Easy Christmas Cookies Recipe

Get ready to be blown away by this Easy Christmas Cookies Recipe! These simple cake mix cookies are just 5 basic ingredients and so fun to make!

If you’re looking for more last minute holiday treats to add to your cookie plates, check out my Last Minute Fudge, Peppermint Pretzel Crisps or these Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls!

Christmas cookies with sprinkles on platepinterestWe all know that December is a busy time of the year. Christmas band concerts, school plays (possibly virtual) and the hustle and bustle keep us on our toes.

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Don’t let the thought of making cookies for your neighbors, friends, kids, family… yourself… bring you down. With this super easy cake mix cookie recipe you’ll be singing carols and dancing around the kitchen!

Easy Christmas Cookies Recipe

Not only are these Christmas cookies super easy to make, but they’re also soft, chewy and taste like a dream!

ingredients for cake mix cookies

Ingredients For Cake Mix Cookies

Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need to make these cookies. As always, you can find the full list along with a printable version in the recipe card below.

  • White Cake Mix – you can use vanilla or any other flavor you like!
  • Eggs
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Sprinkles – I recommend using a cake sprinkle so the colors don’t bleed into the cookie dough.

cookie dough with sprinkles

How To Make Cookies with Cake Mix

These easy cookies are so fun to make, we actually make them all year long with all sorts of flavor options. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Mix Cookies are one of our favorites!

  • Start by combining the cake mix powder (just the powder) in a large bowl along with 2 eggs, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.
  • Use a sturdy spoon to mix until it becomes a soft dough. If desired, stir in a few sprinkles!
  • Next, scoop out about 1 tbsp of dough and roll it around in a small bowl of sprinkles to coat completely.
  • Finally, bake the cookies for just 9 to 10 minutes and let cool completely.

cookie dough covered in sprinkles

My kids love helping me coat the cookie dough in sprinkles!

You can use any color of sprinkles you like. How cute are these red, green and white sprinkles for Christmas?!

Tips and Variations for Cake Mix Cookies

The possibilities are ENDLESS when it comes to cake mix cookies. Since they’re so easy to make, you can make a whole platter of different cookies in no time!

Here are a few variations you can try, along with one of my favorite time-saving tips and tools…

  • Lemon Cake Mix with White Chocolate Chips
  • Chocolate Cake Mix with Peppermint Chips
  • Red Velvet Cake Mix with Crushed Up Oreos
  • Chocolate Cake Mix with Mini M&Ms
  • Strawberry Cake Mix with colorful sprinkles
  • Funfetti Cake Mix with rainbow sprinkles

PRO TIP: When it comes time to scoop the cookie dough, I like to use my handy cookie scoop. It keeps my hands clean and makes scooping cookies a breeze.

I also love to use a silicone baking mat for easy, non-sticking of cookies!

cookies cooling on baking rack

Is It Better To Freeze Cookies Before or After Baking?

Wanting to get a head start on baking this year? Good news! This Easy Christmas Cookies Recipe can easily be prepped ahead of time and frozen to free up your holiday season.

Freezing Cookie Dough

Freezing cookie dough will last for 3 to 4 months.

  • The easiest way to freeze these drop cookies is to shape the cookie dough into balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
  • Pop the tray in the freezer and let the cookie dough freeze for about an hour before placing the cookie dough balls into a zip close bag and squeezing out as much air as possible.
  • When you’re ready to bake, place the frozen cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and bake right away! Don’t forget to add a few minutes to the bake time.

Freezing Cookies After Baking

Let the baked cookies cool completely and then freeze for 3 to 4 weeks.

  • Make sure you let the baked cookies cool completely before placing in a zip close bag and squeeze out as much air as possible.
  • Use a sharpie marker to label the cookies so you know when you put them in the fridge for max freshness!
  • When ready to enjoy just pull them out of the freezer, place them on a plate and let them come to room temperature!

stack of cookies with sprinkles

I really love how soft and chewy these cake mix cookies are. The coating of sprinkles gives it a nice crunch of texture to the outside too.

It’s a party in your mouth!

More Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes To Try

Wanting to add a few more festive treats to your baking list this year? No problem! I’ve got you covered with these tasty recipes…

bite of cookie on wood table

I can’t wait for you to give this easy recipe a try!

stacked cookies on a plate
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4.95 from 150 votes

Easy Christmas Cookies Recipe

These simple cake mix cookies are just 5 basic ingredients and so fun to make!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 88 kcal
Author: Shawn

Ingredients

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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • Combine the cake mix powder, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a large bowl with a sturdy wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. If desired, stir in ¼ cup sprinkles.
  • Scoop 1 tbsp of dough and roll into a ball, then roll in sprinkles until coated. Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.
  • Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until set and then let cool for 2 to 3 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
See tips in blog post above for freezing cookie dough or baked cookies! 

Nutrition

Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 6mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg
Keywords: cake mix, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Cookies
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?don't forget to share a picture and mention @iwashyoudry on Instagram or tag #iwashyoudry!

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stacked cookies on a plate

4.95 from 150 votes (32 ratings without comment)

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371 Comments

  1. Hi! I am an email subscriber. I don’t want to leave my email in the comments! Thank you for the wonderful recipes an fun!

  2. 5 stars
    These are wonderful! I love cake mix cookies. I don’t have a lot of time to spend on baking so these really make my life easier. I love to give cookies to my neighbors who are older and no longer want to, or can’t, bake. Thank you so much! As an email subscriber, I look forward to your recipes.

  3. I am an email subscriber and am so excited about this recipe. I am a director at a daycare and our Early Preschool class is doing “giving” projects for our heroes in the community so show that the season is about giving rather than always asking for things. We have lots of cake mixes that have been donated to us and what a great way to use them up by baking cookies for the healthcare heroes at the local hospital. And with all the different variations they can give a great variety. I shared it with teachers and they are SO excited to get started.

  4. 5 stars
    I love your recipes; I am already an email subscriber katino69@gmail.com. Thank you for all your awesome recipes; I love the cake mix cookies because it alleviates the half of the messy clean ups and there are so many cake mixes to change up.

    1. Thank you for this recipe. I will try it soon. I love your emails and look forward to them.

  5. 5 stars
    I love using cake mixes to make cookies, it makes it so much easier and quicker. Thank you for so many combinations to try!!

  6. Hi Shawn. I am an email subscriber bsatter182@aol.com. This cookie recipe looks easy-peasy and the ingredients are what most of us have on hand anyway! I really do enjoy getting your recipes and I have a board on Pintrest just for them!.
    Merry Christmas

  7. I’m an email subscriber to your recipes. You’re the only blog I follow. Once my family and I tried your ground beef enchilada recipe, we were hooked and love trying the recipes you send! I’m excited to try this cookie recipe with my two year old daughter. She loves baking. Thank you for sharing your recipes! Merry Christmas!

  8. 5 stars
    My husband is under lockdown in a nursing home due to active cases of COVID. He loves homemade cookies and for the last 9 months I have been prohibited from visiting him in person or bring him cookies!! I just got an email telling me that I can send in baking for him! This post arrived at the perfect time! Thank you!!

  9. I am one of your email subscribers. Thanks for the cookie recipe. Going to the store today and picking up the ingredients. It will be an easy Christmas cookie recipe to make with my three grand-daughters.

  10. This looks like a fantastic cookie recipe, I am going to do these for christmas day treats, thank you for sharing your amazing recipes with us. e mail address is trishcarolan63@hotmail.com and I am one of your email subscribers.
    Kind Regards
    Trish.

  11. I will try this recipie but with a Sugaar free cake mix and Sf frosting I wish you had more Sfree recipes
    No sprinkles where is it

  12. 5 stars
    Easy fun and the whole family
    Will enjoy! Thank you for another yummy recipe I am an email subscribe and love checking my inbox for all your recipes !

  13. The cookies look really yummy! I love the recipes you have, but the extra little tips are really good! I am old and still can’t cook, so any tips are very helpful to me. LOL

  14. Thank you so much for creating “I wash you dry!” your recipes always looks so delicious! This one especially is SO festive!! may God bless you!!

  15. Glad I saw this recipe! I was looking for a easy cookie recipe to send to my daughter that won’t be home for Christmas this year and loves to bake and also to bake and mail to my father who is in an assisted living home.
    Happy Holidays!

  16. 5 stars
    I’m an email subscriber and I love all your emails. I love that you can freeze this cookie dough before baking. That way I can just make a few so I don’t eat to many. Thanks for all your hard work of sending me good things to eat.

  17. I am one of your subscriber’s. I have enjoyed many of your recipes as does my family. Love the cake mix cookie recipe, and so pretty!

  18. I am also an email subscriber of yours.
    Love the idea of an easy cookie from a cake mix , awesome! I do a lot of Christmas cookies every year so am always looking for new recipes.
    I have used many of your other recipes and purchased your cookbook when you were on QVC.
    Sounds like you are a busy Mom!
    Thanks for all the recipes Shawn.

  19. I’m a email subscriber and try to make all that you post going to make the cookies and give as gifts to my friends for Christmas so thanks for the receipt.

  20. I am a subscriber. I AMMM going to make these cookies. They look like my favorite cookie as a kid growing up. Always had them for Christmas. Hard to find them. Thanks for sharing!!!!

  21. 5 stars
    I am a subscriber. I’m going to try this one. I plan on using lemon mix with white chocolate chips. Thanks for the recipe.

  22. 5 stars
    I am a subscriber. I’ve never tried using a cake mix to make cookies but I’m going to try this one. I plan on using lemon mix with white chocolate chips. Thanks for the recipe.

  23. I am a subscriber and in the past few months, the 30 Minute Salisbury Steak, Garlic Butter Steak Bites and Quick Shrimp Scampi (among others) have made their way into our meal rotation! So delicious! These cookies look amazing and they are next! Thank you for sharing so generously!!

    Wendy Z.

  24. 5 stars
    The cookie looks yummy AND easy. My grandchildren will love making them!
    I am a subscriber and enjoy your blog very much.

  25. 5 stars
    I am an email subscriber . I can’ t wait to make some of these different cookie recipes with my grandsons. I also want to make mention that I enjoy getting your recipes in my email and use your site as my go to lots!