Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

When I was a little girl, we made chocolate cake mix cookies. My mom would buy a box of cake mix, and we girls would mix up a batch. Because there is only one ingredient to measure, they are easy to make and are difficult to mess up. Even now I love their crinkly tops and the soft, chewy insides. Just typing that is making me want to eat some.

This year I decided to make chocolate cake mix cookies as gifts. I love that I can make them Christmas-like by adding crushed peppermint candies. And thanks to my grocery store’s bulk section, I can buy them pre-crushed which means no more smashing peppermint candies in a Ziploc bag with a can of pinto beans! Not that I’ve done that.

Admittedly, I love these cookies best with chocolate chips, so I’ll make a batch of those too. There’s nothing better than a chocolatey cookie with coffee on a wintery afternoon. The only problem is these are supposed to be gifts so I’m going to have to be very strong so people get more than one cookie each.

One of the great things about this recipe is you can let your sweet tooth and creativity guide you with different flavor combinations. Replace the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips, chopped up Andes mints, or caramel chips and you have an entirely different cookie.

For a mason jar gift, pour the mix into the jar and top with the chocolate chips. If you’re adding chopped peppermint candies, place those in a separate baggie on top. Write out the recipe for your recipient and you’re done! I love mason jar cookies because you can pull them out for a special treat after the holidays are over (and you’ve recovered from all the sweets!)

Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

1 box chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Optional: 1/8 cup crushed peppermint candies

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together the cake mix, oil, and eggs in a bowl. Add in the chocolate chips and crushed peppermint and stir. Scoop spoonfuls onto a cookie tray.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the tray before eating (if you can!)

Makes 1 1/2 dozen delicious cookies

If you’re looking for more treats, my peppermint bark brownies and mini-batch chocolate chip cookies are also super easy dessert recipes that make great gifts.

Have a lovely {and creative} day!