Loaded Birthday Cake Cookie Bars

Recipes ideas come to me at all times of the day. Sometimes it’s when I’m just sitting at my desk and I can easily write them down. Other times it is less convenient. The idea for these loaded birthday cake cookie bars came to me during the middle of a workout class on the Peloton bike.

I hopped off the bike and went immediately to my notepad. I wrote out a rough idea of the ingredients and cooking time and got to work. It is rare that I have a recipe idea and have all the ingredients on hand to make it immediately.

It is even rarer that a recipe works out on the first try, but both things happened when I went to make these loaded birthday cake cookie bars. There are more mix-ins than batter in these bars hence the “loaded” name. These bars are a chewy, gooey and very satisfying sweet treat.

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These bars are like a thick cookie cake!

I based the recipe for these loaded birthday cake cookie bars on my grain free chewy chocolate chip cookies. The base of both those cookies and these bars is an almond flour cookie dough. You can make these bars fully grain free and gluten free by checking the ingredients of the chocolate chips and the sprinkles that you mix in.

If you’ve been following along on my Instagram, you may have noticed that I make savory recipes much more often than sweet ones. Personally, I prefer savory food, but I’m also lazy. Baking can take a lot of time, patience, and ingredients so when I bake I keep it simple.

You can make these loaded birthday cake cookie bars in one bowl and then pop them into the oven to bake. I made this recipe easy on purpose. I want it to be the kind of thing you can throw together when you have a last minute birthday party or get together to attend.

What ingredients and kitchen tools will I need to make these bars?

It only takes a few simple kitchen tools and a basic list of ingredients to throw these delicious, gluten-free cookie bars together. To start, you will need a couple of mixing bowls, a whisk, a flat spatula, and an 8×8 baking pan. I like to spray my pan with coconut oil spray and then line it with some parchment paper.

The base of the loaded birthday cake cookie bars is an almond flour cookie dough. For this dough you will need an egg at room temperature, melted and cooled coconut oil, brown sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, baking powder, baking soda, almond flour, and some salt. Once you have your dough combined you are ready for your mix-ins and toppings.

The mix-ins and toppings are really what make these gooey and delicious cookie bars so addicting. For my mix-ins, I chose semi-sweet chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles. You could choose any other mix-ins that you prefer. I am already planning one with peanut butter chips and chocolate sprinkles for next time.

Let’s make some Loaded Birthday Cake Cookie Bars!

To make your loaded birthday cake cookie bars start by preheating the oven to 350F. Grease an 8×8 baking pan with spray oil and line the pan with parchment paper. Then, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together room temperature egg, melted coconut oil, light brown sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract.

In a separate bowl combine almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Next, fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients with a flat spatula until a thick even mixture remains. Then, mix in chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles with a spatula.

At this point, the batter should be a thick, cookie dough consistency. Pour the dough into the greased and lined baking pan. Take your hands and press the dough into an even layer with a piece of parchment or wax paper.

Place the pan of loaded birthday cake cookie bars in the oven and bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Remove the cookie bars from the oven and allow them to cool fully before cutting into 16 even squares. Store them in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 5 days.

Keep reading to find the full recipe and instructions. If you make these loaded birthday cake cookie bars, please let me know in the comments or on Instagram!