Name: Gluten Free Birthday Cake Cookies
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup unsalted plant based butter, softened; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed; 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp almond extract; 2 - 2 1/4 cups gluten free flour (315g) (I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1); 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; scant 1/3 cup sprinkles

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These birthday cake cookies are soft in the middle with a crispy edge. The hint of almond extract makes them taste like a vanilla birthday cake. You can change the sprinkles for different occasions and add white chocolate chips to make these cookies even more decadent.

A note on some of the ingredients:

Vegan butter: My preferred vegan butter for baking is the Becel sticks. I use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in the baking. As a bonus it is also gluten free! Any solid vegan butter would work in this recipe. I would not use a vegan margarine as it would affect the spread on the cookie.

Unsweetened applesauce: Applesauce in this recipe helps bind the cookies together without the use of eggs. I prefer unsweetened applesauce as there is already a good amount of sugar in the cookies. I buy applesauce in snack containers and one container is 1/2 a cup. This way I don’t end up with an open, partially used jar of applesauce in the back of my fridge.

Gluten free flour blend: I use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour in this recipe (the blue bag). It is best to weigh the flour using a kitchen scale to ensure that the recipe turns out the same every time. If you don’t have a kitchen scale I recommend using the “fluff and scoop” method for measuring the flour. Using a fork fluff the flour in it’s bag/container and then scoop it into a measuring cup and leveling it off. If the cookie dough feels too loose after all the ingredients have been added an additional tablespoon or two of flour can be added to firm up the dough.

Almond extract: Almond extract helps to give these cookies the flavour of birthday cake. Pure almond extract does contain nuts however artificial almond extract does not. If preferred, you can leave this ingredient out.

Sprinkles: As with all ingredients, ensure that the sprinkles are gluten free. I use Betty Crocker brand sprinkles in this recipe. I have also used Twinkle Baker Decor brand in the past. Wilton sprinkles may be processed in a facility that processes gluten so be aware of that brand. A Canadian company, Pure Food are a great choice as they have sprinkles that are labeled vegan and gluten free.

How the Gluten free birthday cake cookies are made:

Make the birthday cake cookies in one bowl, using either hands or a mixer. I am usually too lazy to pull out my heavy stand mixer so instead I’ll get an arm workout by mixing up the batter. First, mix the softened butter and sugars together until combined.

vegan gluten free birthday cake cookies by Tofu and Beans

Then add in the applesauce and beat until fluffy. Add in the flavorings and mix again. Next, add all the dry ingredients and stir until no flour remains.

Add the sprinkles and carefully fold them in; mixing too much at this point can cause some sprinkles to bleed.

I like to use a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop and scoop the batter onto a parchment lined baking sheet. If you don’t have a cookie scoop you can use a spoon to scoop the batter and leave the cookies as is or roll them into a ball in the palm of your hand.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and then let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack. Did you know that cookies continue to cook on the pan after they come out of the oven? If you wait to take them out of the oven until they start looking a dark golden colour they will be over done after finishing on the pan. I like to take my cookies out once they have a slight hint of golden brown around the edges.

These birthday cake cookies will freeze well or be kept in a covered container on the counter for 3 to 5 days. Honestly no cookies have ever lasted longer than 3 days in our house!

Enjoy!