Cake Batter Meltaway Cookies
Like your favorite no-spread, no-chill sugar cookies, but in party mode! Cake Batter Meltaway Cookies are ultra soft with a buttery edge, the perfect cake batter flavor, fun sprinkles and a light icing.
Roll and Cut Cake Batter Cookies
Guys, I am obsessed with these cookies. They are unbelievably soft with a buttery crisp edge and a guaranteed melt-in-your-mouth texture. Packed with the perfect warm cake batter flavor, and colorful sprinkles that are customizable to any event you’re planning. To top it all off, there’s a thin layer of sheer icing that coats the cookie while still revealing colorful sprinkles throughout. They’re mega yum.
These cake batter cut out cookies are intended to be rolled out and cut, meaning you can cut them into any shape you’d like! Just like my viral roll out sugar cookies, these cake batter meltaways are also a no-chill, no-spread recipe. So you will roll the dough out to your desired thickness and they will stay there after being baked. No spreading, no weird shaped blob cookies. Just a guaranteed good time all around.
Ingredients
*You can find instructions and exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Cake Batter Cookie
- Salted butter, softened – I like to use salted butter, but you can sub in unsalted butter if that’s your preference.
- Powdered sugar – The powdered sugar flavors the cookie and makes it so melt-in-your-mouth soft.
- Egg
- Cake batter flavor – This is the STAR of this cookie.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Water
- Sprinkles – Use whatever color palette you’d like to.
Vanilla Glaze
- Butter, softened – Again, I like to use salted butter but unsalted will work.
- Vegetable shortening – This is optional, but it helps the icing to crust and get hard on the outside.
- Powdered sugar
- Milk – Use this to thin as needed.
- Clear vanilla extract – The clear vanilla makes the icing bright white, rather than a murky white.
How to Make Cake Batter Meltaway Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs and cake batter flavor, mixing until mostly combined.
- Next add the flour, baking powder and salt. Begin to mix and add up to 3 tsp of water to bring the dough together, the dough should be soft and easy to work with.
- Mix in sprinkles until just combined.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick and use a 2 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter to cut the dough. These cookies will not spread so roll to your desired finished thickness.
- Arrange on the cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 7-9 minutes or until the cookies are matte looking on top and have puffed up.
- Make the icing while the cookies are baking by combining the butter and vegetable shortening until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar and enough milk to bring the mixture together into a thick frosting.
- Mix in the clear vanilla extract and thin the icing out with milk until it is your desired consistency.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, spread a thin layer of the icing onto the cookies. Leave the icing thin so you can see the sprinkles underneath the icing.
- Allow the cookies to cool and enjoy!
How do I store these cookies?
Once cooled, store your cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-5 days!
These cookies also freeze really well and can be stored in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months. I have a post all about how to freeze cookies if you need more guidance!
Karli’s Kitchen Faves
Here are a few of my favorite kitchen tools that I used to make this recipe!
- Kitchenaid Mixer – I really love this thing. It’s not necessary for making good cookies, but I love the size of the bowl and the power. A Hand Mixer is also an excellent option for when you don’t want to mix things by hand.
- Cookie Sheet – These cookie sheets have put in WORK in my kitchen. If you’re looking for a brand that will stand the test of time (and cookies), this is my recommendation.
- Silicone baking mat – I love using this or parchment paper to line my cookie sheets to make it easy-peasy to get cookies off of the pan without sticking.
- Offset spatula – I love using an offset spatula to frost cookies because it’s so much easier to get the perfect swirl on top without getting extra frosting on the side of your hand.
- Spatula – I love these silicone spatulas for scraping down the sides of the mixer.
Cake Batter Beauties
Cake Batter Meltaway Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (111g) salted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup (71g) powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 Tbsp cake batter flavor
- 2 cups (304g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1-3 tsp water
- up to 1/2 cup Sprinkles
Vanilla Glaze
- 2 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 Tbsp vegetable shortening Optional, but it helps the icing to crust and get hard on the outside
- 3/4 cup (80g) powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp milk, plus more as needed
- 3/4 tsp clear vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, combine the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.1/2 cup (111g) salted butter, softened, 2/3 cup (71g) powdered sugar
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in the eggs and cake batter flavor, mixing until mostly combined.1 egg, 1/2 Tbsp cake batter flavor
- Next add the flour, baking powder and salt. Begin to mix and add up to 3 tsp of water to bring the dough together, the dough should be soft and easy to work with.2 cups (304g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1-3 tsp water
- Mix in sprinkles until just combined.up to 1/2 cup Sprinkles
- On a floured surface, roll the dough out until it is approximately 1/4 inch thick and use a 2 1/2 inch circle cookie cutter to cut the dough. These cookies will not spread so roll to your desired finished thickness.
- Arrange on the cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for 7-9 minutes or until the cookies are matte looking on top and have puffed up.
- Make the icing while the cookies are baking by combining the butter and vegetable shortening until smooth.2 Tbsp butter, softened , 1/2 Tbsp vegetable shortening
- Add the powdered sugar and enough milk to bring the mixture together into a thick frosting.3/4 cup (80g) powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk, plus more as needed
- Mix in the clear vanilla extract and thin the icing out with milk until it is your desired consistency.3/4 tsp clear vanilla extract
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, spread a thin layer of the icing onto the cookies. Leave the icing thin so you can see the sprinkles underneath the icing.
- Allow the cookies to cool and enjoy!
I have had this types of cookies before, but never knew how to make them myself. I love your recipe & it was so easy & delicious. Thank you
Can you make these as slice cookies? My hands can’t handle rolling out dough. Fingers crossed. They look amazing like all your recipes do.
Yes, that should work!
Love these soft, buttery cookies! And the icing with the butter in it is amazing.
When you say ‘cake batter flavor’ do you mean an extract? I haven’t seen anything like that (but haven’t really looked either).
Hi! Great question. I actually developed a line of extracts and flavorings. You can find my cake batter flavoring here: https://shopcookingwithkarli.com/products/cake-batter-flavor-cooking-with-karli-1-oz-bottle
You can buy it in stores or on Amazon.
can i use it for royal incing?
No, this icing will not work as royal icing. But if you’d like to put royal icing on these cookies, that would work!
These were amazing! I was sceptical of whether they’d spread but they really didn’t.
Can you make the dough ahead of time and freeze it, then thaw and cut out later?
Yes, you can make this ahead of time. I would actually cut the dough first and then freeze so they are ready to bake. Here is my favorite way to freeze cookie dough: https://cookiesfordays.com/how-to-freeze-cookie-dough/
Does the icing dry to the touch? Can they be packaged?
Yes! The shortening in the frosting will help it crust over so they can be packaged.