These Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies are perfect for when you don't want to wait for a sweet treat! Whether it's low energy, limited time, or just wanting something delicious for a lazy day, this super simple 3-ingredient recipe is just what you need. These cookies need just one bowl and almost no effort. It takes just a couple of minutes to prepare the batter, and less than 10 minutes of bake time, so you'll be able to enjoy these in no time at all!
For more easy desserts made with cake mix, try these Red Velvet Brownies using Cake Mix, these Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies, and this Peach Cobbler with Cake Mix.
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These Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies are so vibrant, so delicious, and so, so easy! They're a must for Christmas cookie boxes and parties!
- Liz, Flour de Liz
🍭 Short & Sweet Recipe Overview
- ⏲️ Time: Takes just a few minutes to prep and 8 minutes to bake
- 🛒 Ingredients: Needs just 3 ingredients
- 🍽️ Servings: Makes 24 cookies
- 🥣 Difficulty: Super Simple, Kid-Friendly, One-Bowl
- 👩🍳 Prep: Can be baked a day in advance, or the cookie dough can be frozen and baked when ready
- 😋 Flavor: Traditional red velvet flavor with a soft and chewy cookie texture
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Delicious flavor, soft texture, and vibrant color, these cookies do not have a cakey texture
- Quick & Easy, this recipe takes just 10 minutes and one bowl, no chill time needed
- Approachable recipe using just three ingredients, and is so simple that the kids can help
- Perfect for Christmas and Valentine's Day, these make great holiday gifts and birthday treats, and are the best addition to a potluck, bake sale, or Christmas cookie box
For more additions to your Christmas cookie box, you'll want to make these White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies, these French Toast Cookies, and these Fudgy Chocolate Peppermint Cookies.
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Ingredients and Notes
Red Velvet Cake Mix - This should be a 15.25-oz box of dry cake mix. The cake mix should not be prepared according to the instructions on the box. In the U.S., Duncan Hines and Pillsbury are generally 15.25 oz, but Betty Crocker tends to be a little bit smaller. Any of these should work fine for this recipe, but for a smaller box like Betty Crocker, you may want to use slightly less oil to keep the dough from being too wet.
Oil - The oil adds fat, which is needed to contribute to the soft and chewy texture of these colorful cookies. This should be a neutral oil, like vegetable oil or canola oil.
Eggs - The eggs also contribute to the soft, chewy texture as well as the structure of the Red Velvet Cookies. We use 2 eggs in these cookies as opposed to the three eggs the cake mix calls for on the box because we don't want these cookies to be cake-like in texture, but instead chewy and a bit denser than cake.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients.
Substitutions & Variations
Oil - Melted butter or melted coconut oil should work in place of the oil. Melted butter will provide a richer flavor and may result in a slightly denser cookie. Coconut oil may impact the flavor, but it should still be delicious!
Mix-ins - To add some extra color and flavor, consider adding chocolate chips or white chocolate chips. Some brands also make cream cheese-flavored chips, which would be delicious in these crinkly red velvet cookies.
Toppings - These Red Velvet Cookies using Cake Mix would be delicious dipped in chocolate or white chocolate, or topped with a cream cheese frosting. You could even put cream cheese frosting between two cookies to make red velvet sandwich cookies.
Powdered Sugar - If you prefer more traditional red velvet crinkle cookies using cake mix, roll the balls of dough in powdered sugar before baking. They'll bake up with that classic crinkled cookie look, but I prefer to skip the powdered sugar so that the vibrant red color really stands out. Both ways are delicious!
How to Make Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Step 1: Stir together the cake mix, oil, and eggs until well combined. Form the batter into balls of dough, about 1 heaping tablespoon each.
- Step 2: Place dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies Tips & Tricks
Tip #1: The dough will be soft at first, but will stiffen as it rests. It still bakes up perfectly, even when it's soft, but if you prefer to work with a stiffer dough, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before forming the dough balls. You can also refrigerate the red velvet dough to give it a firmer texture if you prefer.
Tip #2: If you have them available, I find it helps to wear food-safe gloves when forming the balls of red velvet cookie dough. It helps keep the dough from sticking to your hands and also keeps your hands from turning red from the color of the dough! Chilling the dough for a bit will also help with any stickiness.
Tip #3: For perfectly round cookies, place a round cookie cutter or the open end of a glass around the freshly baked cookies while they're still warm. Gently run the cookie cutter or glass around the cookie in a circular motion.
Tip #4: After forming the dough into balls, they can be placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet and placed in the freezer for at least an hour. Once frozen, the dough balls can be sealed in a zip-top baggie and stored in the freezer. When ready to bake, take out the number of cookies you want to make and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet while the oven preheats. Bake as usual, adding 1-2 extra minutes if needed. Baked and cooled cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Recipe FAQs
The dry ingredients are all pre-measured in the dry red velvet cake mix, which gives us some limitations in adjusting the recipe. However, an added touch of vanilla could give some depth of flavor to these easy box mix cookies. Topping the cookies with cream cheese frosting also gives these easy cookies a more traditional red velvet flavor.
While I have not tested this exact version, you should be able to do this. I would suggest combining about 8 oz of cream cheese with ¼-½ cup powdered sugar and beating until smooth. Spoon or pipe dollops of the cream cheese mixture onto a lined baking sheet and freeze for about an hour.
While the filling is freezing, prepare and refrigerate the cookie dough to allow it to firm up. You'll then want to press the balls of cookie dough flat into your hand, place a dollop of frozen cream cheese in the center, and wrap the dough around the cream cheese. You can find this method in the recipes for these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies and these Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies.
No, the cookie dough should be soft, but not runny. Be sure that you are not preparing the instructions on the box of cake mix. You should be adding the dry, powdered cake mix directly into this recipe. If your dough is still runny, consider letting it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, which will allow it to stiffen up a bit. You can also refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to help it stiffen.
Spreading should not be an issue with this recipe, but if you are finding that your cookies are spreading, try chilling the dough for 30 minutes before baking. I would also suggest checking the temperature of your oven with an oven thermometer.
This recipe is written for a 15.25-oz box of cake mix. If you're using a slightly smaller box, start with a little bit less oil so that the dough doesn't get too wet. If your box is slightly larger and the mixture seems dry, add a small amount of extra oil until the dough comes together.
More Colorful Christmas Recipes to try!
👩🍳 If you tried these Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I love hearing from you!
📖 Recipe
Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz box red velvet cake mix dry, do not prepare
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine red velvet cake mix, oil, and eggs and stir until well combined.15.25 oz box red velvet cake mix, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs
- Form the red velvet dough into balls, about one heaping tablespoon each, and place on lined baking sheet about an inch or two apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, then cool on a baking sheet for 5-10 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated so should only be used as an estimate. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Liz Pollio says
These are so vibrant, so delicious, and so so easy! They're a must for Christmas cookie boxes and parties!