Easy Cake Mix Christmas Cookies (5 Ways!)
One easy cake mix cookie dough creates five classic Christmas cookies including sprinkle cookies, jam thumbprints, Hershey’s Kiss cookies, frosted sugar cookies, and festive snowballs. A fast, fun holiday baking recipe perfect for cookie trays and exchanges.
Servings: 36
Calories: 122kcal
Ingredients
Cake Mix Christmas Cookie Base
- 1 box cake mix, any flavor 13.25 oz. or 15.25 oz.
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract, optional
Jam Thumpbrints
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
- 2 tablespoons jam, any flavor
Snowball Cookies
- red and green gel food coloring
- ¼ cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Sprinkle Cookies
- 4-5 tablespoons sprinkles I used 3 T jimmies in the dough and 1-2 T nonpareils on top.
Hershey's Kiss Cookies
- ¼ cup white or colored sugar, for rolling
- 7 Hershey's Kisses
Frosted Sugar Cookies
- ½ cup Frosting
- Sprinkles and candies, for decorating
Instructions
Make the Sugar Cookie Base
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk cake mix and flour to remove lumps. Add the melted butter, egg, egg yolk, and extracts. Stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until it forms a soft dough. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions.
Jam Thumbprint Cookies
- Roll one-tablespoon portions of dough into balls, then roll them in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Press an indent in the center of each dough ball with the handle of a spoon or your thumb. Fill the well with jam. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the bottoms are just barely golden brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire baking rack.
Red and Green Snowball Cookies
- Divide the dough between two bowls. To each bowl, add about 6 drops of food coloring and knead it into the dough until combined. Roll one-tablespoon portions of dough into balls, then roll them in powdered sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the bottoms are just barely golden brown. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then roll them again in powdered sugar. Transfer to a wire baking rack.
Sprinkle Cookies
- Knead 3 tablespoons of sprinkles into the dough. Roll one-tablespoon portions of dough into balls, then gently press them into thick pucks. Place more sprinkles on a plate. Press the tops of the cookies into the sprinkles. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the bottoms are just barely golden brown. Thinner cookies will take less time. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire baking rack.
Hershey's Kiss Cookies
- Roll one-tablespoon portions of dough into balls, then roll them in white or colored sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until the bottoms are just barely golden brown. Cool on the pan for 2 minutes, then gently press a Hershey's Kiss into the center of each cookie. Carefully transfer the cookies to a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes until the chocolate is firm.
Plain or Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Roll one-tablespoon portions of dough into balls, then roll them in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. With a rubber spatula, gently press them into a thick puck.
- Bake for 8 minutes, or until the bottoms are just barely golden brown. Thinner cookies will take less time. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost and decorate with candies and sprinkles.
Notes
- One 15.25 oz. box of cake mix makes 35-36 cookies, or 7 of each kind. 13.25 oz. box yields 2-3 fewer cookies.
- Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop for even sizes and consistent baking.
- Place cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap between batches to keep it from drying out.
- If the dough becomes dry, knead in a few drops of water or milk.
- Milk chocolate Hershey's Kisses and Hershey's Hugs hold their shape the best. If using dark chocolate or candy cane Kisses, freeze them first.
Nutrition
Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 93IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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