Chocolate Cake Mix M&M’s Cookies

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Devil’s Food Cake 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!!

M&M's Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Cookies … Made with Devil’s Food Cake Mix!

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 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 Devil’s Food cookies are soft, super fudgy, the edges are a little bit chewy, the (optional) 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.

cookies made with cake mix and M&M's

Ingredients in Devil’s Food Cake Cookies

The beauty of making cookies from Devil’s Food 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: 

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

chocolate cake mix cookies with M&M's

How to Make Devil’s Food Cookies From Cake Mix

Making Devil’s Food cookies couldn’t be any easier! It’s a dump and mix recipe that anyone can prepare.

  1. 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, if using.
  2. Scoop the cookie dough into balls, then chill for at least 4 hours.
  3. Once chilled, bake the cookies until they’re just set.

Baking Tip

Don’t under bake the cookies, 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.

single cake mix cookie with M&M's

Tips for Making Cookies From Devil’s Food Cake Mix

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.

Chocolate Cake Mix M&M 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!!

Recipe FAQs

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 another flavor of cake mix?

Yes! You can use any chocolate cake mix you like, such as German Chocolate cake mix, classic chocolate cake mix, fudge cake mix, etc.

Why use oil instead of butter in cake mix cookies?

Oil keeps the cookies moist and chewy, so that’s why I prefer using it instead of melted butter.

How long do Devil’s Food Cake Cookies Last?

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.

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!!

Recipe Variations to Try

You can jazz up these Devil’s Food cookies so many different ways by replacing the M&M’s with another mix-in or combination of mix-ins. Here are some ideas:

  • Chocolate chips
  • Chopped nuts
  • Dried fruit
  • Butterscotch chips
  • Peanut butter chips
  • Toffee bits
  • Chopped Andes mints
  • Chopped candy bars

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4.75 from 8 votes

Devil’s Food Cake Cookies

By Averie Sunshine
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!!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 22 minutes
Servings: 13
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Ingredients  

  • one 15.25-ounce box Devil’s Food cake chocolate cake mix
  • 2 large eggs
  • cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ 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

Serving: 1, Calories: 139kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 47mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. Hi Averie! I’ve found it useful to spray the cookie scoop with non-stick cooking spray before starting to scoop the cookies. 🤞cuts down on the aggravation a little bit, especially if you’re having a stressful day!

    1. I have not but you can try and see what happens. The cookies more than likely will be flatter. I would chill the dough for at least 4-6 hours to try to combat that.

  2. 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!

  3. 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.

  4. 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!