Are you ready for what could potentially be the best week of the year?! It’s #AKBirthdayCakeWeek!
Due to the pandemic, so many of us have missed out on celebrating birthdays in the way that we traditionally would, so I thought it would be fun to celebrate with fun, creative birthday-themed recipes you could make for loved ones and celebrate with right at home. They’re all phenomenal (tested multiple times by yours truly), offer variety and include SPRINKLES. Because every birthday deserves sprinkles, right?
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Ingredients in 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 made 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! A flax egg should also work.
- Vanilla & almond extract: we’re using a combo of vanilla extract and almond extract, which gives these cookies that true birthday cake flavor.
- Almond flour: be sure to use a fine, blanched almond flour for the right texture. Do not use almond meal.
- Coconut flour: you’ll just need 3 tablespoons of coconut flour.
- 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.
How to make gluten free birthday cake cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add in coconut oil, sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix until well combined and smooth.
- Next, add in almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt; mix until dough forms. Fold in ¼ cup sprinkles. Allow the dough to sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Use your hands to roll dough into golf sized 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.
- Bake for 9-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow cookies to cool completely before frosting. Makes about 14 cookies.
- For the frosting: Beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla on high until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Fold in 1 tablespoon sprinkles. Frost each cookie, then add a few extra sprinkles on top.
How to make vegan birthday cake cookies
These healthy birthday cake cookies can easily be made vegan & dairy free! Here’s how to do it:
- swap in vegan butter for the frosting (we prefer Earth Balance for the best texture)
- use a flax egg instead of a regular egg in the recipe.
- Alternatively you can skip the frosting all together 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 the next level).
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 birthday cake cookies
To store the gluten free birthday cake cookies: 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 the birthday cake cookies: 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 birthday cake themed recipes
Birthday Cake Rice Krispie Treats
Birthday Cake Cookie Dough Energy Bites
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!
Birthday Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup melted and cooled coconut oil
- 1/3 cup organic sugar (regular sugar or coconut sugar will also work)
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups packed fine blanched almond flour (do not use almond meal)
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour (do not pack)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup sprinkles
- For the vanilla buttercream (optional):
- 4 tablespoons butter or vegan butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup organic powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl add in coconut oil, sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extract. Mix until well combined and smooth.
- Next, add in almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and salt; mix until dough forms. Fold in ¼ cup sprinkles. Allow the dough to sit for 3-5 minutes.
- Use your hands to roll dough into golf sized 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.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow cookies to cool completely before frosting. Makes about 12-14 cookies.
- For the frosting: Beat butter, powdered sugar and vanilla on high until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Fold in 1 tablespoon sprinkles. Frost each cookie, then add a few extra sprinkles on top.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
132 comments
Hi! For butter in frosting, should it be salted or unsalted? Making these tonight and I’m SO EXCITED! Thank you for being such an inspiring woman, you are the best.
Hi Mallory! Either will work 🙂 and thank you so much!
We made these just as soon as we got the recipe in my inbox – SO GOOD!! Perfectly chewy and soft. We didn’t even make it to the frosting and I’m not even sorry. Currently stored in the freezer for our nightly treat this week 🙌🏻 Killin’ it with the recipes per usual, girl!!
Amazing! So glad you loved them!
Does buttercream frosting need unsalted butter?
I used salted butter since it’s what I had and they are fine – they don’t taste salty or anything.
Salted or unsalted will work!
I made these last night, following the recipe exactly and they are AMAZING! My whole family loves them. They are so soft and flavorful and the icing takes them over the top. They are so quick and easy to make too. Thank you so much for another amazing cookie recipe (my family is also obsessed with your banana cookies with the cream cheese frosting!).
So happy they were a hit! The perfect easy treat 🙂
So tasty! This is the third AK dessert recipe I’ve made in the last week and it’s sooooo good! Like a grownup version of Funfetti cake in cookie form. Made exactly as written and they turned out great but like all AK recipes, my oven always seems to take a little less time (8-9 min was perfect).
Love that! So happy you liked them!
Gosh! I love ALL your work! Fantastic. I have been baking your tahini chocolate chip cookies all of this year. It has gotten me through this pandemic. Just recently baked the tahini chocolate chip cake for my son’s birthday and I have been hiding it from them. 😜
This weekend, I have tried your oatmeal ones using almond butter instead of PB, paleo lemon poppy seed cookies, brown butter and sea salt chocolate chip cookies, soft Italian orange cookies,the one bowl gingerbread cake, and gluten free ginger molasses cookies. They all came out amazing, my kids love the BB chocolate chip and my new favorite is the GF molasses.
Amazing! So happy you’re finding recipes here that you love 🙂
So good and so easy to make. Funfetti cookies have always been my favorite! I will definitely be saving this recipe for the future. Thank you!!
So delicious! Glad you loved them 🙂
You’ve done it again! These cookies are phenomenal. They were easy to make (I love that they’re one-bowl!) and are soft, fluffy, and just sweet enough. The room temperature egg is key! My fiancé ate about half of them in one sitting and says they’re his new favorite cookie ever. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Amazing! So happy you both loved them 🙂
Made these today and you’re right, they’re perfect! Thanks for the easy-to-follow recipe!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!
Has anyone tried making these as bars rather than individual cookies? I’m guessing it would work, I’d just have to adjust the cook time?
You can totally make these as bars, the baking time should just be a bit longer, I’m guessing between 15-22 minutes in a 9×9 inch pan.
Wow! These cookies are AMAZING!! My family went crazy for these. Thank you!!
I’m so glad!!
These were awesome! I actually made two variations to them – one was with sprinkles and instead of the frosting, I added a half cup of “funfetti” flavored chips (not as healthy, but delish and I ran out of time to make frosting). The other was an “almond joy” variation as I subbed the sprinkles for half a cup shredded unsweetened coconut and a half cup dark chocolate chunks. So tasty!!
Amazing! Love that idea 🙂 the perfect treat!
These cookies are so fun and delish! Chewy, fluffy, super tasty and overall a perfect grain free cookie to make for celebrations!
I substituted Lakanto Erythritol/Monk fruit blend instead of using sugar and found it to be a actually little too sweet (but still yummy!) so just in case anyone wanted to make these “keto”, maybe use a little then than 1:1.
Will definitely be remaking! Thanks Monique for birthday cake week, it’s been exciting!
The perfect treat! Alternative sugars like monk fruit, stevia, etc. are much sweeter than regular sugar, which is probably what happened. Let me know how they go with less!
Hi there! I had the pleasure of trying these cookies with weekend on vacation. I would love to try making them now! Do you have reconditions for high altitude? I’m at 5200ft.
Thank you!
Hi! I think they should be fine as is!
I’m usually a chocolate chip cookie kind of gal, but these were delicious! Made them for my coworkers and they loved them. I only wish the batch made more because they were gone WAY too fast!
So glad they were a hit! You’ll have to make a double batch next time 😉
Another GF home run by AK!! These cookies were incredibly soft and delicious, and did not last long in my house of boys. I tend to like almond flavors, so I added 1/8 tsp of almond extract to the frosting.
Love that! So glad they were a hit in your house 🙂
Love these cookies! So excited to have a reason to use my sprinkles. 🙂 Keep the recipes coming, Monique!
Absolutely! Lots of new birthday cake recipes to use up the sprinkles now, too 🙂
I will make this for December as gifts for my family. They look easy to make and healthy. I have some questions though.
What is the difference between almond meal and almond flour? Because you noted that almond meal should not be used. I never shop fpr almond flour on markets I always make the flour on my own,
About the coconut sugar, is it ok if the one I found is brownish? Cause where I live the color of the coconut sugar they sell is kind of brownish.
Another question what is about pack the almond flour? What is that?
Thanks again. Certainly they look so delicious I can wait to try it when I make them in December.
Hi Maria! Almond meal is not as finely ground as almond flour (and the skins of the almonds are left one) so it will leave a grainy texture. Use a fine, blanched almond flour to get the right texture (which means the almonds are finely ground without the skins). You can definitely use coconut sugar even if it’s darker in color – the cookies will just come out a bit darker, but will taste delicious! And lastly, pack the almond flour as you would do with brown sugar (i.e. pack it into your measuring cup). Enjoy!
Thanks very much. About the almond meal now I know. When I do the flour my own I always get rid of the dark skin to make the flour so I guess it wotn be a problem then.
These cookies came out amazing! Great birthday treat. Recipe is so easy to follow and will make these cookies again. Thanks!
So happy you loved them!
Delicious! Such a tasty treat. I made them during a weekend that I decided to try a bunch of dessert recipes. They were a hit with my friends. Definitely am going to make them for birthdays going forward!
Perfect! Glad you loved them 🙂
I made these during Ambitious Kitchens’ Birthday Cake theme week and they instantly became one of my families favorite cookies. I have made them three times since. They are perfect for giving to family or friends for their birthday! They are great with our without frosting but the frosting definitely puts them over the top!
Amazing! I’m so glad!
These were absolutely amazing!! My husband & I will definitely be making these again soon!! SO good & the frosting was delicious!
So happy to hear that!
ILOVE THESE COOKIES. Omg. I follow the recipe exactly- they’re perfect. Soft, chewy, not too sweet- just the best. I’ve made them way too many times since I discovered them.
I’m so glad! Such a great treat 🙂
You are amazing and all of your recipes are incredible! These cookies came out perfectly and my 2 year old son especially loved them as a special treat!
Aw thank you so much! I’m glad these were a hit!
These cookies are insane! The perfect amount of sweetness, even for my diabetic family members. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
So happy to hear that!
Loved this recipe! Followed it exactly as written and had no issues. Got 14 cookies and they remind me of a healthier version of the lofthouse cookies. Good stuff! Keep creating – long time fan!
Absolutely! Glad you loved these!
These are delicious! Supernatural sprinkles do not melt into the cookie but stay “crunchy” it’s not a bad thing just unexpected at first.
I do like the way they stay in the cookie 🙂 feel free to use any sprinkles you’d like!
Best cookies ever! My Mom is not a fan of funfetti and she even loves them! Fabulous cookies!
Amazing! Happy to hear that 🙂
Loved this recipe! I forgot to flatten my cookies before putting them in the oven and they remained in their original ball size LOL. I’ll call them cookie truffles to my family 🙂
Whoops! Still delicious! 🙂
I plan on making these tonight–can I substitute the coconut oil with anything else by chance?
I hope so, but afraid to mess with the obvious perfection of this recipe per the reviews! 🙂
I’m willing to use butter or anything else as trying not to hit the store tonight after dinner and just wanted to use what I have as you can imagine!
Hi! Butter will work just fine!
I loved how fun these were with the sprinkles and frosting. Super delicious too!
So festive! Such a great dessert 🙂
Followed it to the t and they are the best!! The perfect essay break snack 🙂
So happy to hear that!
These are a quick but crowd-pleasing cookie to make. They are super light and stay moist for a few days after being baked!
Absolutely! One of my favs 🙂
Can I use STEVIA instead of organic sugar? Thanks
I wouldn’t recommend it – sorry! Stevia is much sweeter.
Ohh dont worry I already did the cookies with organic sugar and they taste delicious. Im going to bake anotehr batch.
Perfect!
I made these for my daughter’s 1st birthday party and they were great! My gluten free friend immediately asked for the recipe (which of course I sent along). Also super easy to make, which is always a plus.
These are amazing! Definitely one of my favorite GF cookies that I feel slightly less guilty about making on a random Tuesday just so we can have something sweet around the house. Highly recommend!
I made these as a Valentine’s Day treat and they did not disappoint! I added a splash of almond milk to the frosting because my little hand mixer wasn’t able to achieve the creamy texture with just the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract..
Wow- these taste identical to those Lofthouse cookies, and the frosting tastes just like the Betty Crocker kind (in the best way!!!!). Moist, chewy, delicious. I used flax egg and vegan butter- my family would have never known they were vegan! Or healthy-ish! Will be making again & again & again
Absolutely! Glad you loved them!
These cookies… OMG SO YUM! I make them quite often! The recipe is quick to make and forgiving – sometimes I don’t have quite enough almond flour and use more coconut flour and they still turn out great.
Perfect! So glad you love them!
Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out amazing!! Will be making them again soon.
so happy to hear that!
so good! these cookies stayed soft for over a week. i also added almond extract to the frosting 🙂
The best! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
These cookies are great! I don’t know why, but I was so surprised at how tasty they were- I guess they seemed “healthier” than regular cookies so I didn’t expect such amazing results! But they’re really delicious! I recommend trying them out.
By the way, I used AP flour in place of coconut, so they may not have been as sweet. Still delicious!
I’m glad that swap worked out! Perfect treat 🙂
This recipe was delicious! The cookies had a wonderful almond flavor and came out very soft and moist. I might even say that they get better as they cool down, and are great the next few days (if they make it that long)!
So happy to hear that!
The is truly the best and easiest cookie recipe ever! We love making them and having them for a little treat. I’ve also tried the actual birthday cake recipe and that is incredible as well. Can’t recommend enough!
Absolutely! So glad you love them!
Made these cookies for my family and they were blown away! So tasty
So happy to hear that! One of our favs, too.
I KNOW you said not to sub flours but I didn’t realize I only had a cup of almond flour left until all the wet ingredients were mixed! I used regular flour as the remainder (still with the coconut flour) and they turned out good. Next time I’ll make sure I have everything beforehand!
I’m glad they still turned out!!
These cookies are easy to make and delicious! I will make them for the grandchildren lots. They loved them! (and so did Grampa).
So happy to hear that! What a perfect treat 🙂
These are literally life changing. So delicious, I wasn’t expecting to fall this in love. I’m more of a chocolate gal. I used regular butter and all vanilla extract (need to get almond), and they came out phenomenal.
So glad you loved them!!
These cookies look so good!
Wondering if you could replace the coconut oil with avocado oil?
Thanks!
I’m not sure, since I haven’t tried it! Let me know if you do 🙂
Loved these! Perfect for a birthday treat for non cake lovers.
Yay! Happy to hear you enjoyed them, Peyton 🙂
Yum yum yum!! These cookies are better than expected. Made them with coconut sugar so they were darker turned out great. The icing reminds me of dunk-a-roo’s (from what I can remember). Kids said they were the best cookies ever!! Will definitely make again.
OMG Dunkaroos! What a throwback. So happy you guys loved them!
Not sure what went wrong but my dough didn’t turn turn out doughy at all.
When packing the almond flour, could that have used too much flour?
I added another egg and a tiny bit of water, which helped, but it still didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to.
Ah sorry to hear that! I always pack mine and they turn out well. Did you follow the recipe otherwise?
These cookies were delicious! The texture is amazing (even after coming out of the freezer) and the flavour was great. Big hit with the whole family (except for my one son who is not a fan of coconut).
Yay! I’m so happy you guys loved them, Nicole!
These cookies are amazing! They have become a go-to and you can’t even tell that it’s made with clean ingredients. The almond extract is the star of the show. They also freeze beautifully!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and they’re so delicious! The cookie is incredibly soft and doesn’t crumble at all (a win for a GF cookie). Plus a homemade butter cream frosting is always a good idea! Love!!
So glad to hear that, Kate! Thank you for the review!
I can’t have gluten or dairy, but I’ve never made an Ambitious Kitchen recipe that wasn’t a HUGE HIT with my gluten and dairy loving family. These cookies were no exception. The cookies themselves were the perfect texture and flavor, and everyone loved the frosting. Kids and adults alike ate these up, and I cannot believe how quickly and easily everything came together.
I made these cookies for my nieces birthday party and after the party one of the kid’s moms asked my sister what bakery she had bought them so she could get them again! These are THAT good. Both kid and adult friendly, these cookies are a winner!
Omg that’s AMAZING! Glad everyone loved them so much!
Ok so I did read the instructions, the very important instructions re: NOT substituting almond flour. But we have a tree nut allergy in my house and we’re not able to use this. I would looooove to try this recipe and wondering if, over the last year or so, you tried subbing out the almond flour with anything else? Thank you!
I haven’t, sorry to say! Lots of nut free recipes here, though 🙂
These are fantastic that I had to make a second batch in the same day!! Flavor is great!
Omg YAY I’m so glad you loved them!! 🥳
I’ve made a number of your grain free cookies. I now prefer them over plain flour cookies. The texture is perfect. Slightly chewy and no hint of the coconut flour, for those who aren’t a fan. The only thing I did differently was used butter instead of coconut oil and white sugar (slightly reduced, but you couldn’t tell)
I’ve made these twice in the last 4 days! Ha! They don’t last more than 24 hours in our house! My little kids even love them! So good! Dense and not overly sweet. Followed the recipe as written and it’s great! And the frosting makes the perfect amount so I didn’t waste any, which is always nice. Yay!! Thank you, Monique!!
Amazing!! So happy the whole fam loves them 🙂
I was skeptical of these at first because the dough was grainy BUT these are so amazing. Not too sweet, great flavor, and a quick and easy recipe. It doesn’t make too many cookies which is perfect if you don’t have self control. I haven’t made a bad ambitious kitchen recipe yet.
These were good! Had a distinctive coconut flavor but I liked it. I subbed monk fruit to make them keto-friendly and it was lovely.
So glad it turned out great with the monk fruit!
These cookies were amazing! They were so soft and perfectly sweet. I did use coconut sugar and they were a bit darker than the ones here. Also, used cream cheese in the frosting instead of butter, delicious! These are a new staple in our house for birthdays!
Delicious and soft! My toddler loves making these with me and eating them too of course!
These are awesome healthy-ish cookies and great option for gluten free people! My brother in law requests them every year for his birthday. Super quick to make. I use regular sugar and sometimes add a little oat milk to icing to make it come together better.
Ah yay! I am so glad these are such a hit 🙂
Hi, these are wonderful as is, but I’m wanting to make a vegan version. Do you think adding a flax egg will work in this recipe?
Yes!
Awesome cookies! How long will they keep in the fridge?
They should stay good for up to a week (if they last that long lol 😉)