Celebrate ANY day with these amazing Birthday Cake Cookies!

I’m good at a few things – housekeeping ain’t one of them. ~Waits a moment for her family’s amen choir to die down~. I believe we all have different God given talents and things He has equipped us to do. Combined with those are certain obstacles and challenges that we must overcome at the same time. Keeps life interesting.

For me, that is housework. Sure, I’m busy. I use that as an excuse most times. Truth is, my brain doesn’t see the mess and clutter with all of the thoughts whizzing around in my head like a box of mismatched fireworks someone put a match to. But regardless of the multiple reasons, it still comes down to the fact that although my home has been in magazines, it requires two weeks of deep cleaning to even get remotely presentable.

But I still try and I’m always working on it. This past weekend we spent a great deal of time organizing, finding homes for objects that have never had a home beyond being close at hand, and donating things my kids have outgrown. We made huge headway and that felt good.

But something happened last week that really put all of that in perspective for me. My daughter has a friend she wanted to spend some time with so I picked her up and took them to her favorite restaurant. You know, the one with chicken and an indoor playground? Chez Chick Fil A. When we have these “dates” with her friends I’m kinda the gray man. I am there, but I’m not. They talk and play and go about their visit as if I’m invisible. Kinda like the chauffeur. I know y’all parents know what I’m talking about. I enjoy this because I pretend to be lost in my thoughts while I’m really just listening in and enjoying their excited conversation. Although sometimes I do find my thoughts drifting only to be called back by something particularly funny or heartwarming that is said.

And so, as we were sitting there, I looked out the window as Katy’s voice called me back. “You have GOT to come to my house soon. You are going to LOVE IT. My house is complete paradise!”

I did a double blink and looked at her in surprise. Her face was animated and lit up with glee as she smiled with excitement. I was completely taken aback.

Paradise? But the sink is full of dirty dishes. There is Mount Laundry in our living room, and I can’t remember the last time someone actually put the toilet paper on the holder.

Paradise? I looked down in confusion as I recalled that new pink chair Katy picked out for a reading corner in her room. How excited she was to have a birthday party in our house to show off the diner furniture we bought, and that big pot of chicken and dumplings she’d fawned over the night before.

I thought of her cuddling up against her dad on the couch as they read books and that big basket her sweet cat lets her tote him around in….The third (or fourth) hand piano I bought her off of Craigslist for $100 that she decorated with a collection of My Little Ponies and pounds away on throughout the week. I thought of that big old pile of shoes in the den that seems to grow daily as everyone comes in and gets comfy – bare feet on their own turf.

Come to think of it, I can’t begin to count the hugs, kisses, “I love yous”, and laughter that has taken place in the five years we have lived here. The walls must be nigh on bursting with it at this point.

But Paradise?

You bet. Mount Laundry and all.

Thanks for the perspective, Katy baby. You nailed it again.

Today’s cookies are the result of a conversation with Katy. It isn’t anyone’s birthday but they remind me of when Brady was a toddler. He loved my birthday cakes and so he brought me his teddy bear one day and told me that it was Teddy’s birthday. Being the mother that I am, I acted surprised and horrified that I’d forgotten such an important occasion and got to work mixing up cake batter and buttercream icing. Little Brady was so impressed with the results that a few days later, wouldn’t you know he found another stuffed animal who was celebrating their entry into this world. We celebrated a lot of birthdays back then 🙂

So last week I asked Katy “If you could invent any cookie, what would it be?”. Without missing a beat she said “Birthday Cake Cookies.”

Hmm. I was intrigued by that and started running ideas by her. I chose the flavoring so that the cookie mimics the taste of a homemade birthday cake and the texture of these cookies is really most closely akin to a Blondie, for extra deliciousness. Top it off with a generous layer of fluffy buttercream icing and a sprinkling of rainbow candies and we have a treat fit for the most special of days!

 You’ll need: Sugar, Self Rising Flour*, Brown Sugar*, Butter, Eggs, Sprinkles, Vanilla, Butter Flavoring, and Almond Flavoring. 

*To make your own self rising flour, simply add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt for EACH cup of all purpose flour. Stir well.

*Light or dark brown sugar is fine. Whichever one you have.

Place butter in a bowl and melt it in a microwave. You can also melt it on the stovetop. If you want, you can even build a fire in the back yard and melt it over that if you have a hankering. Or, if you live in the south right now, just put it out on the back porch for a few minutes and that should do the job.

The point is, you need to melt your butter. 

 Add in sugars and stir well by hand. 

 Beat the mess out of your eggs. This is when you get out all those frustrations. 

 Add in flour, eggs, and flavorings. 

 Stir that up really well by hand. 

 If you want to add sprinkles, toss in a handful of those and stir in well. 

 Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. 

 Bake this at 350 for about 40 -45 minutes. When it is done it will still be soft in the center but golden brown all over. 

Special thanks to Katy for my inspiration!

Birthday Cake Cookies

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Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter 1 cup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar light or dark
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups self rising flour
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
• 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
• 4 Tablespoons rainbow sprinkles

Icing Ingredients (you can half this if you want less icing)

• 2 sticks butter at room temp
• 4 teaspoons butter flavoring Can use clear vanilla instead
• 5-6 cups confectioner's sugar
• 4-8 tablespoons milk

Instructions

• Melt butter. In large mixing bowl, stir together melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar by hand until well blended. In separate bowl or measuring cup, beat eggs well.
• Make sure mixture isn't too hot. If it is, allow to cool for a few minutes before the next step so you don't cook the eggs.
• Add eggs, flour, and flavorings to bowl. Stir well to combine. Stir in rainbow sprinkles, if using.
• Grease a 9x13 baking dish and pour batter in. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown and set in the center. Center will still be soft. Allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing

• In a large bowl, cream the butter and about 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the butter flavoring, half of the milk, and remaining sugar and beat again until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides and adding a little extra milk if needed.
• Ice cooled cookie bars while still in the pan. Top with sprinkles, if desired. Allow icing to set by leaving uncovered for about half an hour. Enjoy!

Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

Every day of your life is a day worth celebrating 🙂

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