I think the world would be a better place if we sprinkled everything.
Let’s start with these Birthday Cake Macaroons. And maybe we shouldn’t sprinkle everything. We should probably set some boundaries before we just start going willy nilly with the sprinkles. Cookies? Yes. Cake? Yes. Pancakes? Yes. Fried chicken? Maybe, but probably not. Living Rooms? No. Feel free to write up your own list based on your personal preferences.
Self-Indulgent foodie Chatter…
You’ve probably noticed by now that these are “macaroons” not “macarons”. Take note, friends, that these are two very, very different things.
French Macarons are something you’re not very likely to find on my site – unless I’m having some sort of creativity surge and/or need some heavy kitchen meditation time – because A.) I really struggle to pronounce “macarons” correctly and B.) the effort to reward ratio is not quite up to snuff for me especially when I can zip down to my local farmer’s market and get several flavours at once for admittedly more money than i would normally spend on cookies but with far less disappointment. Ok? Ok.
So here we have maximum flavour and satisfaction in a fraction of the time and without the use of piping bags & buttercream and without having to worry about pesky air bubbles or creating the perfect shell because I don’t even really know what that means.
birthday cake macaroons, the details…
I don’t know how long it takes to make french macarons, but I can tell you that these birthday cake macaroons are ready in about half an hour. They are loaded with sprinkles and get their yummy birthday cake flavour from two things: first, the use of white imitation vanilla, and second, a little almond extract.
To make them you simply mix up some coconut, extracts, sweetened condensed milk and a little salt in a large mixing bowl.
To that mixture you’ll gently fold in some whipped up egg whites and some sprinkles.
The dough is then scooped onto a parchment lined baking sheet, topped with a few more sprinkles if you are so inclined, and baked. That’s it. Easiest birthday “cake” ever.
Ingredients, Substitutions, Tips, etc.
Coconut – most recipes out there use sweetened coconut in macaroons, but I find them sweet enough with unsweetened coconut. You do you and if your sweet tooth is insatiable you go for it with the sweetened stuff.
Sprinkles – you do not want to use non-pareils here. Those are the little ball shaped sprinkles. Their colour will bleed into the cookies and unless you’re going for unicorn macaroons here (which you probably totally could and I am into it!) use the regular sprinkles. More sprinkle info here.
Sweetened Condensed Milk – this is not the same thing as evaporated milk. Trust me. Or read this.
Vanilla – I use clear, imitation vanilla in this recipe because that is what makes them taste more like birthday cake. If you only have fancy vanilla that’s ok too. 🙂
Looking for more delicious cookie recipes? Try these…
Recipe-ish…
Birthday Cake Macaroons
Ingredients
- 5 cups unsweetened or sweetened shredded coconut*
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon white vanilla
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sprinkles plus more for decorating**
Instructions
- Combine the coconut, condensed milk, salt vanilla & almond in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment on high with an electric mixer until they make firm peaks.
- Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
- Fold in the sprinkles.
- Drop the batter in 2” balls onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper, leaving about 1” between each ball.
- Top with more sprinkles.
- Bake at 325 for 17-20 minutes.
Notes
**Use regular sprinkles, not non-pareils, because they will bleed their colour
Let me know what you think below and if you like this Birthday Cake Macaroons Recipe, please try my Almond Vanilla Cake Recipe. It’s an easy, one-bowl cake that’s perfect for birthdays, has all the flavours of these macaroons and is also covered in sprinkles. 🙂
