These Birthday Cake Cookies are all the flavor of birthday cake for the cookie lovers in your life—and they make the perfect every day treat too! They’re super simple thanks to confetti cake mix, incredibly soft and fluffy, and loaded up with colorful sprinkles.
In honor of my daughter’s 12th birthday, I thought it was time to share this fun little birthday cake cookie hack!
These delectable and fluffy cookies start with boxed cake mix that’s made into dough, formed into cookies, then topped with rainbow sprinkles (because you have to have sprinkles!). If you love a good boxed cake cookie recipe, you need to try my red velvet cookie, too!
These funfetti cookies are deliciously sweet, so light and fluffy, and the perfect cake-flavored sweet treat for celebrating. If you prefer other flavors, check out my double chocolate pudding cookies, or bakery style chocolate chip cookies.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Minimal ingredients. Just 4 super simple ingredients to whip these cookies up.
- Easy prep. These cake mix cookies take no time to prep. A couple of minutes of hands-on time and they’re ready for baking.
- Perfect texture and flavor. A thick, soft, fluffy, chewy cookie with cake batter flavor? Yeah. It doesn’t get better than that.
- Great for birthdays…or not. These are an easy way to serve a crowd for a birthday party, but also a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth even where there isn’t a special occasion.
What are Birthday Cake Cookies?
Cake cookies, or cake mix cookies, are cookies made with a cake mix! Birthday cake cookies are cookies made with funfetti cake mix and sprinkles.
They’re the perfect way to satisfy that birthday cake craving, but in cookie form!
Recipe Notes
This recipe for birthday cake cookies is as simple as promised! Just 3 ingredients for a family friendly treat.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use when making this recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Confetti Cake Mix – I use Funfetti cake mix, but use your favorite variety.
- Vegetable Oil – Vegetable oil makes the super moist and tender, but keeps the flavor neutral.
- Eggs – Eggs help bind the cookies together.
- Sprinkles – The sprinkles are optional, but a great way to make these extra colorful!
Birthday Cake Cookies Step by Step
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the cake mix powder, oil, and eggs.
2. Use an electric hand mixer to mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients until smooth. Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough out.
3. Cover each dough ball with sprinkles, then line the dough balls onto a baking sheet.
4. Bake the cookies at 375ºF for 9-10 minutes, then cool for a few minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Check the size– Cake mix makers have been changing the box sizes lately. This recipe is designed for a 15.25 ounce box of cake mix.
- Use vegetable oil – Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor that other types of oil don’t have. Make sure you use that so that you don’t compromise the flavor of the cookies.
- Don’t over-mix – Mixing cookie dough too much can result in a dense texture. To keep the cookies light and fluffy, mix only until just combined.
- Give the dough balls space – I recommend 2 inches of space between each cookie dough ballon the baking sheet. They will spread!
- Don’t over-bake – You’ll know the cookies are done baking when the middle is set and they are no longer shiny on top. Once that happens, take the cookie out immediately. That way they stay nice and soft.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Make the dough ahead of time – You can make the dough ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 2-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Scroll below for freezing instructions.
- Make the cookies in advance – The finished cookies can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Make the whole batch of cookies ahead of times so they’re just ready to grab at a moment’s notice.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Oreo Birthday Cake Cookies – Skip the sprinkles and use chopped up Oreos instead.
- Chocolate Chip Birthday Cake Cookies – Mix your favorite chocolate chips into the cookie dough before portioning it out. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or even white chocolate chips would work.
- Frosted Birthday Cake Cookies – Try topping the cookies off with a cream cheese frosting to make it even more like classic birthday cake!
How to Freeze Cookies
Cookies can be frozen before or after baking. If freezing the cookie dough you are able to just pop out a few or as many as you need to bake to have hot, fresh cookies on demand.
If you prefer, you can bake all of the cookies and freeze after baking. Freezing the baked cookies will preserve them and once, thawed they come out just as soft, chewy, fresh, and perfect as they are when freshly baked.
Both are great options for keeping cookies fresh and delicious!
To freeze cookie dough:
- Make the cookie dough as instructed, then portion it into dough balls.
- Line the dough balls on a baking sheet, then stick them in the freezer until hardened.
- Once the dough balls are fully frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When you’re ready to bake the cookies, thaw the dough overnight, add the sprinkles, then bake as directed.
To freeze baked cookies:
- Let the baked cookies cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container.
- Store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- When you’re ready to enjoy them again, let them thaw on the counter, then dig in!
How to store cookies
If you have extras after making birthday cake cookies with cake mix, then they can be saved to munch on at a later time.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- on the counter for 2-3 days
- in the refrigerator for up to a week
- in the freezer up to 2 months.
More EASY Cookie Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy cookie recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- Wyoming Cowboy Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies
- Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
- Devils Food Cake Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Birthday Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 ounce) Confetti cake mix, (I used Funfetti)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sprinkles, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, oil, and eggs. Mix until smooth with an electric mixer or by hand.
- Place rounded tablespoonfuls of the cookie dough on a baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Top each cookie with sprinkles.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the cookies are set and no longer shiny.
- Cool on the cookie sheet for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.
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