Tag: Cake Mix Cookies

Peppermint & Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

I’m closing out this week of cookies with the quintessential flavor of the season, peppermint! Specifically, a peppermint buttercream sandwich between two chocolate cake mix cookies. Yes, I made the cookies using a cake mix. I’ve shared quite a few cake mix cookie recipes over the years and they’ve always been a success. This recipe is perfect for anyone short on time or just doesn’t want to be measuring flour, baking soda/powder, sugar, etc. One thing to note, the recipe only makes 12 sandwich cookies, as using the cake mix only yields 24 cookies. If you would like more cookies – 24 for example – simply double the cookie recipe – use 2 boxes of chocolate cake mix, 2/3 cup of oil and 4 eggs. The recipe for the peppermint buttercream is enough for the double batch.  If you don’t want any left-over filling simply cut the ingredients in half for the buttercream. Here’s an idea though, if you plan on making the Stacked Christmas Confetti Cookies I shared yesterday you could use the leftover buttercream to decorate those. If you don’t feel like tinting the frosting to make the Christmas Tree or Santa Hat, you could pipe a snowflake instead.

Peppermint & Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

  • Servings: 12 Sandwich Cookies
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Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Cookies:

1 15.25 oz box chocolate cake mix

1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil*

2 large eggs

For the Peppermint Buttercream:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoons peppermint extract

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Crushed peppermint candy to decorate the sides of the cookies.

*If you want your cookies to have a more cookie-like texture as opposed to cake-like use 1/3 cup melted butter instead.

Directions:

For the Chocolate Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl combine the cake mix, oil and eggs and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until well incorporated. Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough, roll into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 1 -2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Peppermint Buttercream Filling: Add all ingredients to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until the frosting is light and fluffy. If you would like a stronger peppermint flavor add an additional 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract. If you find that the filling is not a pipeable consistency add about 1/2 tablespoon of milk and beat well to incorporate. You don’t want the consistency to be too thin though. Transfer to a piping bag and snip the end off.

Pipe the filling on the flat side of half of the cookies and top with the other half, pressing down gently so some of the frosting comes out of the sides. Roll the cookies in the crushed peppermint candy and enjoy!

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Strawberry & Chocolate Cookies

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

  • Servings: 18 Cookies
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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

Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies

If you’ve never thought of using cake mix to whip up a batch of delicious cookies let this be your PSA to do so. I’ve shared a recipe using a chocolate cake mix – Chocolate Salted Caramel Chip Cookies – a yellow cake mix – Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies – and today I am sharing one using a red velvet cake mix to make Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies (how original!).

These cookies are perfect for the season with their deep red hue and little effort required to make them (let’s be honest, most people’s to-do list around this time can seem never-ending). While it is nice to bake something that is “fancy” and a tad bit involved it’s just as a nice (and less stressful) to make something that is easy and quick. The most stressful part of these cookies is having to wait one hour to bake them while the dough chills.

But after waiting for the dough to chill, and baking and cooling you’ll have delicious cookies that will be a great addition to any other cookies you are baking for the holiday’s or perfect just on their own. 

One quick thing to note, to mimic a traditional Red Velvet Cake I used Hershey’s Cream Cheese Chips in these cookies, if you are unable to find them you can use white chocolate chips instead.

Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies

  • Servings: 24 Cookies
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Ingredients:

1 15.25oz box Red Velvet Cake Mix

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (optional)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup cream cheese chips*

*I used Hershey’s Cream Cheese Baking Chips, if you cannot find them white chocolate chips can be used instead.

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the cake mix, instant coffee (if using), oil, eggs and vanilla extract and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined. Stir in the cream cheese (or white chocolate) chips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using a cookie scoop drop the dough about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes. The cookies will look slightly underbaked. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store cookies in an airtight container.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula. 

Chocolate Dipped Churro Cookies

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! I’ve made all kinds of desserts to celebrate the day, but never a cookie! Truthfully, I had no clue what to make this year. The idea for a cookie came to me from wondering what I could make with a box of French vanilla cake mix (besides a cake). Yup, it’s another cake mix cookie. And as with the Chocolate Salted Caramel Chip Cookies I posted a few weeks ago today’s Chocolate Dipped Churro Cookies were also a big hit. Yes, I turned a cake mix into a cookie reminiscent of fried dough coated in cinnamon sugar! YUM!

So, how did I turn a French vanilla cake mix into a churro cookie? To start, I added vanilla extract and cinnamon to the dough and then rolled scoops of the dough in a cinnamon sugar mixture before baking. A couple of things to note. If you’ve ever made a cake mix you know that water, oil and eggs are the key add-ins to the mix. To turn cake mix into cookie dough you don’t want to add as much liquid to the mix. So, I omitted the water, reduced the eggs and swapped the oil for sour cream. You could use oil instead, but that will change the texture of the cookie. Not in a bad way, they just won’t be as soft. Now, even though I did refrigerate the dough for an hour it was still quite soft. So, instead of having a sticky mess of dough on my hands, I dropped the scoops of dough directly into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat it before rolling the dough into balls and placing them on a parchment lined baking sheet. And after baking I let the cookies cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes so they could set.

These cookies were delish as is and incredibly soft, but, since I like dipping my churros in chocolate sauce, I decided to dip the cookies in melted chocolate.  And that kicked these cookies up a notch or two! And yes, I will say that they look like Snickerdoodles, but they don’t taste like them.

Chocolate Dipped Churro Cookies

  • Servings: 18 Cookies
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Ingredients:

For the Cookies:

1 15.25 oz box French Vanilla cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

1/3 cup sour cream

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

For Dipping:

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate (chips or chopped), melted

Directions:

In a large bowl beat together the cake mix, sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract and cinnamon with a hand mixer on medium speed until all the ingredients are incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon for the cinnamon sugar coating.

Use a cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons) to scoop the dough and drop into the cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough around to coat then use your hands to gently roll the dough into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. It’s best to roll the dough in a ball after it’s been coated as the dough will be quite sticky.

Bake in the preheated oven 10-11 minutes, until the cookies are set. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

To melt the chocolate… Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Dip one side of each cookie in the chocolate and then place on a wax paper lined baking sheet so the chocolate can set. To speed up the process of the chocolate setting place the cookies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Store in an airtight container.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula

Chocolate Salted Caramel Chip Cookies

You may have noticed that I have been experimenting with cake mixes recently. I posted three recipes in a row that used cake mixes as their base – a Banana Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake, a Chocolate Crumb Cake and a Peanut Butter Chocolate Marble Loaf Cake – and today I am sharing with you a recipe for cookies that uses a cake mix as their base. A Chocolate Salted Caramel Chip Cookie.

Cake Mix Cookies aren’t anything new. If you do a quick Google search for “Cake Mix Cookies” you will have your choice of recipes to try. I remember trying a recipe years ago and I just didn’t like it. I followed a recipe from a fellow blogger who ranted and raved about them, and I found the cookies to be flat and lacking flavor (they quickly went into the trash). Granted, from what I recall they didn’t do much to alter the “cake mix” flavor or texture. In other words, no add-ins like chocolate chips, vanilla extract, sprinkles, etc. Those small things go a long way in flavor and texture!

So, what made me want to try my hand at these cookies again? Well, not too long ago I bought two bags of Caramel Sea Salt Chips from Trader Joe’s. I knew I wanted to make a chocolate cookie with them, but I didn’t really want to follow the recipe that was on the bag. I am making a conscious effort to create recipes myself for the different things that pop into my head – I am still trying recipes I rip out of magazines and come across on social media and online that I will be sharing though. So, I did some brainstorming and decided to try my hand once again with cake mix cookies. I added in vanilla extract and coffee to help bring out the chocolate flavor. And I ended up with a cookie that was flavorful and thick. Definitely one that I will be making again and now that I have a good ratio of what to mix with the cake mix, I may experiment with other cake mix flavors!

A quick note, if you cannot find sea salt caramel chips you could use butterscotch chips instead and sprinkle the top of each cookie with sea salt prior to baking. One of my friends loved these cookies because of the sweet and salty combination but I told him not to get too attached since I did purchase the caramel chips from Trader Joe’s and things get discontinued there out of nowhere (I went to buy some spices a few weeks ago and all of a sudden they are no longer carrying ground ginger – HUH!?!). Thankfully Hershey’s makes their own version and butterscotch is a good alternative. 

Chocolate Salted Caramel Chip Cookies

  • Servings: 2 Dozen Cookies
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Ingredients:

1 15.25 oz. box chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Devil’s Food)

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup salted caramel chips**

*I used Cafe Bustelo Instant Espresso.

**I used Trader Joe’s Caramel Sea Salt Chips. Hershey’s brand also sells Sea Salt Caramel Chips.

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the cake mix, instant coffee, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer on medium speed and beat until well combined. Stir in the caramel chips.

Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour. This will help to prevent the cookies from spreading while baking since the dough will be soft after mixing it together.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a cookie scoop (1 1/2 tablespoons) to drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.

Bake 10-11 minutes, until the cookies are set. The center of the cookies will look underbaked, but they will firm up as they cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Notes:

If you cannot find Salted Caramel Chips, you could use Butterscotch Chips and sprinkle the top of the scooped cookie dough with sea salt prior to baking.

Recipe first appeared on Bead Yarn & Spatula.