3 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies

Debi Murray
by Debi Murray
30 servings
22 min

These soft and chewy 3 ingredient cake mix cookies are the perfect choice for an easy bake, ready in no time cookie that can be made in so many varieties. Whether you like your cookies with white chocolate chips, M&M candies or dried cranberries – this recipe has got it covered. It’s one of the best recipes for beginner bakers!

EASY CAKE MIX COOKIES WITH 3 INGREDIENTS


I love baking but sometimes, I want a fresh from the oven treat that takes me less than 20 minutes to pull together. This recipe for 3 ingredient cake cookies is the perfect quick and easy recipe. I can make delicious, mouth-watering cake mix cookies with only three ingredients. Plus you can make these chewy cookies in almost any flavor!


WHAT ARE CAKE MIX COOKIES


Cake Mix Cookies, also known as cake batter cookies, are cookies that are made from a cake mix. Simply combine the cake mix with 2 other ingredients to make fluffy, dense, and delicious cookies. These little pillow cookies are so good.


WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CAKE MIX COOKIES


When it comes to make these cookies, it only takes 3 ingredients. That is it. 3 ingredients to make these incredible cake mix cookies.


Ingredients for Cake Mix Cookies:


  • Cake Mix of your Choice– The beauty of these cookies is that you can use whatever flavor of cake mix you like. Besides the cake mix, you can choose different add-ins as well, which means, you can literally create every flavor of cookie imaginable. You can use whatever brand of cake mix that you prefer.
  • Eggs– I always recommend using room temperature eggs in baking. I find that it just gives a better texture to the finished product.
  • Oil– You can use vegetable oil or canola oil. However, if you are avoiding these types of oil, for whatever reason, you can also use melted butter. If using melted butter instead of oil, you want to use 2/3 cups of unsalted butter.

Tools Used to Make Cake Mix Cookies:


  • Mixing bowl– Use a glass or metal bowl, or use the one that comes with your stand mixer.
  • Mixer– You can use a hand mixer or. stand mixer when making these 3 ingredient cake mix cookies.
  • Cookie Scoop– I prefer this cookie scoop. It is a nice quality at a nice price. There are more expensive ones that come in sets, but this one will work perfectly for these cookies. You can skip using the cookie scoop if you do not have one and use a spoon.
  • Baking sheet– Avoid using older dark colored cookie sheets. Use a lighter color or copper colored pan in order to get the best results.


HOW TO MAKE 3 INGREDIENT CAKE MIX COOKIES


Mix the cookie ingredients together.


Scoop the cookies.


Bake them to perfection.

CAKE MIX COOKIE BAKING TIPS


Want to make the most amazing cake mix cookies ever? You want to follow these tips and tricks. After you make these cake mix cookies, they are going to become one of your absolute favorite recipes.


No need to worry about measuring out all of those different ingredients or worrying if your dough is too sticky or dry. Just grab a box of cake mix and get started on these easy recipes that will have everyone begging for more! Seriously, these cookies always disappear.


HOW TO PREP CAKE MIX COOKIES


There is very little prep work to make the cookie dough. Simply add the 3 ingredients together in the mixing bowl and beat together. That is all it takes. You can make the cookies right away or you can refrigerate the dough to use later. You can make the cookie batter up to 5 days in advance and store it in an airtight container.


HOW TO FORM 3 INGREDIENT CAKE MIX COOKIES


You can form the cookies 2 ways. You can drop the batter on the cookie sheet using spoonful, about 1.5 tablespoon. I like to use a cookie or ice cream scoop, size 50.


I love using the cookie scoop because I know exactly how many cookies I am going to get, it makes all the cookies the same size, and since the cookies are the same size, all of the cookies bake at the same time. That means no underbaking or overbaking the cookies. It just makes it easier.


And, you can then use these perfectly formed cookies into cookie sandwiches. Yum!


HOW TO TELL WHEN THE CAKE MIX COOKIES ARE DONE?


These easy cookies take 7 to 10 minutes to bake. Bake until the cookies are puffed up and the edges are just slightly brown. You do not want browned cookies. The tops of the cookies will still be soft to the touch. If you bake the cookies until they are browned, the cookies will be hard and burnt.


WHAT IF THE BOTTOM OF THE CAKE MIX COOKIE BURNS?


No one likes burnt cookies. Most of the time, the reason cookies burn is that you left them in for too long, the oven temperature is too high or, one a lot of people do not realize is, you are using a dark cookie sheet. Dark cookie sheets can easily burn cookies.


One of the biggest reasons people burn their cookies is that the bottoms can harden and finish baking after they are removed from the oven even though the tops look soft while they are in the oven.


While no one wants to burn their cookies, the good news is that you only bake one cookie sheet at a time, so you can easily adjust and not lose the whole batch.


WHAT IF THE CAKE MIX COOKIES ARE TOO GREASY?


This can happen when you add too much oil to the recipe. be careful to measure the oil carefully when you are making the recipe. If the cookies feel greasy once they are baked, you can place them on a paper towel to soak up some of the grease from the bottom.

HOW TO STORE CAKE MIX COOKIES


Store 3 ingredients cake mix cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. You can keep the cookies in a plastic container with a lid, a cookie carrier, or a cookie jar. I do not recommend storing these cookies in the refrigerator. Cookies tend to try out when they are in the refrigerator. If you are not going to finish the cookies before they go bad, consider freezing them so that you can enjoy them later.


HOW LONG DO CAKE MIX COOKIES LAST?


When stored properly, cake mix cookies will last for 3 days. If the cookies go bad before you finish them, you can store them in the freezer. In my house, all the cake batter cookies disappear so I have to make a double batch in order to freeze them.


CAN I FREEZE CAKE MIX COOKIES?


Yes, you can freeze cake mix cookies. It is a great way to always have cookies on hand. That way whenever I want my favorite cookies, I only have to reach into the freezer and pull some out.


I like to freeze the cookies in smaller batches so that I can take a few out at a time and not have to take them all out. I don’t want my cookies to go bad, and if we have too many cookies out at a time, that can happen. Ok, who am I kidding, that never happens here, but it does at my moms. She is not a cookie junkie like me.


The best way to freeze cake mix cookies is to place the cooled cookies on a plate or baking sheet and place it in the freezer. Freeze the cookies for an hour and then place them in an airtight container or freezer bag.


Airtight containers are great because you do not have to worry about your cookies getting crushed if you have a packed freezer like mine. These containers work great in the freezer because they are sturdy, freezer safe and stack well. Or if you are using freezer bags, you can use these freezer shelves to organize and keep your cookies from being crushed.

CAKE MIX COOKIE RECIPE VARIATIONS


There are so many ways that you can change up these cookies. If there is a flavor of dessert that you like, you can almost always replicate that in these cookies.


Margarita Cake Mix Pies Recipe– While these are not exactly like these cake mix cookies you will love these cake mix pies.


3 INGREDIENT CAKE MIX COOKIE RECIPE


After making the cookie dough and scooping the dough into cookie size balls, you want to bake the cookies for 7 to 10 minutes. Be sure you do not overbake or you will have burnt, hard cookies. The cookies will puff up, a matte color and the edges will have the slightest amount of brown. Do not let the cookies brown.


TIP AND TRICKS FOR MAKING CAKE MIX COOKIES WITH 3 INGREDIENTS


HOW DO YOU THICKEN CAKE BATTER FOR COOKIES?


Cake mix batter is supposed to be thick. When you make a cake using cake mix, you add water or milk to the batter which gives the batter the typical thin batter you think of when you think of cake batter. In the case of 3 ingredient cake mix cookies, you are only adding eggs and oil to the dry mix. Only using these three ingredients keeps the batter the same texture, consistency, and thickness as regular cookie batter.


You shouldn’t have to do anything to thicken the cake batter for cookies if you followed the 3 ingredients needed for cake mix cookies. You aren’t making the cake batter according to the box. If you added water or milk accidentally it will make the cookies too runny to make cookies.


If the batter is too thin to make the cookies, you can always add one tablespoon of flour at a time until the batter is thick enough. Mix the flour into the batter but do not overmix. Do not over mix.


CAN YOU SUB BUTTER FOR OIL IN CAKE MIX COOKIES?


Yes, you can substitute butter for oil in cake mix cookies. A lot of people try to avoid vegetable oil for health reasons. I love to substitute butter for oil because I love the flavor it gives. Butter adds so much richness. If you want to substitute butter for oil in these cookies, you want to start with 2/3 cups of butter. Then you want to melt it before adding it to the batter. Also, let the butter cool slightly because beating it into the cookies.


Don’t want to use butter or oil?


If you need to avoid using oil or butter, you can use applesauce instead. I always prefer to use unsweetened, all natural applesauce but any kind will do.


HOW TO MAKE CAKE MIX COOKIES EGGLESS?


If you need to make these cookies eggless, you can use yogurt or buttermilk instead. Use one-fourth cup of yogurt to replace 1 egg.


CAN I MAKE CAKE MIX COOKIES IN AN AIR FRYER?


Yes, you can bake these cake mix cookies in the air fryer. You want to set the temperature to 370 and bake the cookies for 4 minutes. Then, let the cookies sit in the air fryer for another 4 minutes.


ARE THESE COOKIES WEIGHT WATCHERS FRIENDLY?


These cookies as they are are slightly high in WW points. That is because they are loaded with sugar and oil. If you make a few swaps, like use sugar free cake mix and applesauce instead of oil, you make these WW cookies comes in at about 2 points per cookie. This may change slightly depending on your personal point plan.


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3 Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies
Recipe details
  • 30  servings
  • Prep time: 15 Minutes Cook time: 7 Minutes Total time: 22 min
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Ingredients

  • 1 box Cake Mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix together cake mix, eggs and oil in a bowl.
Make little cookie sized balls with the dough and set on greased cookie sheets.
Bake for 7-10 minutes.
Debi Murray
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Comments
  • Martha Martha on Feb 28, 2022

    what are some add-ins for variations? also could you add pudding or jello to cake mix for different flavors??

    • Vickie Patterson Vickie Patterson on Apr 05, 2022

      I've made cookies like this before. Not only can you add pudding and jello mix, but Kool-Aid works too. Just use the flavor of Kool-Aid you prefer. Black cherry is one of my favorites. All these flavor additions go well with yellow cake mix. You could also add chocolate chips M&Ms and any number of things. Or if you use a yellow cake mix, try adding cinnamon for a type of snickerdoodle. The possibilities are endless!

  • Emm34430387 Emm34430387 on Mar 09, 2022

    Can use use various cake mixes, chocolate,

    spice, red velvet, carrot?

    • See 3 previous
    • Doc's Mom Doc's Mom on Apr 04, 2023

      My friends love it when I make cookies using butter pecan cake mix and mini chocolate chips. Except for angel food, it seems that the oven door is open to any flavor of cake mix. I like to add a splash of good vanilla to the batter also. Happy Baking!

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