Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
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What is it about cake batter? Mmmm! I love the taste of it, but I’m not a huge fan of what many cake mixes have in them, so I set out to revise this delicious recipe for Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies using organic cake mix…and it’s a WINNER!
I was in search for a fun, festive cookie variation instead of my go-to Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies for our swim league finals this past weekend. I’ve been wanting to make these Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies for awhile, and boy am I glad that I did!
They were a huge hit, kids and adults alike gushed about them, with all of my “great cookie” factors; chewy, soft, totally awesome!
Why You will Love Cake Mix Cookies
- They are the ultimate chewy cookie!
- Delicious cake mix or batter flavor that is subtle and yet noticeable.
- They are SO FUN! Great for any special occasion, just change the sprinkles!
- Easy to make, you need to let the dough chill for a bit, but otherwise, these are golden!
I used an organic vanilla cake mix along with all natural cane sugar and other natural ingredients; and making a few prep adjustments (which I explain) for the natural ingredients and high altitude, I think I’ve landed on ONE DELICIOUS COOKIE!
INGREDIENTS
Below is a picture of my ingredients; I wanted you to see the cake mix I used and the simplicity of the other ingredients.
- Favorite Cake Mix | I used Vanilla Organic Cake Mix (freeze the leftover mix for another batch!)
- All-Purpose Flour | I always use unbleached all-purpose flour for my baking, sometimes it’s organic sometimes just all natural.
- Granulated Sugar | I use all natural cane sugar in all of my baking
- Brown Sugar | I used light brown here, you can also try dark brown sugar too.
- Vanilla Extract | try making your own sometime, it’s so delicious!
- Egg | I use organic or free range eggs, always Large and this time bring it to room temp
- Butter | gotta have the butter, the real thing, if it’s soft coming out of the fridge, it’s a blend, not real butter and this could cause your cookies to spread too much.
- Jimmies | I used these fun and colorful jimmies, these work best in this type of cookie.
- Chocolate Chips | Use semi-sweet, bittersweet, milk or white, use your favorite!
How to Make the Chewiest Cake Batter Cookies
- In a large batter bowl fitted with a sieve and sift the all-purpose flour, cake mix, baking soda and sea salt together and set aside.
TFC PRO TIP | When I forget to bring my eggs to room temp, I use this little trick. Immerse the egg in a small glass or bowl of warm water, let it sit for 10 minutes while you prep your other ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a hand mixer (nothing wrong with a good hand mixer) cream the softened butter for 2 minutes until lighter in color and fluffy. Scrape down the sides using a sturdy spatula.
- Add granulated and brown sugar; if using all natural cane sugar, beat for about 4-5 minutes, if using refined white sugar, beat for about 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy. Scrape down the sides before adding your room temp egg.
- Pour vanilla and beat on medium until combined.
- Carefully add your cake flour mixture to the above ingredients with your mixer setting on low, mix until just combined, scraping down sides and bottom to assure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Mix in (by hand or on the lowest setting of your mixer) your chocolate chips — I used Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips, use whatever chip and combo you’d like; semi-sweet, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate, even butterscotch.
- Finally, the funfetti part! Mix in those Jimmies, I used Rainbow Jimmies, but feel free to change them up according to your celebration (see details at end of post)! Only mix or stir for a few seconds until combined.
- Scoop and chill your dough, or chill dough as a whole and then scoop. It will get harder to scoop the longer you chill it!
Why should I chill my cookie dough?
- Chilling the dough allows them to hold their shape while baking and not spread too quickly.
- Cover your dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or may be refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. The dough can be a bit sticky.
- Dough balls may be frozen for up to 3 months, but they’ll never last that long!
- Chilling them longer than 2 hours? Try scooping them into dough balls (the dough will get really hard the longer it hangs out in the fridge) and then return them to the fridge or even freezer.
- Once your dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2-3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a small scoop (yields about 48 cookies) or medium cookie scoop (yields about 24 cookies) scoop your dough into balls and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- To ensure that your cookies don’t spread too quickly, squeeze the dough slightly in the middle making them a bit taller than they are wide. Like shown above.
- Keep extra dough balls, covered tightly in fridge until ready to bake.
How long should I bake my Cake Mix Cookies
- Larger cookies (using the medium scoop) bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until the edges are set, golden and the center is still a bit glossy. Mine were done at 8 minutes.
- Smaller cookies (my preference) bake for 6-8 minutes. Mine were done at about 6 minutes. They will set up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet, placed on a cooling rack for 4 minutes, then using a small spatula transfer to wire rack to cool fully.
3 Tips to Getting Bakery Style Cookies at Home
- One trick that the professionals use for “prettier” cookies is to gently press a few chocolate chips (or whatever you are using in your cookie) into the cookies as soon as they are removed from the oven. The heat of the cookie will soften them and make them a part of the cookie, but they stay on top!
- Use a cookie scoop, by using the same size scoop your cookies will be consistently the same shape and size, allowing them to bake more evenly.
- Slightly underbake the cookies; take a look at them while baking, once they firm up on the edges and are no longer fully glossy in the middle, they should be done. Keep them on your pan for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack, they will continue baking and setting as they cool.
Store cooled Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies in an airtight container on the counter, the cookies stay fresh for about a week.
CAN YOU FREEZE COOKIES IN BULK?
YES! I do it all the time! Especially for summer team events. Simply place cookies in freezer friendly container, freeze overnight.
Take out of the freezer in the morning, the warmth of the day will not only thaw them, but make them ooey-gooey one more time. Check out this post on how to freeze cookie dough for for tips on packing, freezing and traveling with cookies.
This recipe is adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Tips for the chewiest cake mix cookies ever:
- Gluten Free cake mixes are NOT recommended for this recipe.
- Vanilla, Golden, Yellow or White cake mix works just fine, you could probably even try chocolate!
- Freeze the dough balls in a tightly sealed freezer baggie or plastic container for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, place on prepared baking sheet and allow to sit for 10 minutes while oven preheats.
- Bake as directed, the cookies might not spread as much as normal, but they are still delicious!
Oh and in case you were wondering, our swim team did fantastic at finals, so proud of all of our kids, what a great summer activity for kids, I never would have thought it, but 10 years into swim team and I’m a believer.
Substitutions & Variations
By simply changing up the sprinkles for these cookies you can change up the holiday!
- Halloween, Thanksgiving or Fall
- Valentine’s Day or St Patrick’s Day
- Christmas Cookies use green & red jimmies
- Patriotic Cookies (Memorial Day, July 4th, Canada Day)
- Birthdays, Baby Showers or other celebrations try these all natural sprinkles
High Altitude Instructions
The only thing I did different with this recipe for cake batter chocolate chip cookies, was to be sure to chill the dough at least 30 minutes to help it hold it’s shape while baking! I did not make any ingredient adjustments.
Try these other fantastic sweet recipes:
- S’Mores Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake
- Strawberry Shortcake and old-fashioned recipe
- Cookie Butter Snickerdoodles
- Lemon Sandwich Cookies
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Looking for healthier? Try these Amazing Breakfast Cookies!
- Strawberry Quick Bread
- The Best Key Lime Pie
- Greek Butter Cookies
- Classic Scottish Shortbread
Like this recipe?
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Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, I like Bobs Red Mill
- 1 1/4 cups vanilla or yellow cake mix, just the dry mix, I used an Organic Natural Cake Mix
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (slightly less if you are using salted butter)
- 3/4 cup butter, room temp (1 1/2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, I used all natural, unbleached cane sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg, room temperature (if forgot, place egg in bowl of warm, not hot, water for 5-7 minutes)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips, I used Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate, but try Semi-Sweet, Bitter-Sweet, White Chocolate or any combination therein
- 1/2 cup sprinkles / Jimmies, I used rainbow, but use whatever color for your occasion
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cake mix, baking soda and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand or hand mixer, cream the softened butter for 1-2 minutes until lighter in color and fluffy.
- Add the sugars and beat on medium-high for 4-6 minutes until sugars are combined, if using natural sugars, you will need to beat on the longer side. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Add egg and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Add vanilla and beat on medium until combined. On low, carefully add in the flour/cake mixture and mix on medium-low until combined, scraping down sides and paddle if necessary. With the mixer on low mix in your chocolate chips until combined. Add sprinkles/jimmies and mix in carefully on low or by hand until combined.
- Dough will be a little to very sticky (mine wasn’t very sticky) DO NOT MISS THIS NEXT STEP…chilling helps the cookies to keep from spreading too much. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 3-4 days. If you chill longer than 2 hours, make sure to scoop and roll dough balls at the two hour mark. Return to fridge, covered until ready to bake.
- Once the dough has been chilled, preheat the oven to 350° and line 2-3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Depending on your desired cookie size, using a small or medium scoop, scoop dough balls onto prepared sheet pans. Gently squeeze the middle of the dough ball to make it taller than it is wide.
- For small cookies, bake 6-8 minutes (mine were done perfectly at 6) for larger cookies, bake for 8-10 minutes (mine were done at 8)
- The cookies are done, when the edges are a dull color and slightly golden, the centers will appear undercooked and a bit glossy, but they will set up as they cool. Remove from oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 4 minutes or so, then remove with spatula to a wire cooling rack.
- Once cookies are cooled store in an airtight container for up to a week on the counter. Most cookies freeze beautifully! If not consuming within a week, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. They are perfect to plop into a lunch box.
- Cookie dough may also be frozen in balls, store in freezer baggies or container and when ready to bake, remove from freezer, place on prepared pan and allow to thaw while you preheat your oven. Bake as directed.
✱ Kathleen’s Tips
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Fresh Cooky is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
About Kathleen Pope
Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer
Hi, I’m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen. Read more about Kathleen here.
Love this cookies, so yummy!