Cake Mix Cookies for the Win

Just Call Me "The Cake Mix Cookie Queen!”
First of all, if you just want the recipe, feel free to skip to the bottom to get it since I still can't figure out the coding for a "Jump to Recipe" button. 

Otherwise, I hope you’ll read along. If know me and have ever been to my house for a party, you know about my Cake Mix Cookies. This is what I'm probably most known for... and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. 😂 I have absolutely no idea where I first learned this recipe, but I've been obsessed ever since.  It's my go-to, both personally and professionally. It is definitely a fan favorite!  I make some version of them for pretty much every event or party, and my middle school culinary students have this recipe memorized by the end of the year. Our classes are 50 minutes long, which might be a lot when you're learning about polynomials, sitting in a doctor's office, or watching paint dry, but it is not a lot when you're trying to teach 24 7th and 8th graders how to safely follow a recipe, cook something without burning it or anything else, and clean up after themselves.  This is where Cake Mix Cookies come in.  This is something we CAN do in that short amount of time, and not only that, but we do it well.  We have modified this recipe so many different ways.  I've even done a challenge with my students to write their own cake mix cookie recipe, and I provide them with a variety of cake mixes and ingredients to choose from, like marshmallows, chocolate chips, sprinkles, caramel sauce, Heath bar crumbles, M&Ms, shredded coconut, and more.  They have blown me away with their creativity!  

One other great perk of these cookies, other than how tasty they are (which I haven't even mentioned yet - they are so good!), is how cheap they are!  In today's economy, you can still make a batch of these for under $5!  It doesn't get much cheaper than that.  They are a win-win-win - creative choices, delicious, and cheap!  Can't beat it!

The Recipe

So, you might be thinking, "Well how do I make this infamous recipe?" I got ya.!  Here ya go...

For the ingredients, you're going to need:

• 1 regular size cake mix of your choice (any flavor, any brand)
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• Whichever optional add-ins or combination you prefer, some ideas are: ½ cup chocolate chips, ½ cup white chocolate chips, ¼ cup walnuts or pecans, 3 TBSP sprinkles
• Optional Toppings - like icing or powdered sugar

These are the steps:

1. First, preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Then, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl.  Add ⅓ c. vegetable oil and stir together with the eggs, being sure to scramble the egg yolk. I aways mix the wet ingredients together first to make sure the eggs get fully scrambled... and so there are no eggshells of course.

3. Next, add the cake mix to the egg and oil mixture and stir until combined using a rubber spatula (not a whisk... some of my students have learned this the hard way). It will form a sticky dough. If you need some new rubber spatulas, Pioneer Woman makes some adorable ones and they are great quality, like these.

4. Add any optional mix-ins, such as chocolate chips.  Fold to combine.

5. Scoop the cookies into 1-2 inch balls. Some cake mixes make stickier dough than others and are almost impossible to roll by hand, so it is much easier to use a cookie scooper like this one. Place each scoop on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart and 12 per sheet (cookies will spread). This parchment paper is pre-cut and so convenient! I love it! You should yield about 18 cookies, depending on the size.

6. Flatten the dough slightly. Then bake 7-9 minutes until you see a cracked effect on top. Cookies should be very soft but firm enough to not fall apart.

This is the cracked effect to look for.

7. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes before carefully removing them to a cooling rack. If desired, top with icing, with or without sprinkles, or powdered sugar.

8. If you want to package them to give them away, these little bags are perfect! They make the cookies look so nice and they are easy to use and cheap! I always have some on hand.

The Possibilities

You can truly make this a million ways. Just browse the cake mix aisle and you'll see so many options. These are some of our favorite combos:

• Triple Chocolate - Chocolate Cake Mix, Chocolate Chips or Chunks and White Chocolate Chips; this is also great with walnuts or pecans
• Lemon Cookies - Lemon Cake Mix, White Chocolate Chips, Walnuts, Sprinkle of Powdered Sugar

• Strawberry Cookies - Strawberry Cake Mix, White Chocolate Chips, Sprinkle of Powdered Sugar
• Red Velvet Cookies (Great for Christmas) - Red Velvet Cake Mix, White Choocate Chips or Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Sugar Cookies - Funfetti Cake Mix, No add-ins but add frosting and sprinkles once cool.
• Christmas Cookies - Christmas Funfetti Cake Mix, No add-ins but add frosting and sprinkles or other decorations like M&M Ornaments. These make great shaped Christmas cookies too! Just don't try to cut the dough, as they will spread into unrecognizable shapes... trust me, I tried this several times and each was a major fail... Instead, spread the dough on the cookie sheet, leaving about a finger's width perimeter. Bake as normal, let cool slightly, and then use cookie cutters to cut the cookie shapes after baking! My husband actually had this idea one day when I was totally struggling, and it works great! Just be sure your cookie cutters are larger ones and don't have any small parts (such as reindeer antlers).

• Easter/Spring Cookies - We make these the same as the Christmas ones, just switch up the cookie cutters and colors.  You can do them for any holiday/season!  So fun!

• Themed Cookies - White Cake Mix with any food coloring of your choice, sprinkles, and frosting - Just add food coloring to a white cake mix and any color sprinkles you'd like to match your theme. Then top with frosting and more sprinkles, of course.

These were from Jurnee's pink and turquoise party.

The possibilities are truly limitless! Some of my former students are on "cookie duty" for parties because of this delicious recipe. My oldest, Jurnee, has already learned the way, and she has made these several times with very little assistance/supervision... She's 11.

These are some Jurnee made all on her own :)

If she can do it, you can too! If you try these out or come up with your own fun combo, let me know!

Happy Baking!

Cake Mix Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 regular size cake mix (any flavor, any brand)
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• Optional Add-Ins - ½ cup chocolate chips, ½ cup white chocolate chips, ¼ cup walnuts or pecans, 3 TBSP sprinkles
• Optional Toppings - icing, sprinkles, or powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl. 

3. Add ⅓ c. vegetable oil and stir together with the eggs, being sure to scramble the egg yolk.

4. Add the cake mix to the egg and oil mixture and stir until combined.  It will form a sticky dough.

5. Add any optional mix-ins, such as chocolate chips.  Stir to combine.

6. Roll cookies into 1-2 inch balls using a cookies scooper and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart and 12 per sheet (cookies will spread), about 18 cookies total.

7. Flatten the dough slightly.

8. Bake 7-9 minutes until slightly firm but still soft.

9. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes before carefully removing them to a cooling rack.

10. Once cool, add icing and sprinkles or powdered sugar if desired.