This is a recipe I love to make with my kids because they can do most of the work and it’s a fun way to spend time together.
Who can pass up a good Christmas cookie? Especially one that screams red and green! You won’t want to pass this Cake Mix Christmas Cookie by, and not only because it looks and tastes great, but because with only five ingredients, it may be the easiest cookie to make.
You’ll wow your neighbors, your kids, or whoever you share these delicious Christmas cookies with while keeping things easy and simple for yourself.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Cake Mix Christmas Cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- Chocolate Cake Mix, (you could also use Devil’s Food)
- Vegetable Oil
- Vanilla
- Eggs
- M&M’s candies, (can also use chocolate chips)
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to make Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a large bowl, mix together dry cake mix (don’t prepare it as called for on the back of the box), vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs. The dough will be very thick.
- Fold in the M and M candies.
- Roll the dough into 1″ balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes and remove from oven. Let cookies cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storing
If you manage to not eat the whole tray of cookies immediately, these Cake Mix Christmas Cookies store well. Once cookies have completely cooled, here is how you can store them:
- Counter: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 4 days at room temperature. If you want to try and get the cookies to last even longer without becoming crumbly cookies, add a slice of bread into the container of cookies. The bread will give the cookies something to draw moisture from.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 7 days in a refrigerator.
- Freezer: You can freeze precooked cookie dough for cookies later. Just roll out and freeze for 30 minutes, and then transfer to an airtight, freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. To store cooked cookies, let them cool completely before you put them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Helpful Tips for Cake Mix Cookies
When making these Cake Mix Christmas Cookies, or any cake mix cookie, do not prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. The dry cake mix is added to this recipe to form a thick dough.
Roll them into small, even balls. That way they will all cook evenly and some won’t burn while others are still doughy.
Although we love the festive look of the red and green M&M candies in these Cake Mix Christmas Cookies, you can always mix in something extra or substitute the mix-ins to your tastes. Here are some ideas:
- Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares (chopped up)
- Chocolate chips
- Chocolate toffee bits
- Crushed candy cane
- Chopped pecans
Enjoy More Delicious Christmas Recipes
There’s nothing like homemade cookies that the whole family will love. Check out our comprehensive collection of cookie recipes here.
- Andes Mint Grinch Cookies
- Chocolate Reindeer Cookies
- Cornflake Christmas Wreath Cookies
- Ginger Cookies with Eggnog Frosting
Cake Mix Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 (15.25 ounce) chocolate cake mix, (you could also use Devil's Food)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup M&M's candies, (can also use chocolate chips)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- In a large bowl, mix together dry cake mix (don't prepare it as called for on the back of the box), vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs. The dough will be very thick.
- Fold in the M and M candies.
- Roll the dough into 1" balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes and remove from oven. Let cookies cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark Squares (chopped up)
- Chocolate chips
- Chocolate toffee bits
- Crushed candy cane
- Chopped pecans
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
How many cookies does this recipe yield?
This recipe makes about 24-30 cookies.
Do these freeze well?
These cookies freeze great in a freezer container or airtight container.
These cookies freeze really well in a freezer container.
what do you do with vanilla fla.?
Thanks for catching that. We added vanilla into the directions.
Could I use a white cake mix instead of chocolate?
Sure, it should work fine with a white cake mix, just a different flavor.
Could you also use brownie mix for this recipe? I would like to try this this Christmas, and I only have brownie mix. Christmas is pretty soon.
How long should it take to get an answer to a question, please? No offense.
I really love this website’s recipes for baking, especially now at Christmas.
These cookies look yummy supreme!!!
You have the best stuff!!
Thanks!
Pinned! 🙂
So doing this Christmas Eve, and that’s tomorrow! Bummed I don’t have M&Ms. Chocolate Chips and Powdered Sugar will be great though. I love powdered sugar on Christmas stuff for that snowy effect (there is no snow where I live)!
Made it almost the way I said I would. Great! Milk Chocolate Chips abounded. Powdered Sugar overflowed. And I added some Mint Jelly into the middle. Came out huge. I’ll give some away to my family this Christmas. It’ll be awesome! Thanks for the recipe, even though I changed it a bit. I’ll might even do it again. -Mira
Can you use butter instead of olive oil?
We’ve got other cake mix cookies and they use butter or shortening in place of the olive oil. So it should work fine. You could make them similar to these 2 recipes –
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/cake-mix-grasshopper-sandwich-cookies-recipe/
https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/snickerdoodle-cake-mix-cookies/
It says olive oil in the ingredients list, but vegetable oil in the instructions. Which one do you use/prefer? Thanks! 🙂
Sorry about that, it’s vegetable oil.
Do you refrigerate the dough before baking?
The cake mix box I have is 13.25 ounces. Will it still work or do I need to make adjustments?
You don’t have to refrigerate the dough however, because it tends to be a little stickier than regular cookie dough, chilling it first helps with the shaping
The recipe should work as is for a 13.25 ounce box of cake mix. If the dough feels hard to shape, try chilling it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before baking
Can you spread it out on cookie sheet then cut them out with cookie cutters?
We haven’t tried baking these this way so we can’t give any advice. But let us know if you try it!
Easy and quick cookies. To easily roll the sticky dough make sure your hands are wet and you will have no problems. Super yummy! Made mine with dark chocolate cake mix and hot cocoa/marshmallow chips.