One day about 4 years ago, our local market had a special on cake mix. If you bought 24 boxes (a case), you could have them for 59 cents each. So, I bought 24 assorted flavors and put them in my freezer. After preparing several cakes, my family said "Enough!". So the rest sat in my freezer for about a year.
I was wondering what to do with all those extra boxes when I remembered I had heard of making cookies from cake mix. I opened a box of chocolate mix and poured it into a bowl. I thought I would experiment, as I had no recipe to use. My first try was the right one! Just 3 tablespoons each of oil and water made the perfect dough for rolled or sliced cookies. Baked in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes and out came perfect, crunchy chocolate cookies. I dusted them with powdered sugar and they were a huge hit.
And the BEST part? One box made 6 dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies. For about 63 cents! That's less than 10 cents a dozen! Chocolate, lemon, and gingerbread mixes were the best, I added a bit of ginger to the gingerbread because we like them VERY ginger-y. You may come up with more variations, but you can't beat the price! Now I buy cake mix every time it is on super sale, even at a dollar a box it is still a bargain!
Mix the cake mix with the water and oil. I knead it with my hands to get the right consistency for cutout or sliced cookies.
Roll out a portion of the dough to desired thickness, I like about 1/8 inch.
Cut into shapes with cutters or just cut into squares or diamonds with a knife. Keep them about 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter.
Bake on a lightly greased and floured sheet or parchment at 350 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes. Check them at 6 minutes as some cook faster than others.
When slightly tanned, remove from oven, cool, and frost or sprinkle with powdered sugar. Makes about 6 dozen.
By plumcottage from NJ
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Somewhere, I have a cookbook I got in the late 1980s or early 1990s with recipes for making cookies & stuff from boxed cake mixes, I'd forgotten about it, will have to look for it.
Thanks so much! I've been trying to find just such a recipe. I'll try it this week. We've got all kinds of fall fair stuff going on this weekend.
Thanks again!
VTMama
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If you need to make up a batch of cookies in a hurry, take a box of cake mix and add 2 eggs and 1/2 cup of oil. Mix and roll dough into balls and then into powdered sugar or granulated sugar and place on cookie sheet. Flatten cookie dough if preferred. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 - 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool and you will have 2-3 dozen cookies.
By Charlotte
These are excellent. I toss in half of a cup of oatmeal. It makes them more nutritious. (11/09/2004)
By Elsie
We rolled these in red and green sugar for Christmas. Easy and fun for the kids. When my son dipped half red and half green, the middle was untouched, a white stripe. Looked like an Italian flag! (12/09/2004)
By Kristin
I ate about three of these at work today, They are yummy. They were made from chocolate cake mix. I'm going to try making them. (03/02/2005)
By Erlene
Try using a lemon cake mix, I add lemon candy flavoring not extract, roll in powder sugar or use a spice cake mix and add raisins and nuts, I even add chocolate chips and walnut to the chocolate cake mix. What I like to do is use a cookie scoop and put them on a cookie sheet than freeze, after their frozen I put them in a Ziploc bag and just take out a few at a time the baking in my toaster oven. (07/09/2007)
By Babette
