M&M’s Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies — Foolproof cookies made with just 5 ingredients!! If you’re craving chocolate and want to make super EASY cookies that are soft, FUDGY, and delicious, this is the recipe to make!!
Chocolate Cake Mix Cookie Recipe
When I told my daughter I was going to make cake mix cookies, she looked at me like I was nuts. She asked me why I was making cookies from chocolate cake mix?
I said because it’s Sunday night, I am very tired, these are super easy, there are only 5 ingredients, and you will be set up for the week (or at least for a few days) with cookies. She was still confused because she has only ever seen me make scratch cookies.
I explained to her that cake mix cookies are the oldest trick in the book for all of us tired moms. Or lazy people. Or inexperienced bakers. Or people who just want to make cookies with an extremely limited amount of ingredients that are guaranteed to turn out.
These chocolate cake mix cookies are soft, super fudgy, the edges are a little bit chewy, the M&M’s add a little bit of awesome crunch as well as an extra pop of chocolate to these already very chocolatey cookies. If you’re a chocolate person, these are the cookies for you.
My daughter ate every single cookie in the batch (except the one I taste-tested) and she literally cherished each and every one of them like I rarely see her do with cookies. These got rave, stellar reviews and once again like I always say, it’s always the easiest recipes that get raved about.
Save this cake mix cookie recipe for post-Halloween when you have an abundance of M&M’s!
What’s in Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies?
The beauty of making cookies from cake mix is that you need very few ingredients to round out the recipe. Here’s what you’ll need to make this cake mix cookie recipe:
- Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- M&M’s
How to Make Cookies From Cake Mix
For these cookies made with cake mix, you’ll first need to stir together all the ingredients but the M&M’s (this can be done by hand or with an electric mixer). Then, stir in the M&M’s.
Scoop the cookie dough into balls, then chill for at least 4 hours. Once chilled, bake the chocolate cake mix cookies until they’re just set. Don’t under bake them, as these are the types of cookies that if they’re too underbaked, you will have a hard time getting them off the baking sheets in one piece.
Note that the chocolate cake mix cookies firm up as they cool.
Do I Have to Chill the Dough?
You HAVE TO chill the dough because it’s very soft. If you bake the cookies straight from the mixing bowl without chilling the dough first, you will have flat, thin cookies the size of pancakes. Not good. Even after chilling the dough, the cookies still do spread a fair amount while baking.
Can I Use Different Mix-Ins?
Give it a try! Chocolate chips or chopped nuts should also work in this cake mix cookie recipe.
How to Store Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Tips for Making Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
A few notes about this dough is that it’s tacky, sticky, and a little difficult to work with. You need to form the dough into mounds and this is where a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop is worth its weight in gold.
Also, do not crowd your baking sheets with too many cookies. You don’t want the cookies to spread into each other because even though you can cut them apart, it’s not so cute when your ‘cookies’ are square-shaped or have weird harsh angles on them from being cut apart with a knife.
I only bake 6 cookies per baking sheet. Normally I bake 8 cookies per sheet but not with this recipe.
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M&M's Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Foolproof cookies made with just 5 ingredients!! If you’re craving chocolate and want to make super EASY cookies that are soft, FUDGY, and delicious, this is the recipe to make!!
Ingredients
- one 15.25-ounce box devil’s food cake chocolate cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups M&Ms, plus more for adding to the tops as desired
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add the cake mix, eggs, oil, vanilla, and mix with a handheld electric mixer for about 2 minutes, or until combined. Batter will be very thick.
- Add 1 1/4 cups M&Ms and stir in by hand.
- Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, form mounds of dough, and place the mounds on large plates lined with plastic wrap. The dough is tacky, sticky, and a little difficult to work with, but do your best to form mounds. Do not crowd them as the mounds will spread. Use additional plates as necessary.
- Add a few additional M&Ms to the top of each cookie, cover plates with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best).
- Preheat oven to 350F, line baking sheets with Silpats or spray very well with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart; do not crowd them because even after chilling the dough, it still spreads. I use a half-sheet pan and bake 6 cookies per sheet.
- Bake for about 11 to 12 minutes (if your cookies are smaller than mine, reduce baking time) or until cookies are just set; don’t under bake as these are the types of cookies that if they’re too underbaked, you will have a hard time getting them off the baking sheets in one piece. Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
13Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 139Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 47mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g
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Soft M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies – The softest, thickest, best M&M’s cookies ever! People love these big cookies loaded with M&Ms & chocolate!
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I have mini M&M’s. How much would you recommend using for this recipe?
Hi! This recipe looks amazing, and I can’t wait to try it!
Is it possible to refrigerate the dough as a whole unit and then form the mounds prior to baking with the cookie scoop?
I don’t necessarily have the fridge space for refrigerating them as individual mounds as described.
Thank you!
Put them on a plate very close together, see pics in this post under the heading ‘Be Cool To Your Dough’ https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Strongly recommend scooping first, then chilling, because it’s much more difficult to chisel out dough that’s cold.
Thank you!
Can you I use chocolate or any other kind of chips? I have some salted caramel chips and I’ve been looking for a chocolate cookie recipe, and I also have some chocolate cake mix. This sounds perfect for that recipe.
Sounds great, give it a whirl!
Thank you! One more question…can I use parchment paper rather than a Silpat or cooking spray?
I highly highly recommend a Silpat here.
This might be a silly question, but can you use Smarties instead of the M&Ms?
I would say no because the texture after baking could turn weird but you never know until you try.
Delicious looking use of cake mix! I love shortcuts like this (I remember a strawberry version too) and I can see why your daughter loved them–M&M’s make everything even better!
Yes there was a strawberry version years ago! Great memory you have!
Totally need to try these cookies soon! I love cake mix recipes!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
They are so incredibly easy that’s for sure!