In my opinion, there’s no better way to say “Happy Birthday” than with a batch of birthday cake cookies! I top soft, fluffy, funfetti cake mix cookies with a swirl of vanilla frosting and plenty of colorful sprinkles. They’re just as festive as a birthday cake, but way easier to share and way less messy–perfect for classroom parties, office treats, or birthday mornings at home.
Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
These birthday cake cookies with cake mix come together fast with just 7 ingredients and a box of funfetti cake mix. I’ve whipped them up in a pinch more times than I can count, especially when I forget a last-minute birthday (it happens). These cookies are super soft and fluffy, with the flavor of funfetti cake and the texture of a classic sugar cookie. Frost them, sprinkle them, and you’ve got the cutest happy birthday cookies that look way more impressive than they are.
If you love the nostalgic taste of funfetti, these funfetti cake mix cookies are going to be a go-to. They’re perfect for parties, but also super fun just because.
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Don’t Skip Chilling the Dough
Because I use oil instead of butter in these birthday cake sugar cookies, the dough is extra sticky. To keep them soft and thick (not flat and greasy), it’s important to chill the dough twice–once before rolling, and again before baking. I tested it both ways, and skipping that second chill led to thinner cookies that spread too much. Chilling also helps the sprinkles stay suspended in the dough, so you get a perfect pop of color in every bite.
Birthday Cake Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Hand Mixer
- 2 Baking Sheet(s)
- 2-Tablespoon Cookie Portion Scoop
- Piping Tip Set (optional)
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 15.25 ounces Funfetti cake mix (1 box)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup rainbow sprinkles divided
For the Frosting
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter slightly melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the dry cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil together on medium speed just until combined (do not overmix).15.25 ounces Funfetti cake mix, 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- Stir in (do not beat these in) ½ cup of the sprinkles. Set the remaining ¼ cup of sprinkles aside for now.¾ cup rainbow sprinkles
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a 2-tablespoon sized cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough onto the parchment lined baking sheet. These cookie dough balls will be about 35 grams each. It’s okay that the cookies are close together for this step but be sure that they aren’t touching or they’ll stick together.
- The cookie dough is extremely sticky so the tray of scooped cookies must go into the freezer for 15 minutes before the next step.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Take the tray of cookies out of the freezer then use your hands to roll these into smooth balls of cookie dough. The dough is very sticky so you’ll need to lightly spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands. The dough will also be sticking to the parchment paper so use a spatula lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to lift the cookies from the parchment paper before rolling them into balls.
- Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper and take some cookies out of the freezer and place on baking sheet. Cookies should be at least 2 inches from each other on the baking sheet to allow a bit of space for spreading. Place the rest of the cookies back into the freezer until you are ready to bake them. It is important to only bake one tray of cookies at a time to ensure an even baking temperature for all cookies.
- Place one tray of cookies into the oven to bake. Bake each tray of cookies for 14-15 minutes. The baked cookies will look slightly undercooked (bottoms lightly browned but tops still looking very slightly wet) but they’ll continue to bake on the hot tray after you remove them from the oven. If the cookies are baked for too long, they’ll become dry and crunchy.
- Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the hot baking tray before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cookies cool, make the frosting: Beat the powdered sugar, unsalted butter, and vanilla extract together on high for 3-4 minutes, until frosting is light and fluffy.1½ cups powdered sugar, ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Place the frosting in a frosting bag with a large round icing tip and pipe frosting onto the tops of cooled cookies. Add sprinkles to the frosted cookies while the frosting is still wet so the sprinkles stick to the frosting well.
Notes
- Do not prepare the cake mix according to the box. We’re using it as a dry ingredient here!
- Because we’re adding more sprinkles to the batter, you can also use a vanilla, yellow, or white cake mix with the same result!
- Use jimmies (long oval sprinkles) not the small round ball style. The small round ball style of sprinkles tend to bleed color into the batter and they’re too crunchy to be used in cookie.
- Chilling cookie dough before baking helps prevent the dough from spreading in the oven. Plus, these cookies are super sticky and hard to handle at room temperature, so chilling makes them easier to shape.
- My simple frosting recipe comes together in just minutes and is absolutely delicious, but store-bought will work if you’re pressed for time.
How to Make Birthday Cake Cookies Step-by-Step
Gather your Ingredients: Gather up everything you need to begin. Bring the eggs to room temperature for 30-60 minutes before beginning. Slightly melt the butter for the frosting by microwaving it for 30-45 seconds.
Mix the Dough: In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, beat 15.25 ounces (1 box) of Funfetti cake mix, 2 large, room-temperature eggs, and ⅓ cup of vegetable oil together on medium speed just until combined (do not overmix). Gently fold in (do not beat these in) ½ cup of the rainbow sprinkles. Set the remaining ¼ cup of sprinkles aside for now.
Chill the Dough: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, scoop balls of cookie dough onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. These cookie dough balls will be about 35 grams each. It’s okay that the cookies are close together for this step, but be sure that they aren’t touching or they’ll stick together. The cookie dough is extremely sticky, so the tray of scooped cookies must go into the freezer for 15 minutes before the next step.
Roll the Dough Balls: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Take the tray of cookies out of the freezer, then use your hands to roll these into smooth balls of cookie dough. The dough is very sticky, so you’ll need to lightly spray your hands with non-stick cooking spray so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper, take some cookies out of the freezer, and place them on the baking sheet. Cookies should be at least 2 inches from each other on the baking sheet to allow a bit of space for spreading. Place the rest of the cookies back into the freezer until you are ready to bake them. It is important to only bake one tray of cookies at a time to ensure an even baking temperature for all cookies.
Bake the Cookies: Place one tray of cookies into the oven to bake. Bake each tray of cookies for 14-15 minutes. The baked cookies will look slightly undercooked (bottoms lightly browned but tops still looking very slightly wet), but they’ll continue to bake on the hot tray after you remove them from the oven. If the cookies are baked for too long, they’ll become dry and crunchy. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the hot baking tray before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
Beat the Frosting: Beat 1½ cups of powdered sugar, ½ cup of unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract together on high for 3-4 minutes, until frosting is light and fluffy.
Frost the Cookies: Place the frosting in a frosting bag with a large round icing tip (I used a Wilton 1A) and pipe frosting onto the tops of cooled cookies. Alternatively, you can cut the corner off of a Ziplock bag and use that to pipe the frosting. Add the remaining ¼ cup of sprinkles to the frosted cookies while the frosting is still wet so the sprinkles stick to the frosting well.
How to Store
Store birthday cake sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. When storing cookies stacked, place a sheet of wax paper between layers to prevent cookies from sticking to each other. Let thaw at room temperature before serving.
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