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These Milk Bar Confetti Cookies are the real deal, a homemade copycat of Christina Tosi’s iconic Momofuku Milk Bar recipe that tastes just as good as what you’d get at the bakery. Crispy edges, thick chewy centers, rainbow sprinkles throughout, and little crunchy birthday cake crumbs baked right into the dough. They are wildly festive, completely from scratch, and completely worth every single step.
The secret is a two-part process: you make a quick birthday cake crumb first, then fold it into the cookie dough. That crumb is what gives Milk Bar confetti cookies their signature texture and that nostalgic “cake batter” flavor that box mix can never quite deliver. Once you understand how it works, the whole recipe makes perfect sense and you’ll want to put that crumb in everything.
Erin’s Notes
- Tastes like birthday cake and a cookie had a baby — funfetti flavors in every bite without any box mix
- The birthday cake crumb adds crunchy, bakery-style texture you can’t get any other way
- Giant, bakery-sized cookies with crispy edges and a thick, fudgy center
- Dough chills up to a week ahead — perfect for making in advance for parties or birthdays
- A true copycat of the famous Momofuku Milk Bar recipe by Christina Tosi
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
For the Birthday Cake Crumb
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar — both sugars create the right texture and slight caramel note in the crumb
- Cake flour — gives the crumb a tender, delicate texture; don’t swap for all-purpose
- Rainbow sprinkles — bake right into the crumbs for color and crunch
- Grapeseed or canola oil — neutral oil binds the crumb clusters together
- Clear (imitation) vanilla extract — this is intentional. Clear vanilla tastes more like boxed cake and frosting than pure vanilla, it’s the key to that birthday cake flavor
For the Cookies
- Unsalted butter