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Confetti Cake Cookies taste exactly like a slice of birthday cake in soft, cakey cookie form, and they are my go-to when I want to make any day feel like a celebration. Each giant cookie is loaded with pastel sprinkles and topped with a swirl of pink cream cheese frosting, just like the Crumbl version. I made a batch for Maddie’s half-birthday just because, and the kitchen turned into a sprinkle party. If you love a frosted cookie, our soft frosted Lofthouse cookies are another must-bake.
Cake batter extract and a soft, tender crumb are what make these taste just like funfetti birthday cake.
Confetti Cake Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 961kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft, cakey vanilla sugar cookie with birthday cake flavor and sweet pink cream cheese frosting
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as fun as our Easter sugar cookies
Quick Answer
Confetti Cake Cookies start with a soft sugar cookie dough made from butter, sugar, egg whites, cake batter extract, vanilla, flour, and sprinkles. You roll the dough into large balls, flatten them, and bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. Once cooled, top each cookie with a swirl of pink cream cheese frosting and more sprinkles for a Crumbl-style birthday cake cookie.
Jump to:
- Confetti Cake Cookies Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Confetti Cake Cookies
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Confetti Cake Cookies FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Cookie Recipes
- Confetti Cake Cookies
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- They taste like birthday cake. Cake batter extract plus sprinkles give these cookies that unmistakable funfetti flavor and fun.
- Soft and cakey texture. Egg whites and creamed butter keep the cookies tender, thick, and cake-like instead of crisp.
- A giant Crumbl-style cookie. Portioning the dough into 12 large cookies gives you that bakery-size treat everyone loves.
- That dreamy cream cheese frosting. A tangy-sweet pink swirl on top makes them look and taste like a party.
- Fun to make and decorate. Piping the frosting and adding sprinkles is a great kitchen project with kids.
- Perfect for celebrations. Birthdays, showers, or just because, these cookies turn any day into a party.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste just like funfetti birthday cake in a soft, cakey cookie.
- Each one is a giant, Crumbl-style cookie topped with pink cream cheese frosting and sprinkles.
- They are as fun to decorate as our Easter bunny cookies.
Key Ingredients
A handful of baking staples plus sprinkles make these festive confetti cake cookies.
- Cake batter extract: The secret to that birthday cake flavor. It makes the cookies taste like funfetti cake, not just a plain sugar cookie.
- Egg whites: Using whites instead of whole eggs keeps the cookies soft, cakey, and pale so the sprinkles pop.
- Pastel sequin sprinkles: Flat sequin sprinkles hold their color and shape best, giving that classic confetti look inside and on top.
- Butter, sugar, and flour: The base of the tender cookie. Creaming softened butter with sugar makes them light and fluffy.
- Cream cheese and powdered sugar: Whipped into a tangy-sweet pink frosting for the top, just like the swirl on our cream cheese cookies.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These confetti cake cookies are easy to customize.
- Swap the pink food coloring for any color to match your party theme.
- Use different sprinkle colors for holidays, from red and green to red, white, and blue.
- No cake batter extract? Use extra vanilla or a little almond extract for a different but delicious flavor.
- Tint the frosting and pipe it however you like, the way we decorate our red velvet sandwich cookies.
How to Make Confetti Cake Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line sheet trays with parchment. In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg whites in three batches, mixing fully between each, then mix in the cake batter extract and vanilla.
- Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add to the batter in three batches. Fold in the sprinkles until evenly distributed.
- Portion the dough into 12 even balls, place them 6 inches apart on the sheets, and gently press each into a large flat circle.
- Bake for 13 to 15 minutes until lightly golden and set. Cool completely, then whip the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla into a fluffy frosting and tint it pink.
- Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cooled cookie and top with more sprinkles. Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use sequin sprinkles rather than jimmies, since the flat sequins hold their color and will not bleed into the dough.
- Space them far apart, a full 6 inches, because these cookies spread quite a bit as they bake.
- Do not overbake, and pull them when the centers look just set so they stay soft and cakey.
- Cool completely before frosting, or the cream cheese frosting will melt right off.
- Chill the frosting briefly if it feels too soft to pipe a clean swirl.
- Add sprinkles right after piping so they stick to the fresh frosting.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Confetti Cake Cookies are a celebration all on their own. Serve them fresh with a cold glass of milk, and watch them disappear at any birthday or party.
Set them out on a dessert table next to our soft frosted Lofthouse cookies and red velvet sandwich cookies for a colorful cookie spread.
For a party platter, pair them with our Easter sugar cookies or raspberry thumbprint cookies so there is something for everyone.
Store frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, letting them come to room temperature before serving. Unfrosted cookies keep at room temperature for up to five days or freeze well for up to three months.
Confetti Cake Cookies FAQs
Cake batter extract is a flavoring that gives baked goods that unmistakable funfetti birthday cake taste. You can find it near the vanilla in many stores or online. If you cannot find it, substitute an equal amount of vanilla extract plus a little almond extract, though the birthday cake flavor will be milder.
Egg whites keep these cookies soft, pale, and cakey rather than dense or golden. They give the cookies a light, tender crumb and keep the dough a nice white color so the pastel sprinkles really stand out. It is a key part of getting that Crumbl-style texture.
Flat sequin or quin sprinkles work best because they hold their shape and color without bleeding into the dough. Avoid nonpareils, the tiny round balls, since they tend to dissolve and streak color through the batter. Sequin sprinkles keep those crisp confetti dots inside and on top.
Do not overbake them. Pull the cookies when the centers just look set and dry, around 13 to 15 minutes. They firm up as they cool. Store them in an airtight container to lock in moisture, and they will stay soft and cakey for days.
Yes. You can bake the cookies a day ahead and store them airtight, then frost them before serving. You can also freeze the unfrosted cookies for up to three months. Frosted cookies keep in the fridge for up to four days, so they are easy to prep for a party.
Too much spread usually means the butter was too warm or the dough was too soft, so chill it for 20 minutes if needed. Too little spread can happen if there is too much flour, so measure by spooning and leveling. Pressing the dough balls flat before baking also helps them bake up into even circles.
Made these Confetti Cake Cookies? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below!
Keep the sprinkle party going with our 5-minute fairy bread.
If you love a sprinkle loaded cookie, our from scratch sprinkle cookies are next.
Confetti Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 6 egg whites
- 1 ½ teaspoons cake batter extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup pastel sequin sprinkles
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 6 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pink food coloring
- Pastel sequin sprinkles for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet trays with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside.
- In the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter with the sugar for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg whites into the bowl in three batches, mixing fully before adding the next.
- Add the cake batter extract and vanilla extract, and mix it in.
- In three batches, add the flour mixture, making sure it mixes in all the way before adding the next batch. We do this so we don’t get flour all over the countertop! Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the sprinkles and stir until evenly distributed.
- Portion the cookie dough into 12 even-sized portions. Roll them into a smooth ball and place them on the sheet trays, 6 inches apart, they will spread quite a bit, so you will have to bake in batches.
- Gently press down on the cookie dough balls and flatten them out into a large flat circle.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes until lightly golden brown and they appear dry in the center of the cookies.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet trays.
- While the cookies are cooling, make the frosting by placing the butter and cream cheese into the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Cream until smooth and combined.
- Add the powdered sugar a little at a time until fully mixed in, and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the heavy cream and vanilla, stir to combine then place the mixer on medium-high speed and whip until light and fluffy for 3 minutes.
- Add pink food coloring a little at a time until you reach your desired shade.
- Place the frosting into a piping bag with an open round decorating tip. Pipe the frosting into a swirl shape and add more sprinkles on top, serve immediately.
Notes
- We use a Wilton 1A tip for frosting.
- Our favorite food coloring is Americolor deep pink gel for this, less coloring is needed to achieve the color.
- You can use any of your favorite sprinkles if you cannot find the ones we used here.
- These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
- I don’t suggest substituting anything otherwise it would not have the flavor or texture we are trying to achieve.
- You can easily double this recipe to have more on hand or save for later.
Nutrition
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