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Baking · American

Cake Mix Cookies

A box of chocolate cake mix, a little oil and two eggs turn into soft, sugar-crackled cookies.

Hands-on
20 min
Hands-off
1 h 52 min
Oven preheat
15 min
Total
2 h 12 min
Makes
29 cookies
Serves
29

Total = 20 min hands-on + 112 min hands-off: 1 hour chilling, two sheets baked one after the other (about 11 minutes each) and about 30 minutes cooling. Turn the oven on near the end of the chill, so preheating overlaps it.

Oven 180 °C · 160 °C fan (350 °F)

Pan ungreased cookie sheets; light-coloured metal for 180°C, dark or nonstick sheets at 160°C (US: ungreased cookie sheets; shiny metal at 350°F, dark or nonstick sheets at 325°F)

  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • shortcut
  • kid-friendly
  • bake-sale
  • cookies

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Cake Mix Cookies
Amount
Units
Oven

Ingredients

You need: large bowl · sturdy spoon · plastic wrap or a lid · small bowl for the sugar · cookie scoop (optional) · 2 cookie sheets · cooling racks · oven mitts

Contains: egg · wheat

Method

  1. Stir the dough

    In a large bowl, stir the 376 g (13.25 oz) box of dry cake mix, 80 ml (1/3 cup) oil, 1 tsp vanilla and the 2 eggs with a spoon until a soft dough forms and no dry mix is left.

    Otto tried this firstOtto reads the back of the box and starts adding the water for a cake. Ignore the box directions: this dough is just the dry mix, oil, vanilla and eggs.

  2. Chill

    Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cold dough is less sticky and stays tender while you roll it.

  3. Heat the oven

    Near the end of the chill, heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F). If your cookie sheets are dark or nonstick, use 170°C (150°C fan, 325°F) instead.

  4. Roll in sugar

    Put the 50 g (1/4 cup) sugar in a small bowl. Shape the dough into 3 cm (1 1/4 in) balls, roll each one in the sugar and set them about 5 cm (2 in) apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Throw away any leftover sugar, since it has touched raw dough.

  5. Bake, one sheet at a time

    Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for 9 to 11 minutes.

    Ready when: The edges look set and firm; the centres still look soft and a little puffy, with sugary cracks on top. They firm up as they cool.

  6. Cool

    Leave the cookies on the sheet for 1 minute, then move them to cooling racks and let them cool completely, about 30 minutes. Let the sheet cool completely before the next batch goes on it.

Swaps

  • Instead of devil's food mix, vanilla and the sugar coating: white cake mix with 1 tbsp ground cinnamon stirred into the dough; roll the balls in cinnamon sugar Same 1/3 cup oil and 2 eggs, same 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F) oven; bake 10-12 minutes. Makes snickerdoodle-style cookies.

Don’t swap

  • the liquid and oil listed on the cake box: follow this recipe's amounts

Make ahead, store & reheat

Storage
Store the cooled cookies covered at room temperature.

If something goes wrong

  • Cookies spread too thin Why: Dough went onto a warm cookie sheet, or the dough wasn't chilled.
    Chill the dough the full hour and let the sheet cool completely between batches.
  • Dark, crisp bottoms Why: Dark or nonstick sheet at the full temperature.
    Lower the oven to 170°C (150°C fan, 325°F) for dark or nonstick sheets.

Good to know

  • A cookie scoop makes the balls the same size, so they all finish at the same time.
  • Bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack for even cookies.

Safety

  • Don't eat the raw dough: cake mix contains raw flour and the dough has raw egg. Bake it first, and wash hands, bowls and counters with warm soapy water.
  • Kids love rolling the balls in sugar, but no licking fingers until hands are washed; and the dough is not play clay.
  • Cake mixes differ: check your box for allergens such as milk or soy.
  • The cookie sheets are very hot straight out of the oven. Use oven mitts and let an adult move them.