These cookies make me so so happy.

They’re chewy, flavourful, and full of sprinkles! The original recipe is from my dear friend Kristie from The Sweet and Simple Kitchen!! I’ve tweaked them a little by adding a touch of almond extract to really drive the “birthday cake” flavour home. And…I also tried my hand at making homemade sprinkles! (Recipe is below as well!). To be honest, I can’t stop making these cookies. They’re so quick to whip up! (Seriously…preheating your oven is the longest part of making them!). I’ve even baked them in a cast iron skillet for a giant cookie situation!

Also can we talk about homemade sprinkles for a second? They are incredibly easy to make, and you can custom colour them!! I can’t wait to make them again soon.

chewy birthday cake sugar cookies

PRINT RECIPE HERE

recipe: from Kristie at The Sweet and Simple Kitchen

yields: 12 large cookies

ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup multicolour sprinkles (non pareils, 100s and 1000s, long sprinkles, etc all work!)

topping:

1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling

to make the cookies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats), and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or simply a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer), cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes on high - until pale and fluffy.

Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, and then add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat for 1 minute, until combined and fluffy.

In small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, and beat on low until it starts to come together but a few streaks of flour remain. Scrape down the side and bottom with a spatula, and then add the sprinkles. Mix on low speed until just combined and sprinkles are evenly distributed.

Use a cookie scoop (or simply a large spoon) to scoop cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. You’ll want about 12 equal sized cookies! Roll each cookie ball in granulated sugar before baking.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the tops crackle and the edges start to brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cookie rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature, or in an airtight container in the freezer for several months.

Tips:

• I often roughly spoon out my cookies, and then use my hands to roll them into a smooth ball. If the dough seems too sticky to do this, add a touch more flour.

• I always recommend doing 1 test cookie! If it turns out flatter than you’d like, then add a few tablespoons of flour to the cookie dough and mix. If if it turned out too thick and didn’t spread, then add 1 tablespoon of milk/water to the cookie dough.

• Freeze uncooked dough balls on a baking tray until completely frozen, and then transfer to an airtight container and keep stored in the freezer. Bake a cookie whenever the craving hits. Add about 1 minute to the baking time.

homemade sprinkles

recipe: slightly adapted from Preppy Kitchen (find lots of tips and tricks and full photos on their tutorial!)

PRINT RECIPE HERE

ingredients

2 cups (250 g) powdered sugar - divided

2 tbsp cold water

1 tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 tsp almond extract

to make the sprinkles

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 cup of powdered sugar, water, corn syrup, and almond extract until smooth. The mixture should look pretty runny at this point. Add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Slowly add more powdered sugar until the mixture is thick but still flows slightly. You should be able to run the spatula through it and see the bottom of the bowl before it slowly flows back together.

Add liquid or gel food colouring to colour the mixture. Separate into small bowls if you want to make several different colours. Make the colours darker than you want, as they’ll lighten slightly as they dry!

Transfer to a piping bag with a small round icing tip (I used a Wilton #4), or if using a plastic bag - cut a small hole in the corner. Pipe straight lines back and forth on the prepared parchment lined baking sheets until all of the mixture is used up. Since I was making ombre sprinkles, I used the same bag for all of them, and simply started with white, then light pink, then medium pink, then dark pink. Use different bags if you’re using very different colours.

Allow to dry completely, I left mine on the counter overnight. Once totally dry, gently cut up the lines of sprinkles into the length you desire. You can also break them up by gathering all the lines in your hands and breaking them up. (This could be fun to do with kids!)

Store the sprinkles in an airtight container until ready to use.

Happy baking!

-Kelsey