Looking for a fun and festive treat that'll make your holiday baking so much easier? These Grinch Cake Mix Cookies are about to become your go-to Christmas cookie! I stumbled across this recipe last December when Emily wanted to bring Grinch-themed treats to her school party, and honestly? I was a bit skeptical about how good they'd actually turn out.
But WOW. These bright green beauties are seriously good! They're soft, chewy, and have that perfect cake-like texture that makes them different from your typical cookie. Plus, they're so ridiculously easy to make that I've been making them on repeat ever since.
The best part? You only need a box of cake mix and a handful of basic ingredients you probably already have. No fancy equipment, no complicated steps, just simple holiday fun. If you're looking for more easy cookie recipes, you'll want to check out my Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies too!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Grinch Cookies
- Ingredients For Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
- How To Make Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
- Storage Tips For Your Grinch Cookies
- Tips And Tricks For Perfect Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
- Grinch Cake Mix Cookies FAQs
- Recipes You May Like
- Final Thoughts On These Grinch Christmas Cookies
- Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
Why You'll Love These Grinch Cookies
Let me tell you exactly why these Grinch cake mix cookies need to be on your holiday baking list:
- Super quick to make - From start to finish, you'll have these done in about 45 minutes (and most of that is just chilling time!)
- Kid-approved fun - Emily went absolutely crazy over the bright green color and those cute little candy hearts on top
- Uses basic ingredients - Just cake mix, oil, eggs, and a few pantry staples
- Perfect for cookie exchanges - They look impressive but take zero effort
- Stays soft for days - These cookies stay perfectly chewy even after a few days in the container
- No mixer required - Just a bowl and a spoon, that's it!
Ingredients For Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
Here's what you'll need to make about 28 cookies (though in my house, they never last long enough to actually count them all!):
For The Cookie Dough:
- 1 box vanilla cake mix (I used Betty Crocker, but any brand works)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Green gel food coloring (this is important - gel works way better than liquid!)
For The Coating:
- ⅓ cup confectioners sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
For The Decoration:
- Candy hearts or festive sprinkles
Quick note here - I tried using liquid food coloring once, and the dough got too wet and the color wasn't nearly as vibrant. Trust me on this one, gel food coloring is worth grabbing from the store!
How To Make Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
Okay, let's get these green goodies made! The process is honestly so simple that Emily (who's 10) can pretty much do most of it herself.
Preparing The Dough
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside for later.
- Grab a large mixing bowl and combine your cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add your green gel food coloring to the dough. Start with a small amount and keep adding until you get that perfect Grinch-green color. I usually use about ½ teaspoon of gel coloring, but it depends on the brand. Mix really well so there are no streaks of color.
- Here's the part you CAN'T skip - put that dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. I know it's tempting to skip this step (I tried once), but chilled dough is SO much easier to work with and your cookies will turn out way better!
Baking The Cookies
- While your dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Mix together the confectioners sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. This creates that gorgeous white coating that makes them look like they've been dusted with snow!
- Take your dough out of the fridge. Use a cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon size) to scoop out balls of dough. Roll each ball in the sugar-cornstarch mixture until it's completely covered. Don't be shy with the coating!
- Place the coated balls on your prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each one.
- Take a glass with a flat bottom and lightly press down on each cookie ball. You want to flatten them just a bit, but don't go crazy - they should still be thick and puffy looking.
- Press a candy heart (or sprinkle) into the top center of each cookie. This is Emily's job in our kitchen, and she takes it very seriously!
- Pop the baking sheet into your preheated oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. The ideal time in my oven is 9 minutes, but yours might be slightly different. Watch them carefully - you want them to look just barely set, not golden brown!
- This is important: leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 3 full minutes after taking them out of the oven. They need this time to set up properly.
- After 3 minutes, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage Tips For Your Grinch Cookies
These green Christmas cookies store really well, which is perfect for making them ahead!
At Room Temperature: Keep them in an airtight container for 5-7 days. They'll stay soft and chewy the whole time. I use a cookie tin with a tight lid, and sometimes I'll toss in a slice of bread to keep them extra soft (old baker's trick!).
In The Freezer: Want to make these way ahead? Bake them, let them cool completely, then freeze them in a freezer-safe bag for 2-3 months. When you're ready to serve them, just let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes. They taste just as good as fresh!
Freezing The Dough: You can also freeze the unbaked dough balls! Roll them in the sugar mixture, freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen, just add an extra minute or two to the baking time.
Tips And Tricks For Perfect Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
After making these dozens of times (seriously, Emily requests them constantly), here are my best tips:
Use A Cookie Scoop: This changed my cookie game! A 1-tablespoon cookie scoop makes all the cookies the same size, so they bake evenly. Plus, it's way faster than using spoons.
Don't Skip The Chill: I mentioned this before, but it's SO important. That 20-minute chill time helps the dough firm up, makes it easier to handle, and gives you better-shaped cookies.
Watch The Baking Time: These cookies can go from perfect to overbaked really quickly. Set a timer for 8 minutes and start checking. They should look puffy and just barely set - they'll finish cooking on the pan.
Get Creative With Decorations: While candy hearts are classic, we've also used red and white sprinkles, mini chocolate chips, or even small pieces of red candy to make the Grinch's heart!
Try Different Cake Mix Flavors: White cake mix and yellow cake mix both work great. Just avoid chocolate or other dark flavors since they'll mess with your green color.
Want to really wow people? Make a double batch and package them in clear bags tied with red ribbon. They make the cutest holiday gifts!
Grinch Cake Mix Cookies FAQs
Yes, white or yellow cake mix works great. Avoid chocolate cake mix as it will affect the green color.
Chilling makes the dough easier to handle, prevents excessive spreading, and helps the cookies keep their shape while baking.
Yes! Bake them up to 2 days ahead and store in an airtight container, or freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Gel food coloring is strongly recommended for vibrant Grinch-green color. Liquid coloring may make the dough too wet and produce a lighter shade.
Recipes You May Like
If you're on a holiday baking kick (and who isn't this time of year?), you'll want to try these other cookie recipes:
- Cookie Monster Cookies - Another fun, colorful cookie that kids go crazy for!
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies - Perfect when you want homemade cookies but don't need dozens
- Lemon Blueberry Cookies - These are my go-to when I want something a little lighter and fresher
Final Thoughts On These Grinch Christmas Cookies
These Grinch cake mix cookies have become one of my absolute go-to recipes during the holidays. They're fun to make, kids love them, and they look like you put in way more effort than you actually did (my kind of recipe!).
The bright green color always makes people smile, and that soft, chewy texture is just perfect. Plus, when you can throw together a batch of festive cookies in under an hour, that's a win in my book!
Whether you're making them for a cookie exchange, a holiday party, or just because it's Tuesday and you want something sweet, these cookies are going to be a hit. Emily's already asked me to make them three times this month, and we're not even halfway through December yet!
Give these a try and let me know what you think! And don't forget to save this recipe to Pinterest so you can find it when you need it.
Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Scoop
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 1 box vanilla cake mix I used Betty Crocker
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- green food coloring gel kind
- ⅓ cup confectioners sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- candy hearts or sprinkles
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Combine the cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the green food coloring and mix well to incorporate it evenly.
- Set the dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Do NOT skip this step.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the confectioners sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Scoop dough into balls and roll them in the confectioners sugar mixture until completely coated.
- Set the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly press down with the bottom of a glass to make the balls have a flatter surface. Do not press too hard though.
- Add the candy heart to the top of the dough.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. I found the ideal baking time to be 9 minutes.
- Leave on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then move to a wire rack and let cool.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To Store: Store these cookies at room temperature in an air tight container for 5-7 days.
- To Freeze: Store completely cooled baked cookies in a freezer bag and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw cookies completely to room temperature before eating.
- I highly recommend using a cookie scoop to scoop the dough. It saves time on spooning out the cookies and they look more uniform when baked.
- Make sure you chill the dough for at least 20 minutes before baking. This helps make it easier to handle and also allows the flavors of the ingredients more time to blend together for a better tasting cookie.
- Do NOT over bake your cookies! Cake mix cookie dough is by nature, very thick. It will take only 8-10 minutes in the oven.
