Birthday Cake Cookies
Fun celebration surprise-inside cookies are stacked sugar cookies decorated like birthday cakes with mini candy hidden inside.
Servings 12 three layer cookie cakes
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Ingredients
- 1 batch Cut Out Vanilla Sugar Cookies full recipe if making only vanilla cookies or a half batch if making both flavors
- 1 batch Chocolate Sugar Cookies full recipe if making only chocolate cookies or a half batch if making both flavors
- 1 batch glaze icing
- ¾ cup mini candies
- 12 small birthday candles
- rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
Preparing the cookies
- Prepare the Sugar Cookie dough according to the recipe instructions.
- Roll out the cookie dough to ¼" and cut out 36- 2" circles (3 circles for each Birthday Cake Cookie).
- Transfer the dough circles to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake chocolate cookies for 8 minutes, vanilla cookies for 9 minutes.
- Immediately after removing the baked cookies from oven, use a 1" circle cookie cutter or the top edge of a small medicine measuring cup to cut out the center from 12 cookies for the middle cookie in each set. Using the tip of a drinking straw, press out a candle hole in the middle of 12 cookies for the top cookie in each set.
- Cool the prepared cookies on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Assembling and decorating the cookie cakes
- Prepare the glaze icing to the consistency of honey. Spoon the icing into ziplock sandwichbags or icing bags. If using a ziplock bag, cut a tiny piece off of a bottom corner. If using an icing bag, cut a tiny piece off of the tip.
- Place the cookies on a wire rack over waxed paper. Arrange the cookies in sets, 3 cookies in each set with a top (candle hole), middle (larger hole), and bottom (no hole) cookie.
- To assemble the cookie sets into “cakes”, squirt a line of icing around the top edge of the solid bottom cookie. Place the middle, doughnut shaped cookie on top, pressing gently. Icing should show on the outer edge between the cookies like frosting between the layers of a cake. Allow this icing to set for at least half an hour.
- Pour a small amount of mini candies into the hole of the middle cookie. The top of the candy should be even with the top surface of the middle cookie so that the next layer can lie flat on top.
- Pipe a line of icing around the top edge of the middle cookie. Place the top cookie (with the candle hole) over the icing and press gently. Allow the icing to set for at least half an hour.
- Use a sharp knife to trim small birthday candles to a height proportionate with the size of your cookie “cake” (about 1"). Insert a candle into the hole on each top cookie.
- Pipe icing onto the top of the cookie “cake” covering the surface and dripping down the sides of the cookie cake. Apply sprinkles to the top of each "cake" immediately after icing.
- Allow the icing to set completely for at least 2 hours or overnight before wrapping, storing, or mailing. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, Birthday Cake Surprise Cookies stay fresh for at least 2 weeks.
Notes
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- Follow the instructions and cut out the holes AFTER baking. If the holes are cut out before baking, the circle diameter expands when the cutter is inserted, resulting with different sized layers. Also, the doughnut shaped middle layer is difficult to move onto the cookie sheet without distorting the shape.
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- The snall hole in the top circle can be made with a plastic drinking straw.
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- Use a 1" circle cutter or a small medicine measuring cup to make the hole (or hollow center) in the middle circle.
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- Coating the cookie stacks completely with glaze helps the cookies stay fresh longer.
- Place each “cake” into a small plastic or cellophane bag and seal closed.
- To mail, put wrapped “cakes” into a plastic food storage box in a single layer.
- Add wadded tissue paper or waxed paper between the cookies and the storage box lid to ensure the cookies can’t move at all within the storage box.
- Use additional packing material to secure the plastic storage boxes inside the mailing carton.