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+ servings
close up of one lemon birthday cake cookie
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5 from 1 vote

Lemon Birthday Cake Batter Cookies

Ooey, gooey, buttery, creamy, with a hint of bright tangy fresh lemon, these Lemon Birthday Cake Batter Cookies combine all your favorite flavors in one place!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Lemon Birthday Cake Batter Cookies
Servings: 30
Calories: 160kcal

Ingredients

  • 15.25 ounces yellow cake mix (1 box yellow cake mix)
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup sprinkles, DIVIDED

Lemon Drizzle

  • 1.5 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest

Instructions

  • Cream together cream cheese, butter, egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until lighter in color and fluffy in texture.
  • Add the yellow cake mix and combine just until incorporated.
  • Stir in HALF the sprinkles.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more to reduce stickiness of dough.
  • Preheat oven to 350 minutes.
  • Using a standard size cookie scoop, roll dough into a ball and then sprinkle with sprinkles before rolling in the powdered sugar.
    step by step photos of rolling dough balls
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes, just until dough is set and the bottom just begins to turn golden.
  • Cool for 10 minutes before removing from baking sheet.

Lemon Drizzle

  • Whisk together the Lemon Drizzle ingredients until smooth.
  • Drizzle over cooled cookies as desired.

Video

Notes

Do not overcook the cookies to retain the gooey butter texture. The cookies may appear slightly underdone when pulled from the oven, but will firm upon cooling.
 

Variations:

Skip the lemon icing drizzle.
Use a white or lemon cake mix instead of yellow.
Try them without the Lemon for a standard Gooey Butter Cake flavor and substitute any cake mix flavor you like. ie chocolate or coconut.
Choose sprinkles suited for a specific holiday like Christmas!
 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 160kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 155mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 204IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 0.3mg