Soft and Buttery Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
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Cake mix cookies come out dry, puffy, and tasting like the box they came from. Not these. I’ll show you how to make red velvet cake mix cookies that are soft, buttery, and taste like real homemade cookies.
Many recipes for cookies made with red velvet cake mix call for vegetable oil. When I tested these with oil, I didn’t like the strong, artificial taste or how greasy the dough was to scoop.
So I do it differently. My recipe uses butter and vanilla, just like you’d put in cookies from scratch, and the dough goes from bowl to oven in about 10 minutes. No mixer and no chilling. If you want red velvet cookies that nobody will guess started with a box of cake mix, this is the recipe.
Why You’ll Love These Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
- They taste like homemade cookies. Butter and vanilla eliminate the boxed flavor.
- Soft, buttery, melt in your mouth centers. The extra butter keeps them from drying out.
- Not too sweet. White chocolate chips add bursts of sweetness without taking over.
- No chilling. Scoop the dough and bake right away.
- One bowl and a spoon. Cake mix skips a million measuring tools. The dough comes together by hand very fast.
- Made for the holidays. Add them to a Christmas cookie tray or bake them with my Valentine’s Day cookies.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix – One 15.25 oz box. You only need the dry mix, so skip the directions on the back. This is the brand and size I use. Other brands come in different box sizes, so check the ounces before you buy.
- Unsalted Butter – 10 tablespoons, melted but not hot. Butter takes the place of oil. It gives the cookies real flavor and a soft, rich center.
- Large Eggs – Two eggs hold the dough together and give the cookies their chew.
- Vanilla – Two teaspoons. Vanilla is what makes these taste like cookies from scratch and not like cake mix.
- White Chocolate Chips – One cup goes into the dough, plus a few more to press on top. They add creamy sweetness that balances the light cocoa flavor.
I love a cake mix shortcut. My chocolate chip cake mix muffins and cake mix banana bread are easy bakes for when you want something semi-homemade without a ton of measuring.
How to Make Red Velvet Cookies From Cake Mix
Here’s a quick look at the process. The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 2
Add the cake mix and white chips together in a bowl and mix until the chocolate is evenly distributed. Add the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla right on top.
Stir by hand until no dry streaks of cake mix are left. The dough will be thick.
Step 3
Scoop the dough into mounds, about 2 tablespoons each. Place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
Step 4
Press a light indent into the center of each mound. Leave the edges alone. Dot the tops with a few more white chocolate chips.
Tip: I learned this trick at my old bakery. Pressing the center of the cookies baked them more evenly and gave them a uniform shape.
Step 5
Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies are done when they’re puffed, and the centers are barely set, but no longer wet and shiny.
Step 6
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until they’re firm enough to lift with your fingers. They finish baking as they cool, which keeps the centers fudgy.
Why I Use Melted Butter Instead of Oil
When I tested these cookies with oil, they had a strong, artificial taste, and the dough was greasy to scoop. Melted butter gives these cookies the homemade cookie flavor I wanted. Paired with vanilla, it adds a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth bakery style richness that makes it easy to forget these cookies started with a cake mix.
The butter should be melted but not hot. I stop heating it when a few soft pieces remain, then stir until smooth. This keeps the dough thick enough to scoop (without chilling) and prevents the white chocolate chips from melting into it.
How to Tell When Red Velvet Cookies Are Done
Red velvet dough is dark, so you can’t watch for golden edges like you would with sugar cookies. Go by look and touch.
The cookies should be puffed, and the centers should look barely set. Touch the middle of one lightly. It should not feel wet, but it should still be soft. That’s a little underbaked, and that’s what you want.
If you wait until they look fully baked in the oven, they’ll come out cakey instead of chewy.
Tips for Soft And Fudgy Cookies
- Underbake the centers a little. Pull the cookies when the middles are barely set. They’ll finish cooking on the hot pan.
- Indent, don’t flatten. Press a light dip into the center of each mound and leave the edges alone. This helps the cookies bake evenly and gives you wrinkly edges with soft centers.
- Dough too sticky to indent? Let the scooped dough sit for 5 minutes to firm up, then try again.
- Don’t overheat the butter. Melt it until a few chunks are left, then stir it smooth.
- Bake one sheet at a time. Use the middle rack so the heat reaches every cookie the same way.
- Use a cookie scoop. Same size cookies bake at the same rate. I use a #30 cookie scoop.
- Save a few chips for the tops. Pressing them on before baking makes the cookies look bakery style.
- Let them cool on the pan. The cookies are fragile when hot and need time to set.
Variations and Substitutions
- Oil for butter: Swap the melted butter for 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted refined coconut oil.
- Extra chocolatey: Use semisweet or dark chocolate chips in place of white chips.
- Salted butter: Works fine if that’s what you have.
- Holiday colors: Trade some of the chips for red and green or pink and white M&M’s.
- Add crunch: Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts with the chips.
- Cookie sandwiches: Spread cream cheese frosting between two cooled cookies.
What to Serve With Them
These cookies are rich, so a warm drink is all you need. Try them with a mug of creamy hot chocolate or a homemade eggnog latte around the holidays.
For dessert, sandwich a scoop of very soft homemade vanilla ice cream between two cookies.
How to Store Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Make sure they’re fully cool before you close the lid so they don’t get sticky.
Freezing
Freeze baked cookies in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw them on the counter for about 30 minutes.
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Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) Duncan Hines red velvet cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted but not hot
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips, plus more to dot the tops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine the cake mix and white chocolate chips. Stir until the chips are evenly distributed. Add the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir by hand until combined and no streaks of cake mix remain. The dough will be thick and a really pretty red color.
- Scoop the dough into mounds 2 tablespoons in size (use a #30 scoop if you have one). Place them on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Use two fingers or the back of a teaspoon to press a light indentation into the center of each cookie mound. This helps the cookies bake and spread evenly in the oven. Leave the edges alone. Top with more white chocolate chips.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and the centers are barely set but no longer shiny or wet to the touch. They will finish baking as they cool, which keeps the centers fudgy.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet until they are firm enough to lift with your fingers. This gives them time to set.
Notes
- Cake mix: This recipe is written for a 15.25 oz box of Duncan Hines red velvet cake mix. Use the dry mix only.
- Butter: Melt the butter, but don’t let it get see-through or hot.
- Indent: For evenly baked cookies, make an indent in the center of each cookie mound before baking.
- Doneness: Bake until puffed and barely set in the middle. The centers should not be wet, but they should be a little underbaked. Cool before moving.
- Swaps: Use 1/2 cup vegetable oil or melted refined coconut oil in place of the butter. Semisweet or dark chocolate chips can replace the white chips.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
