Lila ThompYou Guys HAVE to Try These!
Oh my gosh, you guys, I have to tell you about these cake mix chocolate chip cookies. Seriously. The other day, my kiddo announced (at 7 PM, mind you!) that they needed cookies for a school thing the *next day*. Panic stations! I remembered this trick my friend Sarah told me about, using cake mix, and it was a total lifesaver. And honestly? They were so good, I think I prefer them to some ‘from scratch’ recipes I’ve wrestled with. Less fuss, more yum. What’s not to love?
Okay, So Why Bother With These Cookies Anyway?
So, why these cookies? Well, I make this when I’m feeling lazy but still want that homemade cookie smell wafting through the house. Or when the cookie craving hits HARD and waiting for butter to soften feels like an eternity. My family goes absolutely bonkers for them because they’re super soft and chewy, (and let’s be real, they don’t know my secret shortcut shhh!) plus, you probably have most of the stuff already. It’s also great because sometimes my ‘proper’ cookies spread too thin or get too crispy, a real baking bummer, but these are pretty foolproof. I mean, it’s almost impossible to mess them up, which is saying something coming from me sometimes!
What You’ll Need to Grab
This is the best part, the list is so short!
- 1 box (about 15.25 oz, give or take) yellow cake mix – honestly, any brand. I’ve used Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, even store brands. Golden butter flavor is nice to!
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter, if you’re feeling fancy. I sometimes use melted coconut oil when I’m out of veg oil, adds a little something different, you know?)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (don’t skip this, it really makes a difference!)
- 1 cup chocolate chips – semi sweet are my go to. Or milk chocolate. Or a mix! Heck, throw in a handful of M&Ms if you’re feeling wild. If you’re curious about different types of chocolate chips, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company has some great info, though any brand works!
- Optional: a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top before baking – trust me on this.
Alright, Let’s Get Baking!
- First things first, get that oven preheating to 375°F (that’s about 190°C). And line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Actually, on second thought, always line them if you can, cleanup is a nightmare otherwise. If you don’t have parchment, just grease ‘em lightly. Honestly, parchment makes cleanup a breeze, so I always try to use it. You can find decent parchment paper pretty much anywhere.
- In a big bowl, just dump in the cake mix, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Mix it all up with a wooden spoon or a spatula. It’s gonna look super thick and almost weirdly sticky, dont panic! That’s totally normal for these cake mix chocolate chip cookies. If it seems *too* dry, like, impossibly dry, add a teeny tiny splash of water or milk, like a teaspoon at a time, but usually it’s fine.
- Now, stir in those glorious chocolate chips. This is where I usually sneak a few chips for ‘quality control’. My secret!
- Okay, time to make cookie balls. I use a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons) because I like them uniform, but a couple of spoons works just dandy. Plop them onto your prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart ‘cause they will spread a bit.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. You want the edegs to be just set and maybe a tiny bit golden, but the centers should still look a little soft and underdone. That’s the secret to chewy! While these are baking, I usually quickly wash the bowl. Or, let’s be honest, scroll on my phone for 10 minutes watching cat videos. Either way.
- Let them cool on the baking sheet for like 5 minutes – this is crucial, they’ll finish baking a bit and firm up. Then, move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Or, you know, eat one warm and gooey. No judgment here.
Little Things I’ve Figured Out (My Notes!)
- Seriously, don’t overbake these. Pull them out when they still look a smidge doughy in the middle. They’ll set up as they cool, I promise.
- If your dough is crazy sticky and hard to handle, try chilling it for 15-20 minutes. Makes a world of difference, really.
- I’ve found that different brands of cake mix can absorb the liquid a bit differently. If it seems *really* stiff, like I said, a teaspoon of water helps. If it’s too loose, which is rare, maybe a tablespoon more of the dry cake mix (but careful not to add too much, or they get a bit tough).
Wanna Get Fancy? Some Twists I’ve Tried
- White Chocolate Macadamia: Use a white cake mix and swap the chocolate chips for white chocolate chips and some chopped macadamia nuts. Divine!
- Funfetti Explosion: Yellow cake mix, add 1/4 cup of rainbow sprinkles to the dough with the chocolate chips. Kids go nuts for this. It’s like a party in a cookie.
- Double Chocolate Dream: Chocolate cake mix (like devil’s food) and chocolate chips. Super rich, for true chocoholics!
- The Peanut Butter Attempt: I once tried stirring in a big glob of peanut butter… it made them a bit too crumbly and greasy for my liking. Maybe peanut butter chips would be better? Still experimenting with that one, haha. Some things are best left to the pros, or at least require more tweaking than I had patience for that day.
Tools of the Trade (Or Lack Thereof!)
- Mixing bowl and a spoon – that’s basically it! No fancy stand mixer needed, though you can use one if you want.
- Baking sheets, obviously.
- Parchment paper is my best friend for easy cleanup. If you don’t have it, a lightly greased pan is okay, but you might get more browning on the bottoms.
- A cookie scoop is nice for even cookies, but not essential. Two spoons work just as well, just takes a little more practice to get them similar sizes. My grandma always just used her hands, slightly wet so the dough wouldn’t stick as much; a proper old school trick!
Keeping Them Fresh (If They Last!)
Store these cake mix chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay soft for a few days. Though honestly, in my house, they never last more than a day or two! They get gobbled up pretty quick. I actually think they’re even chewier the next day, if they make it that long. It’s a rare occasion though!
How We Eat ‘Em Around Here
Warm, with a big glass of cold milk. Classic for a reason, right? It just hits different. My husband loves to crumble one over vanilla ice cream. Talk about decadent! Perfect for an after school snack, or a ‘just because’ treat. We often make a batch when friends are coming over, ’cause they’re so quick and everyone always raves about them, little do they know my secret weapon is a box of cake mix.
Learn From My Mistakes! (Pro Tips)
- Don’t try to cram too many cookies on one baking sheet. I once tried rushing this step and they all spread into one giant cookie-blob. Tasty, yes, but not exactly pretty! Spacing is your friend.
- If you’re using melted butter instead of oil, let it cool slightly before adding it to the mix. Too hot and it can start to cook the eggs a bit. Learned that the hard way – scrambled egg cookies are not a vibe.
- For extra fancy cookies, press a few extra chocolate chips onto the tops of the dough balls right before baking. Makes ’em look bakery-worthy, and who doesn’t want more chocolate?
Your Burning Questions, Answered (Probably!)
- Can I use a different flavor of cake mix?
- Oh, absolutely! Lemon cake mix with white chocolate chips is amazing. Spice cake mix with butterscotch chips in the fall? Yes please! Red velvet cake mix with cream cheese chips – oh man. Experiment away! That’s half the fun.
- What if I don’t have eggs?
- Ooh, that’s a tricky one for this recipe since eggs are a key binder. You *might* be able to use an egg replacer like applesauce (maybe 1/4 cup per egg) or a flax egg, but I haven’t personally tried it with this specific cake mix method. It could change the texture quite a bit. If you do, let me know how it turns out! For more reliable egg substitutes, I usually check out a site like King Arthur Baking for ideas.
- Help! My dough is too sticky!
- Yep, it can be like that sometimes, especially if your kitchen is warm. Pop it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes, it really helps. Or you can lightly wet your hands or the cookie scoop. That usually does the trick!
- Can I freeze the dough?
- You bet! Scoop the dough balls onto a parchment-lined tray, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, just add a couple extra minutes to the baking time. Super handy for cookie emergencies!
- Why are they called cake mix chocolate chip cookies if they’re cookies?
- Ha! Good question. It’s because the base is literally a box of cake mix instead of starting with flour, sugar, baking soda, etc. It’s a shortcut that gives you a really soft, almost cakey cookie texture. It’s a bit of a baking hack, really, and one I’m not ashamed to use!
Lila Thomp
