Easy 3-Ingredient Cake Mix Sugar Cookies: The Ultimate Simple Recipe for Any Occasion
Get ready to simplify your baking with this incredibly easy and delicious Cake Mix Sugar Cookie Recipe! Crafted with just three pantry staples, these cookies are a game-changer for anyone who loves a homemade treat but is short on time or baking expertise. Forget complicated steps and lengthy ingredient lists; this recipe delivers perfectly chewy, soft sugar cookies that are ideal for holiday gatherings, casual snacking, or any moment you crave something sweet. They serve as a fantastic canvas for your creativity, whether you want to add colorful sprinkles, smooth icing, or fun candy pieces.
Today, I’m thrilled to share a super simple, no-fuss recipe that will become a go-to in your kitchen: Easy Cake Mix Sugar Cookies. If you’ve been looking for an effortless way to create delicious, bakery-style cookies without the stress, you’ve just found it! These are wonderfully chewy sugar cookies, boasting a soft, cake-like texture that melts in your mouth. As someone who appreciates straightforward recipes, this one is a true winner for its minimal effort and maximum flavor.
Why You’ll Love These 3-Ingredient Cake Mix Cookies
What makes these cookies truly special is their incredible simplicity. With just three core ingredients – a box of cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil – you can whip up a batch of delectable cookies in no time. This recipe is not just easy; it’s practically foolproof, making it perfect for novice bakers or for involving kids in the kitchen. They are, without a doubt, among the best sugar cookies you’ll ever find for their ease and delightful texture.
- Unbeatable Simplicity: Only 3 ingredients! No need for butter, flour, baking soda, or baking powder. The cake mix does all the heavy lifting.
- Perfect Texture: These cookies are wonderfully soft and chewy, with a slight puffiness that gives them a satisfying mouthfeel.
- Versatile Base: They serve as an excellent foundation for endless customizations, from festive sprinkles to rich icings and various candies.
- Quick & Easy: Minimal prep time means you can have warm, freshly baked cookies in under 30 minutes (excluding chilling time).
- Crowd-Pleaser: Perfect for holiday cookie exchanges, birthday parties, baby showers, or simply as a comforting treat for your family. Everyone loves a classic sugar cookie, especially one this easy!
These cookies shine during the holiday season. I often bake them as festive Christmas cookies, but they’re equally suitable for a delightful brunch or a charming baby shower. My kids frequently lend a hand when we’re making treats like Loaded Oatmeal Cookies, No-Bake Cookies Without Milk, or these Peanut Butter Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookies. But when it comes to simplicity and pure joy, these cake mix sugar cookies always steal the show.
Essential 3-Ingredient Recipe Ingredients
This recipe truly lives up to its “easy” name, requiring minimal ingredients to create maximum flavor and a delightful texture. Here’s a closer look at the simple components you’ll need:
- Cake Mix: The star of this recipe! Using a box of cake mix simplifies the process immensely, eliminating the need to measure out flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. The cake mix not only provides the foundational dry ingredients but also contributes to the cookies’ soft, moist, and slightly cakey texture, which is utterly irresistible. While I opted for a French Vanilla cake mix for a classic sugar cookie flavor, feel free to experiment with any white cake mix. For a unique twist, consider a lemon, funfetti, or even a red velvet cake mix to infuse your cookies with exciting new flavors and colors.
- Eggs: Essential for binding the ingredients together and adding moisture. Eggs help create the structure of the cookie and contribute to its chewiness. This recipe typically calls for two large eggs. Ensure they are at room temperature if possible, as this helps them incorporate more smoothly into the batter.
- Vegetable Oil: The third key ingredient, vegetable oil, provides the necessary fat for a tender crumb and helps the cookies spread perfectly as they bake. If you don’t have vegetable oil on hand, other neutral high-heat oils like canola oil, safflower oil, peanut oil, or grapeseed oil can be excellent substitutes. These alternatives will offer a similar mild flavor profile that won’t overpower the delicate sugar cookie taste. Using a liquid fat like oil also contributes to the cookies’ signature soft, chewy texture.
Step-by-Step: How to Make This Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe
You are going to absolutely adore how incredibly simple these cake mix sugar cookies are to prepare. This recipe serves as a fantastic base, allowing you to easily customize them with icing, sprinkles, or candy to suit any occasion or personal preference. Follow these straightforward steps to baking perfection!
Step 1: Mix Ingredients and Chill the Dough
In a large mixing bowl, combine the entire box of cake mix, the two large eggs, and the vegetable oil. Using an electric mixer (or a sturdy spoon for arm exercise!), beat these three ingredients together for approximately 2 minutes until they are thoroughly combined and form a thick, cohesive dough. Once mixed, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour. Chilling is a crucial step that helps the dough firm up, making it easier to handle and preventing excessive spreading during baking, which ensures your cookies maintain a lovely, uniform shape.
Step 2: Form and Prepare Cookies
While your dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking trays with either parchment paper or silicone baking mats. This will prevent your cookies from sticking and ensure even baking. Once the dough is adequately chilled, use a cookie scoop (a standard 1.5-inch scoop works great) to portion out the dough. Place the scooped dough balls onto your prepared cookie sheets, making sure to leave at least 3 inches of space between each cookie. This generous spacing allows for proper airflow and prevents the cookies from merging as they expand during baking.
Step 3: Bake and Cool for Perfection
Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes. Keep a close eye on them; you’re looking for cookies that have spread nicely, show light cracks on top, and are puffed up. It’s crucial that they do not start to brown around the edges, as overbaking will result in a dry, crunchy cookie rather than the desired soft and chewy texture. Once baked, remove the trays from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes. This brief cooling period helps them firm up without becoming brittle. After 2 minutes, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. They will continue to set as they cool.
Optional Step 4: Decorate Your Masterpieces
Once the cookies have cooled completely on the wire rack, they are ready for decoration! This is where you can truly make them your own. You can opt for a quick and convenient store-bought icing or whip up a batch of your favorite homemade frosting. Apply a thin or thick layer, then let your imagination run wild with toppings. Remember to add sprinkles or candy pieces while the icing is still wet so they adhere properly. Alternatively, for a simpler approach, you can gently press sprinkles or small candy pieces into the warm cookies immediately after they come out of the oven, allowing them to stick as the cookies cool.
Creative Customizations: What Can I Add to These Cookies?
The beauty of these easy cake mix sugar cookies lies in their versatility. They provide a perfect blank canvas for whatever flavors or textures you want to introduce. Don’t be afraid to get creative and personalize your batch!
Here are some fantastic ideas to elevate your cookies:
- Sprinkles: Add a festive touch by mixing sprinkles directly into the dough before chilling, or pressing them into the top of the cookie dough balls before baking. For a vibrant finish, add them on top of fresh icing. Choose holiday-themed sprinkles for Christmas, pastels for Easter, or rainbow for birthdays!
- Candy Pieces: Incorporate mini chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, M&Ms, chopped candy bars, or even crushed peppermints. Mix them into the dough, or gently press them onto the top of the cookies right after they come out of the oven while they are still warm and soft.
- Icing: A simple vanilla buttercream, a lemon glaze, or even a cream cheese frosting can take these cookies to the next level. Frost them generously once completely cooled, then add more sprinkles or small candies on top of the wet icing for extra flair.
- Mini-Marshmallows: For a delightful gooey surprise, press a few mini marshmallows into the top of the cookies during the last 2 minutes of baking, or add them after baking and let them melt slightly before cooling.
- Chopped Nuts: Pecans, walnuts, or almonds can add a lovely crunch and nutty flavor. Fold them into the dough or sprinkle on top before baking.
- Chopped Graham Crackers: For a s’mores-inspired twist, add crushed graham crackers to the dough.
- Extracts: Enhance the flavor profile by adding a teaspoon of your favorite extract to the wet ingredients before mixing. Almond extract provides a classic bakery flavor, vanilla extract boosts richness, peppermint extract is perfect for holiday cookies, and lemon extract offers a bright, zesty note.
- Food Coloring: For themed parties or holidays, add a few drops of gel food coloring to the dough to create colorful cookies without changing the flavor.
Expert Tips for Perfect Cake Mix Sugar Cookies
While this recipe is incredibly simple, a few expert tips can ensure your cake mix sugar cookies turn out absolutely perfect every single time. Pay attention to these details for the best results:
- Don’t Skip Chilling the Dough: This is arguably the most important step for sugar cookies. Chilling the dough for at least 30-60 minutes firms up the fats, preventing the cookies from spreading too much in the oven. It also makes the dough much easier to handle, especially if you plan to use cookie cutters.
- Measure Accurately: Even though it’s only three ingredients, precision matters. Ensure you use the correct amount of oil and eggs as specified in the recipe to maintain the right dough consistency.
- Avoid Overmixing: Once the ingredients are just combined and smooth, stop mixing. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour (from the cake mix), leading to tougher cookies.
- Use Parchment Paper or Silicone Mats: This prevents sticking and promotes even baking. Greasing a baking sheet alone might not provide enough non-stick surface, and parchment paper makes cleanup a breeze.
- Don’t Overbake: Sugar cookies should be removed from the oven when the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly soft. They will continue to cook slightly on the hot baking sheet. Overbaking leads to dry, hard cookies. Look for light golden edges, but avoid browning on top.
- Cool Completely Before Decorating: Patience is key! If you try to ice or decorate warm cookies, your icing will melt, and decorations will slide off. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack for the best decorating results.
- Even Sizing: For consistent baking and appearance, use a cookie scoop or weigh your dough portions to ensure all cookies are roughly the same size.
- Flour Your Tools: If you’re using cookie cutters, lightly dust them with flour between cuts to prevent sticking. For rolling out dough, use a light dusting of flour on your work surface and rolling pin.
RECIPE FAQ
Yes, chilling the dough is highly recommended for best results. After mixing, refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour. Chilled dough is significantly easier to handle, roll out, and cut. More importantly, it helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven, ensuring they maintain their desired shape and thickness.
For uniform cookies, using a cookie scoop is your best friend. A standard 1.5-inch scoop creates consistent dough balls. If you’re rolling and cutting, use rolling pin guides or a thickness ruler to ensure your dough is rolled evenly, typically about ¼ inch thick. This consistency helps them bake evenly, preventing some from being undercooked while others are overdone.
To prevent sticking, lightly dip your cookie cutters in flour before each cut. Press down firmly and lift straight up for clean edges. If the dough is still sticky, try chilling it for an additional 15-20 minutes, as a colder dough is less likely to stick.
Using either a silicone baking mat or parchment paper to line your baking trays is the most effective way to prevent sticking. These provide a non-stick surface that also helps with even heat distribution, ensuring your cookies slide off easily once baked and cooled slightly.
Absolutely! It’s crucial to let your cookies cool completely on a wire rack before applying any icing or decorations. Attempting to decorate warm cookies will cause the icing to melt and spread unevenly, leading to a messy finish. Complete cooling allows the cookies to firm up and the icing to set properly.
Once fully cooled, store your cake mix sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh and delicious for up to a week. For longer storage, see the freezing instructions below.
Yes, these cookies freeze beautifully! Allow the baked cookies to cool completely. Then, arrange them in a single layer in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature when you’re ready to enjoy, or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds for a warm, fresh-from-the-oven feel.
Absolutely! This recipe is incredibly adaptable. While French Vanilla or white cake mix provides a classic sugar cookie base, feel free to experiment with other flavors like lemon, strawberry, chocolate, red velvet, or even spice cake mix for seasonal treats. Each variation will offer a unique and delicious twist!
Other Delicious Cookie Recipes You Might Like:
If you’re looking to expand your cookie repertoire, here are some other fantastic recipes to try, especially perfect for the holiday season or any time you need a sweet treat:
- OATMEAL WHITE CHOCOLATE PEPPERMINT COOKIES
- PEANUT BLOSSOM COOKIES
- SEA SALT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
- CHRISTMAS SHORTBREAD COOKIES
- WHITE CHOCOLATE TOASTED COCONUT COOKIES
- You also need to give my Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Recipe a try for another simple and impressive cookie!
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Easy Cake Mix Sugar Cookie Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 – 15 ounce box of French Vanilla Cake Mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- Optional: Sprinkles, icing or candy for decorating
Instructions
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In a large bowl, beat together the cake mix, eggs, and oil for 2 minutes until well combined and a thick dough forms. Do not overmix.
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Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place the dough in the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour. This step is crucial for preventing spread.
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While the dough is chilling, pre-heat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
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Line two baking trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
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Use a cookie scoop (about 1.5 inches) to portion out the chilled dough onto your prepared cookie sheets, ensuring each dough ball is at least 3 inches apart.
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Bake for 7-9 minutes. Cookies should be spread, show light cracks on top, and be puffed up but not browned around the edges. Overbaking will make them dry.
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Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Once completely cooled, decorate the cookies with your favorite store-bought or homemade icing, sprinkles, or candy. Ensure icing is set before stacking.
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Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- Store cooled, undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. If decorated with icing, store them appropriately based on the icing type (e.g., refrigerated for cream cheese frosting).
- To freeze baked cookies: ensure they are completely cool, then place them in an airtight container or ziplock bag in a single layer (or separated by parchment paper) for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
- For a stronger flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract or almond extract to the dough with the wet ingredients.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.