Healthy Birthday Cake Cookies (gluten free!)

Summer is on its way out and I thought why not celebrate a new season with a fun birthday-themed treat? I actually made these easy, super soft, delicious cookies almost 4 years ago to the date to bring a little joy back into 2020 (IYKYK).

These gluten-free and grain-free birthday cake cookies are perfectly soft like those Lofthouse cookies you probably grew up on, but are made with more nourishing ingredients and topped with the best vanilla buttercream frosting. I say life is better with sprinkles, so you know we’re mixing some right into the batter AND on top of these beauties.

Bake them up for your friends or with your kiddos and have a little dessert celebration any day of the week!

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Ingredients in these healthy birthday cake cookies

These deliciously soft, grain free & gluten free birthday cake cookies use a few pantry staples and of course, plenty of sprinkles. Here’s everything you’ll need to make them:

• Coconut oil: you’ll use melted and cooled coconut oil to make sure these birthday cake cookies are perfectly moist.
• Organic cane sugar: I like to use organic cane sugar but you can also use regular sugar or coconut sugar. Just note that the cookies will turn out darker in color if you use coconut sugar (but will still be delicious!) 
• Egg: you’ll just need 1 egg in these birthday cake cookies. Make sure it’s at room temperature before using in the recipe!
• Vanilla & almond extract: we’re using a combo of vanilla extract and almond extract, which gives these cookies that true birthday cake flavor.
• Flour: we’re also using both fine, blanched almond flour and a little bit of coconut flour to get keep the cookies grain and gluten-free.
• Baking soda & salt: to help these cookies bake up properly.
• Sprinkles: because they’re birthday cake cookies, of course! This is the brand that I like to use, and this brand is also an all natural choice for sprinkles.
• For the vanilla buttercream: you’ll need butter or vegan butter, organic powdered sugar, vanilla extract & sprinkles.

Can I make them vegan?

Yes, these healthy birthday cake cookies can easily be made vegan & dairy free! Here’s how to do it:

• Use a flax egg instead of a regular egg in the recipe.
• Swap in vegan butter for the frosting (we prefer Earth Balance or Miyokos for the best texture)
• Alternatively, you can skip the frosting altogether or use a dairy-free frosting such as Simple Mills vanilla. The cookies themselves are delicious even without the frosting (though the frosting takes these to the next level).

Easy birthday cake cookies in 5 simple steps

1. Mix the wet ingredients. Add all of your wet ingredients to a large bowl and mix until well combined and smooth.
2. Make the dough. Add the dry ingredients to your bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a dough forms. Fold in some of the sprinkles (leaving some for decorating the tops) and allow the dough to sit for a few minutes.
3. Roll & bake. Use your hands or a cookie scoop to roll dough into golf ball sized dough balls. Place on the prepared cookie sheet then flatten each dough ball with the palm of your hand so that it’s about ¼ inch thick, then bake them up.
4. Cool & make the frosting. Allow the cookies to cool completely while you beat together all of the frosting ingredients.
5. Frost & devour. Frost each cookie, add a few extra sprinkles on top, and eat up!

Tips for making the best healthy birthday cake cookies

• Do not use substitutes. Almond flour should not be replaced with any other flour, nor should you attempt to replace the coconut flour (though I suspect oat flour or a gluten free all purpose flour in place of the coconut flour may work out okay). These healthy birthday cake cookies are perfect as-is and the recipe should be changed at your own risk.
• Pack your almond flour. You can pack the blanched fine almond flour just like you would with brown sugar. It makes all the difference! Do NOT pack your coconut flour though.
• Use a room temperature egg. This will ensure that the coconut oil does not coagulate and cause the cookie dough to be super lumpy. Just place your egg in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes (before cracking), or run warm water over the egg for a minute to bring it to room temp.

Storing & freezing tips

• To store: feel free to keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, then transfer to the fridge or freezer.
• To freeze: make sure the cookies are completely cooled, and then transfer them to an airtight container lined with wax or parchment paper or freezer-safe bag before storing them in the freezer for up to 2 months. I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature and enjoy! You can frost before or after they’re frozen!

More grain-free treats you’ll love

Get all of my grain-free dessert recipes here!

I hope you love these healthy grain free birthday cake cookies! If you make them be sure to leave a comment & a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!

This post was originally published on September 14th, 2020, and republished on September 3rd, 2024.