Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and today I am sharing the cutest cookies to make for the day. I’ve used all kinds of cake mixes to make cookies and in honor of Valentine’s Day I used a strawberry cake mix to make Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies that are topped off with a chocolate heart pressed into the center of each cookie.
Making the dough for these cookies is quick and easy. In a large bowl along with the strawberry cake mix, I beat together baking powder, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. While I normally don’t add any kind of leavening agent to my cake mix cookies, I decided to add baking powder to these to give them a little more rise. After the dough came together, I refrigerated the dough for 30 minutes to firm up a bit.
Next, I dropped the dough onto prepared baking sheets and baked in a 350 F preheated oven for 10 minutes. Just until the cookies were set. After removing from the oven, I immediately pressed a chocolate heart (I used Dove’s Milk Chocolate Hearts) into the center of each cookie. I let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely and allow the chocolates to firm up again. Alternatively, you could use 1 cup of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips folded into the batter in lieu of the chocolate hearts…
But a pink cookie with a chocolate heart couldn’t be any more perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
1 15.25 oz. Strawberry Cake Mix (I used Duncan Hines)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
18 chocolate hearts unwrapped (I used Dove Milk Chocolate Hearts) *
*In lieu of the chocolate hearts, fold 1 cup of semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips into the dough instead
Directions:
In a large bowl add the cake mix, baking powder, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons) to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven press a chocolate heart in the center of each cookie and allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
The chocolate may still be soft even after the cookies cool, allow them to firm up again before transferring to an air-tight container to store.
**If you opt to use chocolate chips instead, fold them into the dough after beating the other ingredients together and then follow the instructions for refrigerating, baking and cooling the cookies.
Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula
Bead Yarn & Spatula 