Celebrate the occasion with a batch of gourmet cookies. Weighing in at almost 6 ounces each, these birthday cake stuffed cookies will give you another reason to celebrate.
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Stuffed cookie recipes are trendy and fun, and this birthday cake cookie is no exception. Each cookie contains a slice of birthday cake inside and another slice on top, making every bite special and soft.
In the past, we've stuffed cookies with candy (Milk Dud Cookies), with marshmallows (Fluffernutter Peanut Butter Cookies, Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies). We've even stuffed cookies with more cookies! Our Blue Monster Cookies are still the stuff of legends.
But stuffing a birthday cake-flavored cookie with an actual piece of birthday cake? That's unbeatable, especially with white chocolate and sprinkles.
These Birthday Cake Stuffed Cookies suit any occasion, but we're celebrating this blog's third birthday with them. Instead of a cake recipe, we opted for something better (and we were right).
For more birthday cake fun, try our Birthday Cake Overnight Oats, Birthday Cake Pancakes, and Birthday Cake Crepes.
Jump to:
- 💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 🛒 Ingredients
- 🔀 Substitutions & Variations
- 💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
- 🥄 Instructions for Birthday Cake Stuffed Cookies
- 👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- ❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
- 🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
- ❓ Birthday Cake Stuffed Cookies FAQs
- 🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- They're unique. Anyone can whip up some cookies or make a cake, but combining the two is practically unheard of unless you're thinking of a cookie cake- which is NOT the same.
- They're surprisingly easy to make. This Birthday Cake Stuffed Cookie recipe doesn't require too much time or effort to make, and there's no dough chilling required either, so you can have a batch of cookies in the oven in minutes flat.
- They're perfect as gifts! With the size of these cookies, you can easily gift them out as homemade treats for family and friends. They'll even do great at bake sales or local markets too. Think of them as DIY Stocking Stuffers for Foodies.
🛒 Ingredients
Cornstarch- This will help the cookies to stay puffy and light. (We also use cornstarch in our Captain Crunch Cookies and Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies).
Extracts- Use a combination of almond extract and vanilla extract for that iconic "birthday cake" flavor.
Sprinkles- I recommend using Jimmie rainbow sprinkles for the cookie dough because the color won't bleed, and the sprinkles hold up well to baking. Confetti sprinkles look nice on top though!
Birthday Cakes- Use Little Debbie Birthday Cake snack cakes as the center filling in every cookie. You'll only need half of a cake per cookie.
White Chocolate- For a nice topping on every cookie, use some melted white chocolate. White melting wafers work well too!
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Butter: Swap the butter for 1 cup of shortening (regular or butter-flavored).
Eggs: Replace 2 eggs with ½ cup + 2 tablespoon applesauce.
Birthday Cakes: If Little Debbie Birthday Cakes aren't available, use Cake Bites or another small, soft snack cake. You can also skip the melted chocolate topping and press a small piece of snack cake on top while the cookie is warm so it melts in place
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Buy snack cakes in multipacks. Little Debbie Birthday Cakes (or similar dupes) are often cheaper per cake when bought in bulk. You can also use generic birthday cake snack cakes for big savings.
Swap butter for shortening. Butter-flavored shortening is usually cheaper and still gives great texture, making it a budget-friendly alternative.
Make smaller cookies. Instead of 6-oz bakery-style cookies, divide the dough into smaller portions. You'll get more cookies out of one batch without sacrificing flavor.
🥄 Instructions for Birthday Cake Stuffed Cookies
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Step 2: Add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt to a large mixing bowl (Image 1).
Step 3: Whisk together until combined (Image 2).
Step 4: In another bowl, add the sugar and butter (Image 3).
Step 5: Cream the butter and sugar together for 2-4 minutes (Image 4). If using cold butter, beat it separately for 1 minute before adding the sugar.
Step 6: Add in the eggs, vanilla, and almond extract (Image 5).
Step 7: Mix well to combine (Image 6).
Step 8: Add in half of the flour mixture (Image 7).
Step 9: Mix together at low speed to incorporate (Image 8). You will have a soft dough.
Step 11: Mix again at low speed until combined. The dough will be much thicker.
Tip: The dough should feel soft and Play-Doh-like, not sticky and not crumbly. It should pull away from the bowl easily. If it's too dry, add a splash of milk; if it's too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it comes together.
Step 12: Add in ½ cup of Jimmie rainbow sprinkles (Image 9).
Step 13: Mix well to distribute (Image 10).
Step 14: Divide the dough into 9 balls of dough (Image 11). If you weighed them on a scale, they'd be about 4.5 ounces each.
Step 15: Take a ball of dough and slice it in half. Take a birthday cake and slice it in half as well (Image 12).
Step 16: Take one half of the dough and press it down with your fingers (Image 13). Flatten the other piece and set it aside.
Step 17: Top one flattened dough piece with half of a birthday cake (Image 14).
Step 18: Add the second piece of dough over the top (Image 15).
Step 19: Use your fingers to crimp the edges of the cookie dough (Image 16). Once the cake has been well hidden, gently shape and roll the dough back into a ball.
Step 20: Evenly space the cookies onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (Image 17). The cookies will spread, and you may need to work in batches.
Step 21: Bake in the oven at 375F for 9-10 minutes. They will seem undercooked but no longer be glossy or shiny (Image 18). This is okay!
Step 22: Allow your cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet without being disturbed. I like to wait an hour for the best results.
Once cooled, melt your white chocolate in 30 second intervals in the microwave until smooth.
Step 23: Add a small spoonful of white chocolate over the top of the cookie (Image 19). Shake the cookie around to help the chocolate spread. Top with sprinkles and a small slice of cake (Image 20).
Step 24: Allow the chocolate to set and harden (about 15 minutes) before serving.
Enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Choose the better sprinkle option. For the cookie sprinkles, rainbow jimmies work best without color bleeding. Confetti or any sprinkles are fine for topping.
- The type and temp of butter aren't super important. Use salted or unsalted butter; if cold, beat it separately to soften before adding other ingredients.
- Make sure that the cookies cool completely. Cool cookies completely on the baking sheet before transferring to avoid breakage. Cooling finishes cooking. Letting cookies cool is a pretty common tip for cookies (especially thick cookies like Honey Chocolate Chip Cookies).
- They might look underdone. These are soft cookies, and they will appear unfinished when you remove them from the oven. Letting them cool and settle will finish the cooking process. The tops should not be glossy, and the edges should look set.
- Food safety tip. Check the internal temperature of cookies with instant read thermometer; it should reach 160°F for safe consumption.
❄️ Storage, Reheating & Make Ahead
Storage: Store cooled, decorated Birthday Cake Stuffed Cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Layer with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Reheating: These cookies don't need reheating, but if you prefer them slightly warm, microwave for 5-10 seconds.
Make Ahead: You can prep the cookie dough balls and keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze them for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1-2 extra minutes.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
These birthday cake stuffed cookies pair well with simple drinks and snacks like milk, hot cocoa, coffee, or tea. They also make a fun dessert addition to party platters, bake sales, birthday celebrations, or cookie boxes.
- Birthday Cake Overnight OatsRecipe $1.24 / Serving $0.63
- Birthday Cake PancakesRecipe $2.83 / Serving $0.24
- Birthday Cake CrepesRecipe $5.44 / Serving $0.36
- Dinosaur CupcakesRecipe $7.61 / Serving $0.32
❓ Birthday Cake Stuffed Cookies FAQs
I recommend using heat seal individual baggies for these cookies if you plan on taking them to the market or presenting them as a gift. This will keep them all fresh and easy to portion out without letting the other cookies go stale.
I like to use butter because it's more flavorful and allows the cookies to have a nice texture, but Crisco can make cookies more tender. You can use either one and still get some delicious cookies.
I recommend using parchment paper instead of a greased baking sheet as parchment paper helps to prevent the cookie from spreading more than it should, and it also helps to prevent sticking to the pan. As the cookies cool, if moved too soon, the centers can fall out, and parchment makes that less likely to happen.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- Caramel Apple Cider CookiesRecipe $5.34 / Serving $0.22
- Chocolate Chip Pecan CookiesRecipe $2.73 / Serving $0.09
- Peanut Butter Butterfinger CookiesRecipe $3.74 / Serving $0.31
- Oreo Chocolate Chip CookiesRecipe $7.39 / Serving $0.27
🐝 If you tried this birthday cake stuffed cookies, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Birthday Cake Stuffed Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour - ($0.52)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch - ($0.02)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder - ($0.10)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt - ($0.01)
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar - ($0.45)
- 1 cup butter, room temperature - ($1.98)
- 2 large eggs - ($0.30)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract - ($0.06)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract - ($0.62)
- ½ cup rainbow jimmie sprinkles - ($1.28)
- 5 cakes Little Debbie Birthday Cakes - ($1.68)
Optional Toppings
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips - ($0.26)
- 2 tablespoons confetti sprinkles - ($0.32)
Instructions
- Prep oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar for 2 to 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add wet ingredients. Mix in the eggs, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully combined.
- Combine dough. Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until incorporated, then add the remaining dry ingredients and mix again until a thick dough forms.
- Adjust texture. Dough should be soft and pliable like playdough. If too dry, add a splash of milk. If too sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Fold in sprinkles. Mix in the rainbow jimmies until evenly distributed.
- Assemble cookies. Divide dough into 9 balls, about 4.5 ounces each. Slice each dough ball and each snack cake in half. Flatten one dough half, place half a cake on top, cover with the remaining dough, seal edges, and gently roll into a ball.
- Bake. Space cookies evenly on the baking sheet and bake for 9 to 10 minutes. Cookies should look set but not glossy.
- Cool. Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheet, about 1 hour, to finish setting.
- Decorate. Melt white chocolate in 30 second intervals until smooth. Spoon a small amount onto each cookie, gently spread, and top with confetti sprinkles and cake pieces if desired.
- Set and serve. Allow chocolate to set for about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Variations. Swap Birthday Cakes for other snack cakes like Cake Bites.
- Recipe Tips. Use jimmies in the dough for best color. Cookies finish setting as they cool and may seem underbaked at first. An internal temp of 160°F or higher indicates doneness.
- Make Ahead. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen with a slight time increase.
- Storage. Store cookies in an airtight container in a single layer or with parchment between layers for up to 1 week.
Nutritional Information
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