Easy vanilla and chocolate Christmas Cake Mix Cookies are dotted with red and green M&Ms and finished with festive toppings. They bake quickly, stay soft, and are perfect for cookie swaps or holiday platters.
Super Easy Christmas Cookies, Made with Cake Mix!
If you love chocolate chip cookies, you’ll probably enjoy M&M cookies too—there’s something about the candy shell that makes them extra fun. Using a boxed cake mix is a smart shortcut: it adds flavor and yields a soft, tender cookie with minimal effort. With a few simple ingredients and a couple of tweaks, you can make half the dough chocolate and half vanilla for a festive mix-and-match batch.
The Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need for these holiday cake mix cookies. Most items are pantry staples, and you can swap flavors to suit your taste.
- Cake Mix: One box of yellow cake mix (substitute white, spice, or red velvet if desired).
- Baking Powder: For light, soft cookies.
- Salt.
- Eggs: Two large eggs to bind the dough.
- Butter and Oil: Melted butter for flavor and a little oil for moisture.
- Milk: Room-temperature milk for an even batter.
- Vanilla Extract: Pure vanilla gives the best flavor.
- Cocoa Powder: A few tablespoons to make half the dough chocolate.
- M&Ms: Red and green candies for a Christmas look.
- Decorations: Mini white chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, and sprinkles are all fun options.
What Size Is a Standard Cake Mix?
Traditional cake mixes were commonly 18.25 ounces, but many brands now sell 15.25-ounce boxes. If you only find the smaller size, the recipe will still work—your cookies may be slightly thinner. To adjust, add about 1/4 cup all-purpose flour to the batter to match the original dry-to-wet ratio.
How to Make Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
These cookies are straightforward to prepare and are a great activity to do with kids. Follow these steps for best results:
- Preheat and prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a bowl, combine the cake mix with baking powder and salt; whisk to blend.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat the eggs briefly, then add melted butter, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy, about three minutes.
- Combine: Stir the wet ingredients into the dry with a large spoon or rubber spatula until you have a uniform cookie dough.
- Make chocolate dough: Divide the dough in half and stir cocoa powder into one portion to create chocolate dough.
- Shape: Roll tablespoon-sized portions of dough into balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Work in batches if needed.
- Decorate: Slightly flatten each ball and press M&Ms, white chocolate chips, crushed candy cane, or sprinkles on top.
- Bake: Bake 8–9 minutes, until the tops crack and edges look set. Avoid overbaking to keep cookies soft.
- Cool: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Helpful Tips
These tips will help you tailor the cookies to your preferences and troubleshoot common issues.
- Cake mix swaps: White, spice, or red velvet cake mix works well. Avoid flavors that clash with added cocoa if making chocolate dough.
- No cake mix? Use 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup granulated sugar as a substitute; texture will differ slightly but still be tasty.
- Cookie size: Make larger cookies by using more dough per ball and flattening slightly before baking; allow extra room for spreading.
- Baking time: For soft cookies, stick to the shorter baking time. Add a minute or two for crisper cookies if desired.
Recipe Variations
Try these variations to change flavor or texture:
- Extra extracts: Add a touch of almond or mint extract for a new flavor profile.
- Warm spices: A pinch of cinnamon adds warmth and depth.
- Nuts: Fold finely chopped walnuts or pecans into the dough with the cocoa powder.
- More toppings: Chopped peppermint, chopped candy bars, baking chips (white chocolate, butterscotch, cinnamon), and festive sprinkles all work well.
- Sandwich cookies: Use a firm buttercream, cream cheese frosting, or softened ice cream between two cookies and chill until set for boozy or ice cream sandwich options.
How to Store Cookies
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container with parchment between layers to prevent sticking.
- Cookies keep well at room temperature for several days.
Can I Freeze Cake Mix Cookies?
Yes. Freeze dough balls or fully baked cookies for convenience:
- Freeze dough: Roll dough into balls, freeze on a sheet until solid (about 1 hour), then store in freezer bags up to three months. Bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
- Freeze baked cookies: Cool completely, layer with parchment in an airtight container, and freeze up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before serving.
More Christmas Treats
- Nutella Puff Pastry Christmas Tree
- The Best Pecan Pie Recipe
- Muddy Buddies
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box (18.25 ounces) yellow cake mix
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1 cup red and green M&Ms
- 1/2 cup mini white chocolate chips
- Candy cane sprinkles or other Christmas sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the cake mix, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs, then add melted butter, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined.
- Divide dough in two. Stir cocoa into one half to make chocolate dough.
- Roll dough into 1-tablespoon balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Work in batches if necessary.
- Flatten balls slightly and press M&Ms, white chocolate chips, and sprinkles on top.
- Bake 9 minutes or until tops crack and edges are just set. Do not overbake.
- Cool on the baking sheet 2–3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheets
- Cooling wire rack
Notes
- Cake mix: Use yellow, white, spice, or red velvet as preferred.
- If using a 15.25-ounce cake mix: Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour before making the dough.
- No cake mix: Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour with 1 cup granulated sugar.
- Cookie size: Make larger cookies by increasing dough per ball and flattening slightly before baking.
- Baking time: For softer cookies, bake about 9 minutes; for crispier cookies, bake 10–11 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate. Values may vary based on ingredients and portion size.