These easy Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies take under 10 minutes of prep and yield soft, chewy, fudgy cookies. They’re perfect for little helpers and can be customized with lots of add-ins for different flavors and looks.
I enjoy baking cookies year-round, and these chocolate cake mix cookies are a quick, kid-friendly option that lets little ones participate without using an electric mixer. They’re an easy, low-stress recipe I often make with my toddler.
These cookies are similar in ease to other cake-mix-based treats like red velvet cake mix cookies and are a great go-to when you want a simple, satisfying dessert without a lot of equipment.
Why You Will Love These Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies:
- Less than 10 minutes of prep. Melt the butter, whisk with the eggs and vanilla, then stir in the cake mix. Minimal effort for a delicious result.
- Kid friendly from start to finish. No mixer required—just a whisk and spoon—so kids can easily help measure and mix.
- Easy to customize. Top with a mini peanut butter cup or Hershey’s Kiss, add chocolate chips, white chocolate drizzle, M&M’s, or leave them plain.
- Simple pantry ingredients. You only need boxed cake mix, butter, eggs, vanilla, and sugar for rolling, plus optional add-ins.
Recipe Ingredients:
- cake mix: One 15.25 oz. boxed chocolate cake mix (standard chocolate works well; it produces a slightly denser cookie than devil’s food).
- butter: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled.
- eggs: 2 large eggs at room temperature.
- vanilla: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for extra depth of flavor.
- sugar: 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling the cookie dough before baking—this adds a slight crunch and a polished appearance.
- optional: peanut butter cups, Hershey’s Kisses, chocolate chips, M&Ms, white chocolate for drizzling, or other favorite mix-ins.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
Melt the butter and whisk it together with the eggs and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl until combined.
Stir in the chocolate cake mix until a uniform dough forms. Fold in any chocolate chips or add-ins now, if desired.
The dough will be sticky and slightly gooey, so chill it for 15–30 minutes to make rolling easier. After chilling, the dough should be firm enough to form into balls.
Roll the dough into roughly 1½-inch balls (use a cookie scoop or lightly oiled hands), then roll each ball in the 1/4 cup sugar to coat. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake at 350°F for about 9–10 minutes. Bake until centers are puffed, edges are set, and small crinkles appear. Pull them out just before they look fully done so they remain soft.
For blossom-style cookies, press a mini peanut butter cup or a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each cookie immediately after removing them from the oven. Let the cookies cool a few minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack.
To drizzle with chocolate, allow the cookies to cool completely, melt about 1 cup of white or regular melting chocolate, and drizzle with a spoon or put the melted chocolate in a small plastic bag, snip a corner, and pipe a neat drizzle.
Recipe Notes and Tips:
- Oil can replace butter. Many cake-mix cookie recipes use oil instead of butter. Melted butter gives a richer flavor and slightly different texture, which I prefer.
- Texture and storage. Cookies stay soft for about 3–4 days when stored at room temperature in an airtight container; they can keep up to 5 days if not overbaked.
- Chilled dough handling. If you chill the dough longer than 30 minutes, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before scooping so the cookies spread properly while baking.
Storage Instructions:
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, with peak softness in the first 3–4 days. Refrigeration is unnecessary unless you top them with a perishable frosting.
Freezing: These cookies freeze well. Freeze in a single layer for about an hour, then transfer to an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the dough already rolled into balls; thaw slightly and roll in sugar just before baking.
Variations and Add-ins:
Try these ideas to change up the flavor:
- Add 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract and top with crushed candy canes for a mint-chocolate version.
- Stir in 1 teaspoon espresso powder for a deeper chocolate and mocha note.
- Fold in white or dark chocolate chips, M&Ms, or chopped candy bars.
- Top each cookie with an Andes mint, half a jumbo marshmallow, or a mini peanut butter cup for a special finish.
Other Cookie recipes:
-
Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
-
Lemon Sugar Cookies
-
Funfetti Birthday Cake Cookies
-
Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 boxed chocolate cake mix, 15.25 oz.
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 c unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 c sugar, for rolling
- Optional add-ins: peanut butter cups, Kisses, chocolate chips, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter and vanilla until combined.
- Stir in the boxed chocolate cake mix until fully incorporated. Fold in any add-ins. Chill dough 15–30 minutes until you can roll it into balls. Lightly oil your hands if needed to prevent sticking. Roll dough in sugar to coat.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 9–10 minutes until puffy and slightly crinkly. If making blossom cookies, press a mini peanut butter cup or Hershey’s Kiss into the center immediately after baking.
- Let cookies cool a few minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a rack. To drizzle, cool completely, melt about 1 cup white chocolate, and drizzle over the cookies.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to about 5 days.
Notes
- You can use canola oil instead of butter if preferred, though melted butter gives a richer flavor.
- Cookies stay soft for 3–4 days at room temperature and up to 5 days if stored well.
- If dough is chilled longer than 30 minutes, let it sit about 10 minutes before baking so they spread properly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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