Turn a regular cake mix into these super easy, soft, chewy, and fudgy Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies! With only 5 simple ingredients, these and can be whipped up in under 20 minutes!
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What are cake mix cookies? Well let me tell you! They're the easiest way to achieve a rich, soft cookie without needing cocoa powder or a bunch of ingredients! Simply mix a few ingredients with a boxed cake mix and scoop into cookies instead of spreading the batter in a cake pan.
Why I Love Cake Mix Cookies:
- They only require a few pantry staples, making them an easy last-minute treat!
- They can be stirred with a spoon or spatula...no mixer needed!
- Cake mix cookies are an easy activity to make with the kids since they don't require measuring a bunch of ingredients!
- They are a quick dessert for bake sale cookies, Christmas cookie trays, or really any time a chocolate craving hits!
Ingredients for Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies:
- Dry Chocolate Cake Mix (dry = don't add the ingredients on the box of the box): Devil's Food or chocolate fudge have the best rich chocolate flavor. As for sizing, the 15.25oz box works best but you can also use up to an 18.25oz box without needing to make any additional adjustments.
- Vegetable oil - this gives it the soft, chewy, fudgy texture (see note below on using butter)
- Eggs
- Semi sweet chocolate chips
- Optional: 1 teaspoon cornstarch for chewier texture
Tip: You can also substitute the oil for melted unsalted butter but I've found that they are puffier and don't spread as much. So I definitely prefer the texture when using oil instead of making these cake mix cookies with butter (since they're flatter and have a more fudgy, tasty texture).
How to Make Cake Mix Cookies:
Step 1: Mix Ingredients
Preheat your oven to 350°F. In a medium-sized bowl, add dry cake mix, oil, eggs, and cornstarch. Use a large spoon or spatula to mix until combined (you do not need a mixer for these but if you do use one, don't overmix). Mix in chocolate chips.
Tip: You can add more fun mix-ins like M&M's, white chocolate chips, or even peanut butter chips! These are also perfect for making holiday-specific; like adding fun Christmas, 4th of July, Easter, or Valentine's M&M's or spinkles into the batter! Whatever you add, I'd recommend a total of ½-3/4 cup of mix-ins.
You could also leave out any mix-ins and instead roll the dough in powdered sugar for a fun chocolate snowball Christmas cookie!
Step 2: Scoop & Roll
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a 2-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once scooped, use your hands to roll each of the scoops into a ball then slightly flatten the tops into a thick disc (see photo below). If desired, press a few extra chocolate chips on top.
Tip: If needed, spray your hands with non-stick cookie oil before rolling. Dough will be thick & sticky. If you are still having trouble, pop the batter in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
Step 3: Bake
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. The centers may look slightly underdone, but I'd recommend removing them from the over. Overbaking will create a crunchier cookie rather than the fudgy, soft texture we want.
Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to finish baking on the hot sheet, as well as help them set. If you need to stack or store them immediately, place in the fridge to allow the chocolate chips to harden.
Tip: If you want to take these up a notch, top these cake mix cookies with cream cheese frosting!
Step 4: Store or Freeze
How long do cake mix cookies last? These will stay soft in an airtight container for about 3 days before starting to dry out.
Can cake mix cookies be frozen? Yes! These freeze very well (and are also tasty when frozen!). Freeze in an airtight container and store for up to 2 months. As with any cookies, freezing will dry them out over time and cause them to lose their flavor (as they can start to absorb the odors of the freezer). So if you're really wanting to keep them fresh the longest, the best method would be to individually wrap cookies in plastic wrap, place those in an airtight container, then freeze.
Frequently Asked Questions:
My favorite brand for these chocolate cake mix cookies is Pillsbury Devil's Food. But you can also use any cake mix brand like Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines; just keep in mind that different cake mixes have different formulas and make baked differently.
As for the box size, 15.25oz mix works best. If you can only find an 18.25oz mix, that will work fine too without needing any adjustments.
You sure can! This recipe can be used with pretty much any flavor of cake mix like strawberry, lemon, german chocolate, etc!
If you love these, try my Chocolate Brownie Cookies; it uses a boxed brownie mix instead of cake mix but they're SO good and chewy - one of my family's favorite recipes!
For a white cake mix recipe, be sure to try The Best White Sheet Cake (Doctored Cake Mix!) - another fan favorite!
Surprisingly yes! They're way better than I thought they would be. They kind of have a fudgy brownie texture which make them super tasty!
Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz Chocolate Cake Mix Dry (don't add ingredients on back of box)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch optional, for chewier texture
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add dry chocolate cake mix (15.25 ounces), vegetable oil (½ cup), eggs (2 large), and cornstarch (1 teaspoon). Use a large spoon or spatula to mix until combined (you do not need a mixer for these but if you do use one, only mix until combined; don’t overmix). Mix in semi-sweet chocolate chips (½ cup).
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a 2-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once scooped, use your hands to roll each of the scoops into a ball then slightly flatten the tops into a thick disc (see photo below). If desired, press a few extra chocolate chips on top. Tip: If needed, spray your hands with non-stick cookie oil before rolling. Dough will be thick & sticky. If you are still having trouble, pop the batter in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
- Bake at 350℉ for 8-10 minutes. The centers may look slightly underdone, but I'd recommend removing them from the over. Overbaking will create a crunchier cookie rather than the fudgy, soft texture we want.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the hot baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before removing them. This will allow them to finish baking on the hot sheet, as well as help them set. If you need to stack or store them immediately, place in the fridge to allow the chocolate chips to harden.
- See "notes" section below for storage and freezing tips!
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe! This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make these chocolate cake mix cookies? Be sure to leave a comment below with how you liked them!
Wendi Leyba says
Thx! Worked out great!
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Wendi!
K Yates says
I made this with 3 cake mixes (same kind suggested- Philsbury supreme moist devils food chocolate), a full bag of ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips 12 oz, 15 oz (1 1/2 bags) of plain Easter m&ms- upon mixing the dough it seemed very oily- I am in an area where there is high altitude so I decided to add 1 T flour per mix- it helped some- the dough was a bit challenging to work with but it was nice not to have to measure out ingredients from a full recipe- cookies had a good flavor and texture- their appearance was pleasing- I did have to press these cookies down quite flat as without pressing them they did not bake properly- the first batch got thrown out- (just the first 6 cookies baked) as they didn’t flatten out on their own from a rolled dough ball- they were cooked on the outside and very doughy on the inside- they have to be pressed flat to bake- I pressed mine quite flat- they turned out good with the rest of the batches- made about 60 cookies- I would like to try this recipe with other flavors as a crinkle cookie- we will see- thanks for the recipe
Rebecca Palmer says
I made them with peanut butter chips. Easy recipe & delicious!
Melissa says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Chocolate Cake Mix Cookie recipe, Rebecca! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
Mandy says
Easy kids loved them. Soft lots of flavor
Melissa says
I'm so glad you all loved the cake mix cookies, Mandy! Thanks so much for taking time to leave a review!
Carol D says
These are the best cookies I've had in a long time. Thank you!
Melissa says
I am so glad you loved these cookies, Carol! Thank you for leaving a review!
Sylvia says
I made them today, better than bakery!
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Sylvia! I really appreciate it!
Damara T Griffin says
Awesome recipe. Quick. Easy. Loved by all.
Melissa says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Damara!
Autumn says
Absolutely delicious!!! Perfect recipe to use up old box cake mix. I tried subbing the regular chocolate chips with 60% cocoa ones, and it gave the cookies an amazing, deep chocolate flavor.
Lisa R. says
5 stars doesn’t do these cookies justice! They’re so soft and chewy. I made these the first time as a thank you for a friend and my husband asked if we had to give them away. Thank goodness I bought enough ingredients to double the recipe!!
Melissa says
Haha I've learned you always have to make one batch to give and one to eat! :) Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Lisa! I really appreciate it!
Jasmine says
I made these and I’m no baker AT ALL but I feel I have baked the BEST fudgy cookies! Thank you! I feel accomplished!
Melissa says
I am so happy that this recipe made you feel like an accomplished baker Jasmine!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, I appreciate it!
Betty says
Very Good and moist. Easy to make. A hit with those that I served them to.
Melissa says
So glad you loved them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review - I appreciate it so much!
Christine says
Hi Melissa thanks for the recipe, my question is can you freeze the cookie “dough” before baking? Can I make the individual slightly pressed cookie and freeze, so all I would have to do is take out a certain amount of cookies and bake straight from the freezer, or do I let it thaw on the cookie sheet first before baking? Please let me know because I want to make already prepared cookie recipes for my daughter who is a hard working mother and this will help her out ALOT and all she would have to do is just bake, no mixing or measuring :)
Melissa says
Hi Christine! I haven’t tried freezing this particular dough but I think it would work just fine!
She will probably just need to bake them for a few extra minutes. Let me know how it goes! I love the idea of freezing this dough for later!