the dough into two and roll them into smaller logs that way. Cooking time may be a few minutes less.
Shani says
Hi, Can you roll the dough out to do shape cookies and then put the shaped cookies in the fridge to chill and firm up on a tray?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes absolutely!
Alayna says
Hi! Is it ok to leave the cookie dough in the fridge overnight? I’m talking 24 hours?
Jessica Holmes says
Yes definitely! If it’s a bit hard to slice, just leave it to soften at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Then slice and bake!
Amy says
Awesome recipe. I was a little concerned about the dough but OMG this bickies are the best!
Sooooo addictive! You cannot just have one.
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! Love hearing that Amy! I 100% agree with you – one is not enough!
SH says
Does omitting the egg yolk make the cookie crispier instead of chewy?
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, yes it will make it a little bit more crispier, also try baking them for a few extra minutes.
SH says
lost count on the number of times i made this! just wondering if i can use a cookie cutter this time round?
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Oh love hearing that! Yes you could if you like!
Claire says
Made this yesterday, all gone today these are delicious, thanks for the recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them Claire!
Emily says
Tasted delicious but mine spread out flat like typical cookies rather than the chunky type shown. What did I do wrong?!
★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Emily, did you chill the dough? Your butter might have been too soft and you might have just needed to chill them for a bit longer.
Patti says
Awesome thank you. I can’t wait they look so good. I know the kids will like them they have sprinkles lol. I will let you know.
Patti
Josh says
These were so easy!
★★★★★
Jessica Holmes says
So glad you liked them Josh!
Patti says
Hello,
This might seem silly but the Birthday Cake cookies look great. When I saw the sprinkles it looked like they melted into the cookie is this right? The reason I asked is I do not like to bite into a hard sprinkle. I will make these anyway because I know my grand children will not care.
Thank you
Patti
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Patti, that’s not a silly question at all. They do melt a bit into the cookie, so when you take a bite, you certainly aren’t landing on a hard sprinkle. I hope you and your grandchildren love them!
Fran says
Hi! I was wondering why you just use the egg yolk and not the whites? I see a lot of people do this and wondering what the secret is, ha!
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Fran, great question. While egg is typically used to bind or create structure in baked goods, individually, the egg white tends to dry out cakes/cookies, while the egg yolk adds moisture. That’s why only the egg yolk is really needed in this recipe.