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Best Birthday Cake Cookies with Sprinkles (Easy Recipe)

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These soft, chewy birthday cake cookies are bursting with sprinkles and nostalgic flavor. Made with a secret combination of butter and shortening plus a touch of almond extract, they’re quick, easy, and perfect for any celebration.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles (jimmies), plus 2 tablespoons for rolling

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven if baking two sheets at once. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, shortening, and granulated sugar together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light, fluffy, and pale yellow. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
  3. Add the room-temperature egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Beat on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute. The mixture may look slightly curdled; scrape the bowl again.
  4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
  5. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix just until the flour disappears; do not overmix.
  6. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in 1/2 cup of the rainbow sprinkles until evenly distributed.
  7. Using a cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon size), portion the dough into balls. Roll each ball between your palms to make it smooth and round.
  8. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of sprinkles in a small bowl. Roll each dough ball in the sprinkles to coat the outside.
  9. Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one.
  10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just barely golden brown. The centers will look slightly underdone and puffy. For softer cookies, bake for 10 minutes; for slightly crispier edges, bake for 11-12 minutes. If baking two sheets at once, rotate them halfway through (swap top and bottom racks, and turn each sheet 180 degrees).
  11. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

For best results, use room temperature butter and egg. Do not skip the shortening; it gives the cookies their soft, chewy texture. Use jimmies (long rod-shaped sprinkles) to prevent color bleeding. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months, or freeze unbaked dough balls and bake from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.

Nutrition

Keywords: birthday cake cookies, sprinkle cookies, funfetti cookies, easy cookie recipe, soft chewy cookies

Find it online: https://freshforkful.com/best-birthday-cake-cookies-with-sprinkles-easy-recipe/