This Christmas Cake Mix Cookies recipe is the easiest and quickest way to bake your holiday cookies because it combines 4 simple ingredients with a box of cake mix using only one bowl and requires no chilling! These cookies are soft, chewy, fluffy, festive, and fun and their “made-from-scratch” taste will convince every Christmas cookie connoisseur that they’re 100% homemade. Perfect for your Christmas Cookie Swap!
Shortcut Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
Need a super simple treat for your holiday cookie tray? This shortcut Christmas Cake Mix Cookies recipe is the perfect solution when you must make something sweet STAT but need to bake with half the hassle!
Cookies made from a box of cake mix couldn’t be any easier, and once you learn the basic formula, you can create so many festive and flavorful custom combinations. It’s a deliciously fun way to eat cake in cookie form!
With our “secret” homemade hack, this recipe bakes the lightest, fluffiest, softest cookies imaginable: a carbonated soda replaces the need for baking soda or baking powder, and with the addition of eggs, easily turns the mix into a ready-to-bake batter. Ingenious, right?
They taste even better than the average baked good that’s made from scratch–make sure to keep a box on hand, because you never know when you’ll need to satisfy your cookie craving.
Just in time for Christmas, we make it easy spread more holiday cheer with less stress (and barely any mess)!
Why We Love This Christmas Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Only uses 4 ingredients plus a box of cake mix.
- Deliciously soft, chewy, and fluffy treats that taste like cake in cookie form.
- Fun activity to bake with kids.
- Cake mix cookies are perfect for parties, school events, or as afternoon snacks.
- Cookies can be customized in so many different ways–get creative!
- Perfect for your Christmas cookie exchange or cookie tray.
Ingredients / Shopping List
- Box of white cake mix: A vanilla cake mix will also work, but will change the color of the cookies slightly.
- Eggs
- Clear soda: I used a lemon lime soda, but you can use ginger ale, sprite, club soda, or another similar type of soda. The soda makes the cookies very light.
- Red and green M&Ms
- White chocolate chips: You can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Optional garnishes: sprinkles, red or green food coloring
Substitutions and Additions
- Customize Your Cookie: This is a Christmas themed version of cake mix cookies made with a white cake mix, but you can use this basic formula to make almost any flavor combination of cookies. Some of my favorites include:
- Chocolate Cake Mix + Chocolate Chips
- Red Velvet Cake Mix + White Chocolate Chips
- Yellow Cake Mix + Toffee Bits
- German Chocolate Cake Mix + Pecans + Coconut
- Chocolate Cake Mix + Chocolate Sprinkles
- Strawberry Cake Mix + Milk Chocolate Chips
- Lemon Cake Mix + White Chocolate Chips
- Swap Your Sprinkles: These cookies are the perfect blank slate for decorating for any holiday, special occasion, or party theme. Use orange sprinkles for Halloween, red sprinkles for Valentine’s Day, pastels for Easter, baby showers or bridal showers.
- Mix-Ins: There are so many ways to get creative with your cookies by choosing your favorite mix-ins. You can add chocolate chips, M&Ms, sprinkles, peanut butter chips, chopped candy pieces, Reese’s Pieces, or any of your favorites.
Recommended Tools
- Sheet Pan
- Parchment paper
- 2-inch cookie scoop
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring tools
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How to Make the Recipe
This Christmas Cake Mix Cookies recipe is the easiest and quickest way to bake your batch because it combines 4 ingredients with a box (obviously not the actual box) using only one bowl and requires no chilling! These cookies are light and fluffy, festive and fun, and taste 100% homemade.
- Mix together white cake mix, eggs, clear soda, and optional red or green food coloring.
Pro-Tip: Add the boxed cake mix like you would any dry ingredient. Do NOT add the extra ingredients called for on the side of the box. Be sure to use a new can or bottle of soda so that you get the most carbonation in your cookies.
- Fold in M&Ms and white chocolate chips.
- Scoop cookie dough onto sheet pans and coat the top of each cookie with sprinkles (optional).
Pro Tip: Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to make uniform cookies, leaving 2-inches of space between each cookie. - Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.
Pro Tip: Cookies are done baking when the middle of the cookie sets and the cookies start to turn a light golden brown on the edges. - Cool, plate, and serve. Enjoy!
Tips
- The cookies will stick to the bottom of the pan or parchment paper until they have cooled. They will release once they are cooled, but I recommend using parchment paper for these cookies to avoid a mess on your pan.
- If your dough isn’t too sticky, you may want to use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to make all of your balls of dough the same size. They will bake more evenly, and the results will be better.
- It is important to bake the cookies immediately after preparing the batter. Do not let it set out or chill it in the refrigerator. If the dough sits for too long it will lose the carbonation and since that is what helps the cookies rise, you won’t get the light and fluffy cookies that you want.
Storage Tips
- To Store: These will keep well if stored in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: To freeze your cookies, place them in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag and place them in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
“Cake mix cookies” simply mean that we use a cake mix to make our dough, rather than making a batter “from scratch”. It makes a recipe easy and quick, but the baked cookie tastes just as delicious.
The trick to this recipe turning out the lightest, fluffiest cookies imaginable is the carbonated soda! Cookies usually need some sort of rising agent like baking soda or baking powder. Using a carbonated soda replaces the need for either of those and helps the cookies become light and fluffy. Also, the ingredients that make the cookies rise are actually in the boxed mix. The soda is perfect for turning the mix into a yummy batter that is ready to bake!
Other Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
- Secret Kiss Cookies
- Christmas Tree Brownie Cups
- Best Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups
- Gingerbread Men Cookies
Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box of white cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup clear soda (like lemon-lime soda, Ginger-Ale, or club soda)
- ¾ cup red and green M&Ms
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- Optional garnishes: sprinkles, red or green food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and use parchment paper to line two sheet pans.
- Mix the white cake mix, eggs, clear soda, and optional red or green food coloring (if desired) together. Stir well until fully combined.
- Fold in the red and green M&Ms and white chocolate chips.
- Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to scoop batter onto the prepared sheet pans leaving 2-inches of space between each cookie. Coat the top of the cookies with sprinkles, optional.
- Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the middle of the cookie sets and the cookies start to turn a light golden brown on the edges.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, or until the cookies release from the pan, and then plate and serve.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: These will keep well if stored in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: To freeze your cookies, place them in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag and place them in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- The cookies will stick to the bottom of the pan or parchment paper until they have cooled. They will release once they are cooled, but I recommend using parchment paper for these cookies to avoid a mess on your pan.
- If your dough isn’t too sticky, you may want to use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to make all of your balls of dough the same size. They will bake more evenly, and the results will be better.
- Add the boxed cake mix like you would any dry ingredient. Do NOT add the extra ingredients called for on the side of the box.
- Be sure to use a new can or bottle of soda so that you get the most carbonation in your cookies.
- It is important to bake the cookies immediately after preparing the batter. Do not let it set out or chill it in the refrigerator. If the dough sits for too long it will lose the carbonation and since that is what helps the cookies rise, you won’t get the light and fluffy cookies that you want.
Awful! Followed directions exactly and I ended up with pink cookies that didn’t look anything like the picture. They were spread out and looked totally ugly.
Batter was too runny for cookies. They spread out, weren’t done after 10 minutes & I couldn’t get them off the parchment paper. Maybe they would make a better bar cookie.
I left my cookies cooling for an hour and they stick stuck to bottom and the taste is a bit bland
Followed exactly as stated. Horrible chemical after taste, bland, m&ms dissolved and look ugly. Should’ve known but I needed quick cookies.
followed the directions but used mini m&m’s they dissolved and the dough was sticky the look like lumps not cookies. Disappointed!
i followed the recipe and only got 10 cookies…. Dough was super sticky. Didn’t feel it was enough liquid.
Mine were flat and spread out. Not an attractive looking cookie. I used a new bottle of sprite. Used the 2x version, so two boxes of 15 oz cake mixes (Duncan Hines perfectly moist) and 4 eggs, What could I add to keep the cookie from spreading out & be more uniform?
I must not have cooked them long enough they were difficult yo take to remove from parchment. How Long to defrost?