Cake mixes are on sale at my grocery store. That’s a bad thing. Bad, bad, bad. Did I mention they were only 50 cents a box? Yeah. It’s not just bad, it’s dangerous. I bought six. Okay, I bought eight, but that does NOT make me a cake mix hoarder. Funny thing is, I’m not really a cake eater. In an effort to rationalize the irrational, I was thinking the kids love cupcakes, and I could bake them when they come to visit or vice versa. But then I started doing the math. Each box makes at least 20 cupcakes. I have 8 boxes. There’s a good chance that 160 cupcakes might just be too much for two small children. Way too much.
So now I have eight cake mixes that I got for the low, low price of 50 cents a box and I have to think of something to do with them. That’s when a light went off and I remembered seeing recipes for cake mix cookies on the internet. “I like a cookie!” (Name that movie…if you have young children and enjoy animated films.) With a little quick research, I found that you can covert a cake mix into cookies with a few simple ingredients. And that’s exactly what I done did.
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 chocolate fudge cake mix, 18.25 ounce box
3 large eggs
1/2 stick of unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (not pictured)
1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup pecan pieces
Pre-heat your oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract. This will start out very dry and take several minutes of hand mixing to get it to come together. I recommend using a heavy-duty wooden spoon, because this dough will be very thick. Once you’ve got it mixed together, stir in the chocolate chips, marshmallows and pecans. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, place golf-ball size dough balls onto cookie sheets lined with silicone baking mats or lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 350F for 14-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheets for at least 20 minutes. Why? Because those marshmallows are going to be melted, gooey little napalm bombs and cooling them completely on the cookie sheets will allow you to remove them more easily. Would you like one? I’m happy to share. I’ve got a lot more cake mix where this one came from.
This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies. One last suggestion – make sure you have milk in the fridge before you mix these puppies up. Or a cup of coffee. Or a Slim-Fast.
RECIPE UPDATE: A reader on the Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen site tried this recipe and said hers came out too dry on the outside. I’m guessing her oven may get hotter than mine, since my batch came out soft and chewy. If your oven runs hot, you may want to reduce your baking time to 11-12 minutes instead of the 14 recommended. These don’t brown, so it’s hard to tell if they’re done by looking. The other option is to touch test them. If they’re relatively firm and dry on the outside, take them out of the oven. If they’re still sticky to the touch or too soft, leave them in a little longer. I appreciate your feedback!
Inside NanaBread's Head 
“Over the Hedge” – too cute! OK…spill the beans, who is selling cake mix in H-town for .50/box?!! Not that I’m going to go stock up… Actually, I need to make goodies to raise money for the MS150 and these cookies would be perfect – the less expensive I can make them, the better! Not sacrificing quality, mind you but I work with a lot of people! Thanks!
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RJ: No, Hammy, not the cookie. I told you that cookie was junk!
Hammy the Squirrel: But I like the cookie.
Ding…Ding…Ding. We have a winner! It was indeed Hammy from Over the Hedge. I love that cranked up little squirrel. Especially the slow-mo scene where he strolls through the yard while everyone else is frozen in time. I found the cake mixes at HEB. I bought a variety of flavors so I could mix it up. I’m wild like that. If you’re going for cheap cake mix cookies, stick with the first 4 ingredients of mine and you’ll get plain but fudgy chocolate cookies. If you double the recipe, you could use one bag of peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips to dress them up a little. You can also use strawberry cake mix with white chocolate chips, butter cake mix with toffee bits, chocolate cake mix with chopped Andes mints, spice cake mix with chopped pecans or walnuts…the possibilities are endless. Literally.
I love HEB – too bad the only one near me is tiny/tiny…as in really, really smmmaaaalllll! Ha! I have to head outside of the loop this w/e (oh, the horror!) so I’ll find one wherever I go. I love that store.
Thanks so much for the great ideas! I’ll let you know how they turn out. :-)
If it rains Saturday, I’m watching “Over the Hedge”! Such a cute movie!
You should also watch Megamind, if you haven’t seen it yet. We watched it with Jonah Bear last weekend. It was awesome.
Oooh, I like your thumbnail. And the cookies look soft and divine! I didn’t know you could make cookies from a cake mix but what a great idea. And of course you bought 8 cake mixes – you have to make it an even $4.00…it just makes fiscal sense. ;)
Why, thank you! That’s the newest nail color I picked up for our Hoegarden Weekend in March. It’s called Lively Lilac, and it’s the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polish from my previous post. I love that stuff. It’s cheap, and it dries very quickly. The cake mix cookies can be great. The first time I tried them, the recipe called for 1/2 cup of oil. They turned out flat, chewy and really greasy. This time, I used 1/2 a stick of butter (1/4 cup) and an extra egg to give them a little more lift. Much better. And of course I bought an even number. I can’t have chaos in my pantry. Who has the will power to buy only one cake mix when they’re on sale for 50 cents? Who, I ask you?!?
I feel like I’ve just been armed with a powerful weapon. I had no idea this was possible (not surprising when it comes to kitchen-related stuff).
Someone beat me to it, but I knew the movie was “Over The Hedge.” My husband and I love animated movies. We just saw “Dispicable Me” last week – soooo funny!
I told you sale cake mixes were dangerous!
If you liked Despicable Me, you really have to rent Megamind. We watched it this weekend with Jonah and Lilly, but missed most of it playing with them. Last night, The Complete Package and I watched it again, and I laughed out loud throughout the entire movie. It’s my new favorite. Will Ferrell, Tina Fey and Brad Pitt were the perfect choices to voice the main characters.
I love simple recipes like this! They look great, and I may have to try out this recipe when the grandkids come up next time. So easy, that they would be able to help too.
It’s a great recipe for kids, especially because it’s so adaptable. I have a Funfetti cake mix in the pantry that I’m saving for my grandson, Jonah Bear. He’s 4, and he already loves to cook. I think Funfetti cake mix cookies with a little frosting and sprinkles would be right up his alley. I also like the idea of using a yellow butter cake mix with toffee bits. I’ll have to let you know how that one turns out.
How could you *not* buy 8 cake mixes for 50 cents each? That’s a no-brainer. I have one lurking in my cupboard that I thought I stole for 99 cents. It’s been a few months, so maybe cookies? You are right about the cupcakes. Even with 6 people in the house, I do not need 24 cupcakes lying around. That means that Hubby gets 2, the boys each get 1, and I eat 21. Not sure if that is a good or bad ratio for me, but my hiney doesn’t need it.
LOVE the lilac nail polish. Your nails look fab. I’m with you on the quick dry. I have no room in my life for nail polish that takes longer than 60 seconds to set.
Funfetti rules!
My nails are on their usual 18 month cycle. About every year and a half, they look great and grow nice and long. Then the dream ends, and they split and break off and are brittle and nasty for another 18 months. It’s like the life cycle of some exotic moth or cicadas. I know it won’t last, so I’m painting them while I can. Thanks for noticing. I like the lilac, too. “Funfetti Rules!” would make a great t-shirt. White with colorful polka-dots, I think.
I have a favorite yellow cake cookie recipe that is similar. Would love to try this variation!
Awesome! I was thinking about trying a yellow butter cake mix with toffee bits next time around, but now I’m thinking I’ll make your Fillion’s Flusterclucks first. We called them haystacks when I was little, but the new name is a lot more fun. Can’t wait to listen to that podcast. I love Nathan Fillion AND Castle. It’s nice to meet you, Spike. Thanks for dropping in and taking the time to comment! -NB
OMG…I just wandered over here from Fix It or Deal. You, ma’am, are a genius. These look delicious!
Well, thanks! I’m so glad you found me. You are obviously a genius, as well. Thanks for the compliment on the recipe, and for stopping by and commenting. I’m always excited to have a new reader visit! -NB
I just finished baking these cookies. Delicious!
Thanks for coming back to let me know that you tried them! I appreciate that. Nothing is better than warm, gooey chocolate. Am I right?
Those look amazing! I totally need to make these!
If you’re short on time, you can press the dough into a lightly greased 13″ x 9″ baking pan and make them as bar cookies or Rocky Road brownies. I tried them this way for Hoegarden, and they turned out great. Just wait until they’re cool to cut them. Hope you like them!