These birthday cake cookies are chewy, buttery and delicious! They are filled with chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles and classic birthday cake flavor. Birthday cookies are super easy to make without cookie cutters!
These chewy birthday cake cookies are packed with chocolate chips and sprinkles. The sprinkles look like confetti, so I like to call these confetti cookies!
Vanilla extract gives these birthday cake cookies their classic birthday cake flavor. Sprinkles and chocolate chips make them extra fun, festive and delicious. They’re made without a boxed cake mix!
For more birthday cake treats, try my Birthday Cake Donuts, Birthday Cake Ice Cream and Chocolate Cake Donuts.
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Why This Recipe Works
- These are the perfect birthday cookie to make for a birthday or any celebration. For another creative and fun birthday dessert, try my Pie Birthday Cake!
- Their soft, chewy texture will keep you coming back for more.
- The cookie dough is made from scratch. No need to buy a cake or cookie mix to make these!
- These coolies come together without cookie cutters. No need to roll out the dough!
Ingredients
Below are useful notes on some of the ingredients needed to make this birthday cookie recipe.
- Butter: Use 1 cup (two sticks) of unsalted butter. We are using room temperature butter. Room temperature butter will cream together with the sugar to create a nice even cookie dough.
- Granulated sugar: We’re using both granulated sugar and brown sugar. Use light or dark, packed brown sugar. Make sure your brown sugar is fresh. Brown sugar makes the cookies chewy and flavorful.
- Eggs: Use 2 large, room temperature eggs.
- All-purpose flour: Flour adds structure to cookies and balances the wet ingredients in the recipe. I use all-purpose flour.
- Vanilla: This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract! Lots of vanilla equals lots of flavor in birthday cake cookies!
- Chocolate chips: You can use regular sized or mini chocolate chips for these funfetti chocolate chip cookies. Dark, semi-sweet, or white chocolate chips are all delicious in these cookies! For a fun holiday version of these cookies, try my Christmas cookies with sprinkles.
- Sprinkles: Use rainbow sprinkles (jimmies). If you’re feeling patriotic, grab some red, white and blue sprinkles and make my 4th of July Cookies!
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap in dark brown sugar for the light brown sugar.
- Use chopped chocolate in place of chocolate chips.
- I have not made these cookies without eggs, for a cookies without eggs, try my Eggless Chocoalte Chip Cookies.
- Instead of all-purpose flour, make these using a 1:1 gluten free flour.
Instructions
Below are directions for how to make this birthday cake cookie recipe. Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients.
Step 1: (See photo 1 above). Cream the sugars and butter in a large mixing bowl. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Step 2: (See photo 2 above). Mix in the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla extract. Turn the mixer on low and add the dry ingredients until just combined.
Step 3: (See photo 3 above). Mix in the sprinkles and chocolate chips.
Step 4: (See photo 4 above). Scoop dough into 2 tablespoon balls of dough. Place on a cookie sheet and chill 2 hours. Bake 3 inches apart at 375 F for 11-13 minutes until edges have started to turn light brown.
Hint: Press a few extra sprinkles on top of the cookie dough balls right before chilling or baking.
Recipe FAQs
Use rainbow or chocolate sprinkles also known as jimmies. I don’t recommend sugar sprinkles or nonpareils. Nonpareils tend to bleed when mixed into a batter.
This recipe makes 18 giant cookies, but you can make them smaller if you like. You’ll just need to reduce the cooking time by a few minutes.
Store leftover funfetti chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days.
Expert Tips
- Tip #1: Use a cookie scoop. A cookie scoop is less messy. It also makes sure the cookies are all the same size and bake evenly. This recipe makes about 17 cookies using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop and 27 cookies using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop.
- Tip #2: Chill the cookie dough. Chilling the dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much when they bake. Keep the remaining cookie dough in the fridge while the cookies bake.
- Tip #3: Scoop the cookie dough before chilling. Before chilling the dough, you’ll want to pre-scoop it. If you wait to scoop it after chilling the dough, it’ll be way too hard to scoop.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
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Birthday Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
- 3/4 cups mini chocolate chips or regular sized semi sweet, white, or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt Set aside.
- Cream the sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer on medium speed until smooth and combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl then add the eggs and blend well then add the vanilla.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients followed by the sprinkles then the chocolate chips.
- Use a 2 ounce cookie scoop* to drop the cookies onto the cookie sheet. Place them 3″ apart. Cover the cookie dough balls with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
- After chilling the dough for at least an hour, preheat oven to 375 F. Keep remaining balls in fridge while the first batch bakes.
- Bake 11-13 minutes until edges have started to turn light brown. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before then transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Brittanie
Yum! Second time making these as school treats (first for my daughters birthday and now for Christmas) and I’m sure they’ll be a big hit again.
Natalie
Yay!! Thank you so much for making these cookies Brittanie!! I’m so honored you made them for such special occasions!! Hope you have a very Merry Christmas! 🙂 -Natalie
Selena
These are AMAZING!!! SO SOFT AND CRISPY ON THE BOTTOM THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL RECIPE!!!
Natalie
Hi Selena, Thank YOU for making these brithday cake cookies and for taking the time to write a such a nice comment!! I’m so happy you enjoyed them 🙂 Have a great day! xxNatalie
Joan
Hi! Can these be chilled overnight? Thank you!
Natalie
Hi Joan, I’m sorry for the slightly delayed response! Yes these cookies can be chilled overnight. You’ll want to make sure they are covered tightly with plastic wrap. Also, I would make sure to form them into balls before chilling. Please let me know if you have any other questions! 🙂 Natalie
Maggie
Hello,
Could you make this recipe without the chocolate chips and have the same results? Thank you!
Natalie
Hi Maggie! I haven’t tried these cookies without the chocoalte chips, so unfortunately I can’t say exactly how they would turn out. The flavor would be a little different minus the chocolate and I imagine the texture may be a bit different as well. Please let me know if you try them minus the chocolate chips and let me know if you have any other questions 🙂 Natalie
Maggie
Thank you! I just made the cookies (including chocolate)…I haven’t baked them yet as they are chilling but did you find your cookie dough was dry? After pressing it together in ic cream scoop it would form balls however, I found dough very hard to mix because of dryness. Normal for this recipe? I weighed ingredients so I know it’s not too much flour. Thanks so much!
Natalie
Hi Maggie you are welcome! Glad to hear you just made the cookies. I wouldn’t say it is normal for the cookie dough to be very dry and I haven’t heard anyone else mention that before. Thank you for letting me know. I am not sure why it would be the case here especially since you weighed the ingredients. I will be sure to pay close attention to that next time I make them. Please let me know how they turn out!
Yous
These are one of the best cookies you can make! Absolutely delicious
Natalie
Thank you so much Yous 🙂 So happy you love these Birthday Cake Cookies!