Birthday Cake Cookies are a fun treat to make for any celebration! Homemade funfetti cookies are stuffed with delicious easy-to-make buttercream. They're soft and chewy, and their surprise filling will leave friends and family wanting more.
Funfetti cookies are delicious and a fun and festive treat for any occasion that both kids and adults love. And what's better than funfetti cookies stuffed with delicious buttercream! These simple cookies do not lack in flavor. They have a soft and tender texture, and their surprise sweet filling is sure to excite all those who indulge.
Why this recipe works
- There's an unexpected surprise in the middle of these cookies.
- These cookies can be made with any color sprinkles.
- An easy-to-make recipe that can be prepped in advance.
- It can be made with your favorite flavored buttercream.
Before you begin
Take out the following baking equipment.
Digital kitchen scale
Stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
Silicone spatula
Plate
2 baking sheet pans
Parchment paper
Small bowl
2-tablespoon scoop
Wire cooling rack
Allow all of the ingredients to come to room temperature.
Read the recipe through from start to finish.
Understanding ingredients
Always use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt that goes into your recipe. Take your butter out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour in advance. Softened butter should be close to room temperature, malleable, and able to hold its shape without looking oily. It should be slightly firm to the touch yet leave the impression of your finger when you press into it.
Almond extract adds a lovely flavor to the buttercream. However, be careful not to use too much because it can quickly become an overpowering flavor. If you're not a fan of this flavoring, you can substitute with 2 g (1/2 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract in the buttercream filling.
For the funfetti cookie dough, stick with using sprinkles (aka jimmies). Nonpareils tend to bleed in the oven and will not yield as pretty cookies compared to using the sprinkles. You can use any color you'd like to match these cookies with your celebration theme.
How to make the frosting filling
The frosting is a simple buttercream that comes together quickly. Here's how to prepare it and prep it for stuffing the birthday cake cookies.
Mix all the ingredients. Using a mixer, beat together the butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, and salt until you have a smooth and creamy consistency. This should take about 2 minutes.
Portion filling. Scoop out teaspoon-sized buttercream, place onto a parchment-lined plate, and place in the freezer for 5 minutes to harden.
Shape filling. Remove the filling from the freezer and roll each buttercream portion into a smooth ball. Place it back into the refrigerator to chill while preparing the cookie dough.
How to stuff the birthday cake cookies with the filling
The easiest way to stuff the cookies is to use a 2-tablespoon scoop to portion out the cookie dough equally.
Portion dough. Using your scoop, portion out all the cookie dough and roll each into a smooth ball.
Make a well. Using your thumb, make an indentation into half of the cookie dough balls.
Fill with buttercream. Remove the frosting from the refrigerator and place one frosting ball inside each cookie indentation.
Seal cookies. Cover each cookie with another cookie dough ball and mold the two portions of dough around the filling. Be sure to pinch the seams together and round out the edges.
Other fillings that work well
Traditional American style buttercream is used to stuff the fun surprise in these cookies. However, you can get creative and use other fillings to satisfy your taste.
For a more decadent filling, you can use chocolate buttercream or chocolate peanut butter buttercream. Or you could even pair these cookies with homemade cream cheese frosting.
Regardless of which filling you use, do not add the liquid ingredient (typically cream or milk) to the frosting. This is used to thin out frostings to more easily decorate cakes and cupcakes. But for this recipe, we don't need to thin out the frosting. Instead, it should be thick enough to be rolled into balls to stuff between the cookies.
Make-Ahead Cookies
It's always convenient to have a recipe that you can make ahead, especially if you plan on serving it at a celebration or gathering. Both the cookies and the frosting are easy to make ahead of time.
You can make this funfetti cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator up to 2-3 days in advance. Once ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator and set it at room temperature for 30 minutes before scooping into portions. Additionally, the buttercream filling can be made up to 1 week in advance.
Tips and takeaways
- For an extra fun treat, you can mix some sprinkles into your buttercream filling.
- Instead of mixing sprinkles into your cookie dough, or in addition to them, you can mix mini chocolate chips into the dough for an extra special treat.
If you love funfetti, try these other recipes...
Make sure to tag me @thesweetoccasion on Instagram and leave me a review below if you make these Birthday Cake Cookies. I’d love to see your creations and read your feedback. And if you would like to make this recipe later, be sure to pin this recipe using the button on any of these images. Let’s make every occasion a sweet occasion!
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Birthday Cake Cookies
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
Description
Birthday Cake Cookies are a fun treat to make for any celebration! Homemade funfetti cookies are stuffed with delicious easy-to-make buttercream. They're soft and chewy, and their surprise inside will leave friends and family wanting more.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 56 g (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 120 g (1 cup) powdered sugar
- 1 g (1/4 teaspoon) pure almond extract
- pinch of salt
For the funfetti cookies
- 350 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 5.1 g (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 3.2 g (1/2 teaspoon) salt
- 170 g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 220 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 55g (1/4 cup) brown sugar
- 8 g (2 teaspoons) pure vanilla extract
- 50 g (1 large) egg
- 80 g (1/2 cup) sprinkles
Instructions
For the filling
- In a medium bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, powdered sugar, almond extract, and salt on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Drop teaspoonfuls onto a parchment-lined plate and place filling into the freezer for 5 minutes. Remove the filling from the freezer and roll each teaspoonful into a ball. Place the frosting into the refrigerator while preparing the cookie dough.
For the funfetti cookies
- Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- With a mixer, beat the butter on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the sugars and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Mix in the egg until combined and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture until combined and there are no dry spots of flour. Add sprinkles and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, portion out the cookie dough and roll each into a ball. Using your thumb, make an indent into one cookie dough ball. Remove frosting from the refrigerator and place one frosting ball inside the indentation. Cover with another cookie dough ball and mold the two portions of dough around the filling. Repeat with remaining cookie dough and filling.
- Place stuffed cookie dough 3-inches apart from each other on the prepared baking sheet pans. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and the centers are still soft.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Make-Ahead: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days. You can make the buttercream filling up to 1 week in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Freezing: Unbaked cookies filled with the buttercream can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow cookies to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking as directed.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
Keywords: funfetti, sprinkles, buttercream, stuffed cookies, birthday cookies
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