Birthday cake cookies (also known as Funfetti cake mix cookies): a one-bowl soft & pillowy sugar cookie recipe everyone will love!
Article Summary:
In this blog post we will be making birthday cake cookies. Also known as confetti cookies or funfetti cookies, these colorful sugar cookies are a treat for all ages! Read on for illustrated recipe instructions, recipe pro-tips, storage directions, and more.
Table of contents
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If there's anything better than a light, fluffy, and sweet sugar cookie, it's one that's easy to make (just one bowl and a few super simple steps) and ready in under 30 minutes.
The type of cookie that's easy enough to whip up on a whim and tasty enough that it will be requested often.
These little rainbow-sprinkle studded cookies are round, cakey, pillow-y, and moist! They only call for a handful of easy to find ingredients and pantry staples (Funfetti cake mix, all-purpose flour, butter, and sugar to name a few!) and can turn a day around in just one bite.
Serve these sprinkle cookies for a classroom birthday party (they're nut-free!), bring them to a pool party, or adjust the color of sprinkles or add a few drops of food coloring to make them for a baby shower or wedding shower. And of course, you can make these cookies just because.
Want a little sweet treat but don't want to feel the pressure of eating or off-loading them to friends and neighbors before they go bad? Just freeze the leftovers in a freezer-safe bag and pop out a cookie here and there as you please over the new few months. Gotta love always having a treat on hand!
Kids of all ages love these birthday cookies. After all, is there anything quite like birthday cake that throws us back to simpler and celebratory times? I'm not sure there's ever a bad idea for that!
This Funfetti cookies recipe is...
- Soft
- Sweet
- Buttery
- Pillowy
- Full of SPRINKLES!
These cookies are a popular treat year-round. Best of all, they're a super easy-to-make recipe that's ready in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- Funfetti cake mix - use your favorite brand; Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, etc.
- Sprinkles - because we can never have enough!! Jimmies are the best.
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract - pure extract provides the best flavor
Substitutions:
- Cake mix - white cake mix can substitute for the Funfetti cake mix. Just double the sprinkles and add in an additional ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to replicate the Funfetti flavor.
How to make Funfetti cookies from cake mix:
- Preheat the oven and prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, granulated sugar, and sprinkles until combined.
- Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined and no streaks of flour remain.
- Scoop the cookie batter onto the prepared baking sheets in 2 tablespoon scoops. Bake the cookies until golden brown on the bottom.
- Cool the cookies on wire racks and enjoy!
Recipe pro-tips:
- Recommended mixing bowl set-up - no high-speed mixing is needed for this recipe so you can use a mixing bowl and whisk or a stand mixing with the whisk or paddle attachment, whichever you prefer!
- Additional mix-ins: make these cookies your own by mixing in additional sprinkles, a few drops of food coloring, or white chocolate chips (¾ cup).
- Butter temperature - though you'll need melted butter for this recipe, you don't want the butter to be hot when you mix it into the batter. Let the melted butter cool until warm, or only a few degrees warmer than room temperature, before adding to the recipe.
- Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. The cookies will bake evenly and release from the pan without needing to grease the cookie sheet.
- Weigh the flour for the best and most accurate results. Food scales are only about $10 on Amazon and make the world of a difference in the texture and flavor of your cookies!
Recipe FAQs:
No, you do not need to chill the cookie dough before baking. Just scoop the cookie dough onto the sheets after mixing the dough and you are ready to bake!
The best way to make evenly sized cookies is to use a cookie scooper. A 1.7 or 2 tablespoon-sized scooper is best for this recipe.
Yes, you can make birthday cake cookies ahead of time. Scoop the cookies, cover, and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours until baking.
Yes, you can freeze sugar cookie dough. You can freeze the whole portion of dough in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. For the easiest baking, you can even freeze individual scoops. Just scoop the dough onto cookie sheets, pop into the freezer until solid, and move the frozen scoops to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To melt butter in the microwave without a mess, first place the butter cubes in a microwave-safe container. Cover the container with a paper towel and melt the butter on low heat (20-30%) in the microwave for 30 second intervals until the butter is melted.
Storage directions:
To make cookies last longer, they can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Tools needed to make this recipe:
- Mixing bowl or stand mixer
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Cookie sheets
- Cookie scooper
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Heat safe spatula or turner
- Cooling racks
More cookie & dessert recipes:
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
- Lemon Poke Cake
- Strawberry Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Rice Crispy Treats
- Banana Bread Cookies
- Lemon Sugar Cookies
- Peanut Butter M&M Cookies
- Andes Double Chocolate Mint Cookies
- Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Fudgy Bonbons
- Edible Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
Birthday Cake Cookies (Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies)
Birthday cake cookies (also known as Funfetti cake mix cookies): a one-bowl soft & pillowy sugar cookie recipe everyone will love!
Ingredients
- 1, 15.25 oz package Funfetti cake mix
- 1 ⅓ cup or 160g all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup rainbow sprinkles or jimmies
- 1 cup melted butter cooled to just above room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixing bowl fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, whisk the cake mix, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and sprinkles together until combined.
- Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Whisk in until no streaks of flour remain.
- Scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheets in scant 2 tablespoon scoops. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom.
- Cool the cookies on the sheets for 5 minutes. Move the cookies to cooling racks to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cookies last stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. They can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
These came out PERFECT!!! I added white chocolate chips as suggested.
Hi, Lisa!!
Oh, great! I am so glad to hear that! If you have a quick moment, do you mind leaving a 5-star recipe review? Just click the stars on the recipe card and the pop-up will lead you through the review process.
Thanks so much and have a great day!
Chelsea