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
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.
Bead Yarn & Spatula 