Sick of holiday recipes? Yeah, me too.
In lieu of yet another Christmas-y recipe, I decided to bust out my stash of sprinkles and throw myself a birthday party. Okay, it’s not so much a party as it was a sprinkle-filled baking extravaganza for one, but I’m not here to argue semantics. My birthday is exactly one week before Christmas (December 18th), and I thought it’d be fun to show all the December babies out there some love, myself included.
I’m past the point of truly getting excited about my birthday (Dear 27, I know you’re imminent, but I think I’ll keep you at an arm’s length), but I’m always a sucker for sprinkles, cake, confetti, and a good time– in that order. And since my sprinkle stash hasn’t seen the light of day since I went on a cupcake baking hiatus (sorry, guys… still tired of cupcakes; I’m sure I’ll crack one of these days, though), something Funfetti inspired had to happen.
So, I went the cookie cup route. Unfamiliar? See: this and this.
They’re basically deep dish cookies that you can fill with just about every sort of deliciousness fathomable. This particular rendition is an edible confetti explosion in your mouth, complete with a frosting-filled center, sugar pearls, and edible glitter.
*You’ll need a mini muffin pan for this recipe; buy one by Wilton on Amazon | $15
Sprinkles used:
- Wilton Sugar Pearlsin blue and white | $5 ea.
- Wilton Star Sprinkles | $4
- Wilton Rainbow Nonpareils| $4.50
- Wilton Shimmer Dust | $6.75
Birthday Cookie Cups
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I used Nielsen-Massey)
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract (I used Nielsen-Massey
- 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 11/2 teaspoons corn starch
- 11/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup rainbow sprinkles
- 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch salt
- Assorted sprinkles to top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt, set aside
- Combine butter, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla bean extract, and almond extract in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth and light, about 5 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as needed
- Slowly add flour mixture to wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute
- Fold in sprinkles and white chocolate chips
- Spoon dough into wells of muffin tin until each well is about 3/4 full
- Place pan in oven and bake for 7-8 minutes (cookie cups will appear under-baked-- this is okay, as they will continue to bake through once removed from the oven!)
- Allow cookie cups to cool in pan for 10 minutes; centers will cave, creating a well for the icing
- While cookie cups are cooling, beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes
- Adjust speed to low and add confectioners' sugar, cream, extracts, and salt, then increase speed to high and beat for 3 more minutes
- Spoon frosting into a piping bag and pipe into wells of cookie cups until full
- Top with assorted sprinkles
- Serve immediately, or store in an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months
- NOTE: depending on how much frosting you use, you may have some left over! Spoon it into a container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. I like to dip strawberries in it or swirl a bit on top of my ice cream 🙂
Julie says
Happy birthday a bit early! My oldest niece has her birthday on December 29th. I’ve always felt guilty that I’ve just thrown her a second gift at Christmas. One of my dear childhood friends has her birthday on December 25th. She likes it now, but didn’t when she was younger. So, throw yourself a party and have some cupcakes. As always, these are beautiful!
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Thanks, Julie!! Yeah, being a December baby isn’t always easy, but at least I can be thankful for all the festive lights and decorations and family time this time of year. They’re definitely a built-in bonus 🙂
Pam Gleichman says
Great post & Happy Birthday to You! My son was born on the 22nd so we know exactly how it is 🙂
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Thanks, Pam!!
Jessie says
Help! I’m trying to make these for my son’s birthday party…they look SO yummy, but I’m a little confused. In the ingredients for the cups there is 1/4 vegetable oil, but I don’t see where it’s used in the recipe…? Also, you call for pure vanilla extract in the ingredients, but in the recipe you say to add vanilla bean PASTE…? Maybe I’m missing something because I don’t bake A TON, but I’m a little confused. Could you please enlighten me?!? Thank you!!!
Kailley @ Kailley's Kitchen says
Hi, Jessie! So sorry for the confusion! This is what I get for publishing a blog post late at night 😉 I was going back and forth between using vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract for the cookie base, and after a few test versions of the recipe, decided to just use extract– my mistake for including paste in the instructions! And the oil should be added at the same time as the butter. I’ve updated the recipe, so you should be all set! Enjoy!!
Jessie says
Thank you SO SO SO much!!! I really appreciate it! 🙂 Doing anything late at night is a bad idea for me! Can’t wait to make these! I’ll let you know if mine taste as good as yours look! Thanks for all your inspiration!!! Love your blog!