Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

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 I’m always a fan of eating my drinks.

Or drinking my cookies.

Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

However you want to call it, we’re talking pina colada in cookie form.

I know that Cinco de Mayo was yesterday, but feel free to keep your fiesta going with these. I will.

Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Let me count the ways these little golden nuggets of sunshine brightened my day:

They came together in one bowl with a spoon and no mixer is required.

They use a cup of cake mix, virtually guaranteeing a successful result.

They are soft, light, and fluffy; yet chewy.

The hidden surprises of dried fruit add some lovely texture to all that lightness and fluffiness.

This is a small batch recipe, making only 1 dozen cookies, which is a blessing. No one needs 3 or 4 dozen cookies that are all the same. Well, I don’t.

Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

And they make use of one of my favorite food inventions: flattened bananas.

I am sorry if you don’t have a Trader Joe’s. You can try using banana chips (the hard, disc-like chips), soak them in water until they soften, press out the water into a paper towel, dice and use them in the cookies.

Trader Joe's Banana Flattened

I love dehydrated bananas and they’re about the only reason I will bother firing up my dehydrator anymore. Very few foods are worth a 12 hour wait and aroma wafting through the house for day(s).

I don’t really want to smell kale chips for 12 hours but the scent of warm, roasting bananas is another story.

Dehydrated bananas

However, for $1.29 for 6 large, flat slabs of flattened bananas, it’s a no-brainer to just buy them.

The flattened bananas are so incredibly sweet you’d think they were bathed in sugar, but no. The ingredients are: bananas.

The natural banana sugars concentrate and intensity in the flattening process, which is what happens when I dehydrate bananas; and I suspect Trader Joe’s dehydrates these, too.

Flattened bananas

Whatever method they use in making those bananas taste the way they do, I am grateful.

I paid homage by putting the bananas to use in cookies.

Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

 I also added dried pineapple bits, golden raisins, coconut flakes, and white chocolate chips.

I didn’t add rum but thought about it.

Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

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Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Makes 1 dozen cookies (I got 13).  Double the recipe by using nearly the full box of cake mix and doubling all other measurements.

1/4 cup butter (half of one stick), softened

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup yellow cake mix (this is a couple tablespoons shy of half an 18.25 ounce box ofcake mix)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour* (range from 2 to 4 tablespoons)

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut flakes

1/3 cup diced dried fruit mixture (I used flattened bananas, candied dried pineapple, golden raisins; all diced small. A “tropical fruit medley” would be perfect)

1/4 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large mixing bowl combine the softened butter, egg, vanilla and stir by hand or with a mixer until combined.  You don’t have to “cream” it, just stir to blend and it’s okay if there are some butter “blobs”. Add the cake mix and stir until batter is smooth. Add the flour, one tablespoon at a time, as needed to help solidify the dough. *The more flour used, the more cake-like and less chewy the cookies will be; add as little as needed to keep the cookies more cookie-like if you prefer chewy cookies. You may not need to add any flour at all.

Fold in the coconut flakes, dried fruit, white chocolate chips, and place the mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes. Do not skip this step. Chilled dough spreads less during the baking process and this dough must be chilled before baking.

Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop 1-inch domed balls on a Silpat-lined, parchment paper-lined, or cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray, allowing for adequate spacing. These cookies do not spread much and retain a puffier appearance (and the more flour added, the more they will retain a domed appearance). Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until cookies are barely browned on the bottoms. Do not judge the doneness by the tops; look at the bottoms. The tops will stay light but the bottoms will brown. They make look a bit loose on the tops after 10 minutes but they will continue to cook on the sheets after you remove the from the oven and will firm up as they cool. Do not overbake.  Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets before attempting to move them. Cookies will keep for a week on the countertop in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Gather the ingredients. The cake mix keeps these light, fluffy, and is a time-saver.

Ingredients bananas yellow cake

Everything goes into one bowl. You can skip the banana and use other types dried fruit such as a dried fruit medley, a tropical fruit mix, extra candied pineapple, apricots, extra golden raisins, dried peaches, or whatever you have.

Grab one spoon and stir.

Not many dishes because everything is contained in one bowl. Love that.

Mix of ingredients in bowl

Bake up your pina coladas. While you wait, you could actually make a pina colada of the liquid variety.

Sounds like a good idea, right? Then you’ll have a pina colada ready and waiting for washing down your pina colada cookies.

Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

Scott said these were the best cookies I’ve ever made.

However, he has a thing for desserts that tastes like drinks.

Pina Colada White Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

We got pretty tipsy from rum cake about 10 years ago in Grand Cayman. Do you know how much cake you have to eat to get drunk from it? Okay, don’t answer that.

In our cake-gorging defense, the free cake samples are laced with extra rum in the hopes people will buy cake. It reminds me of touring vineyards and signing up for more wine-of-the-month clubs than I should admit.

The rum cake samples worked because I bought the cake but unfortunately when I got it home, it wasn’t nearly as good as the free samples were that day in Grand Cayman.

I have such fond memories of that day, and that cake, that I created Rum Cake Balls (no-bake, vegan, GF)

Rum Cake Balls

Related Recipes:

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars – yellow cake mix, coconut, white chocolate chips make these bars similar to the cookies and the bars are my favorite dessert of 2012

Coconut Peanut Butter Magic Cake Bars

Coconut Oatmeal Toffee Cookies – also a small batch (1 dozen) cookie recipe, one bowl, and no mixer required

Coconut Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

Dark Rum Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – I find alcohol in cookies makes them thinner, extra soft, and pliable

Dark Rum Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting – no alcohol in these, just plenty of strawberry flavor and very soft and light from the cake mix

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

Mango and White Chocolate Chip Cookies – Similar to using alcohol, using frozen mango chunks kept them on the thinner side, chewy, and moist

Mango and White Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have an arsenal of smoothie recipes intended to be replicas of some of my favorite beach drinks. Of course, you can add rum, Malibu, Gran Marnier, vanilla vodka, marshmallow vodka or something fun. I recommend it and can you make me one while you’re at it?

Here are a couple ideas:

Peach Banana Colada Smoothie

Peach Banana Colada Smoothie

Pineapple Banana & Coconut Cream Smoothie

Pineapple Banana & Coconut Cream Smoothie

Have you ever made cake mix cookies?

I made strawberry cake mix cookies and I find that cake mix cookies turn out light, fluffy, soft, chewy, and almost delicate. They are the opposite of compost cookies, i.e lead balloons.

Sometimes I love lead balloons because of their density and richness, but lighter and softer is a nice change especially for spring, and Scott loved these.

Do you like pina coladas?

I adore them. I can suck down 300 empty calories so incredibly fast it’ll make your head spin. Or peach-pina coladas or mango coladas. Put me on a beach with a fruit colada and I don’t want to ever leave.

Have a great week!

Thanks for the Special K Granola Bars Giveaway entries

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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.

Comments

  1. I am obssesed with the JUST BANANAS!
    I travel with them and love to eat them with PB in a sandwich. I didn’t think to use them in cookies. Great idea!

    1. I roll them up with PB in the middle, fruit roll up style. Love them like that!

  2. Oh wow… banana… flattened. Be still my heart. I’ve been crazy for banana lately, this stuff would be so good just to chew on. Or make cookies with, of course!

  3. Love piña coladas so I know I’ll love those cookies! I also remember rum cake samples in Grand Cayman and the Bahamas–that cake is indeed an alcohol sponge….and I ended up buying one to take home as well. I made the mustard yesterday and it was spicier than I anticipated (WOW!) so I added more honey and a splash of macadamia nut oil to mellow it a little. I also used white balsamic vinegar and added turmeric for a little more color. It’s good stuff and will clear the sinuses! I’ve been dipping asparagus spears in it today.

    1. that cake is indeed an alcohol sponge = YES! perfect description

      And until one makes the mustard, you don’t really know what you’re in for, right! It packs a punch. I am not one to say something is really spicy unless it is (I don’t consider myself ‘wimpy’ in that variety) and it’s definitely spicy! Sounds like you mellowed it out a bit and it will mellow (somewhat) over time in the fridge.

  4. Yes, I love pina coladas! And they’re such a holiday drink… There’s something about drinking them that makes you imagine sitting on a beach, with your feet dug into the sand, a breeze on your face and the sun going down over the horizon. Absolute heaven!

    I haven’t ever made cake mix cookies, but they sound light and fluffy!

    1. The texture is great and with cake mix cookies, they turn out great every time.

  5. okay, ALL I can think of now, after seeing your question “do you like pina coladas?” is “…and getting caught in the rain…” from the Pina Colada Song. ;)

    1. Margaritaville. Jimmy Buffet. Cue it up baby and makes me want to buy an airline ticket :)

  6. Eating your drinks or drinking your cookies – either way, I’m in.

    Have you ever used run extract? I’ve got some that would be great in this. And there are so many GF cake mixes. Love this recipe!

    Those bananas were one of my favorite field snacks back in the day – smeared with a little p, of course.

    1. I think you would love these. I know you don’t like coconut & you can totally skip that and yes, rum extract. Have used it in the past but a little goes a long way (like mint) and I think I tossed my last bottle of it in a move or it went missing; had had some for years and years. You’re right; perfect application in this recipe.

      Bananas…I know neither of us just “love” bananas as is, but these flattened ones are sooooo good. And yes, I make log rolls with peanut butter smeared in them!

  7. Great looking recipe and easy too. Gotta love that! I bet adding in just a tiny splash of rum would be a great layer of flavor for a fun pool party.

    1. You are so right or my friend Katie just commented rum extract would be great. And yes, that too. Or the real thing :)

    1. It was a *week long* excuse to drink. I think they’re gearing up for Memorial Day weekend now :) a few weeks early.

  8. This is such a great flavor for cake mix cookies. I have a special place in my heart for boxed cake mix!

    1. You know it girl. It saves time and there’s a reason the cake mix companies stay in business…they work :)

  9. I adore Pina Coladas. These cookies look amazing, and I am super impressed that Trader Joe’s sells flattened bananas. Who would have thought of preparing that, putting it into a package, and selling it? Brilliant!

    1. I don’t know how they do it so cheap…6 bananas for $1.29 that they process and package. Compared to most other dried fruit, huge value!