Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies – 🍓🍰😍 Soft, light, fluffy cookies with a rich, strawberry flavor that are a cinch to make! Almost too pretty to eat, these cookies are perfect for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, bridal and baby showers, or any time you have a craving for strawberries!
Table of Contents
Easy Strawberry Cookies with Cake Mix
If strawberry cookies with a thick layer of vanilla cream cheese frosting and red sanding sugar sprinkles don’t put a smile on your face, I’m convinced that nothing will.
The little cookies are moist and light and have the best strawberry flavor, which is balanced with the heavier, richer, and tangier cream cheese frosting.
And they are so soft, and so very, very moist.
Practically falling apart moist, which is the only way I like baked goods. Plus, they only use four ingredients! Thanks to the use of boxed cake mix, you can be out of the kitchen and snacking on a cookie in just an hour. They’re at the top of my list of favorite strawberry recipes!
Looking for more cookies with cake mix?
Try these pina colada white chocolate cake mix cookies and chocolate cake mix M&M’s cookies, too!
Recipe Ingredients
As mentioned, you only need a few ingredients for this strawberry cake mix cookies recipe:
For the Cookies
- Unsalted butter – Let it soften, but you don’t want melted butter
- Large egg – Let it come to room temperature for easy mixing
- Vanilla extract
- Strawberry cake mix – I use Pillsbury strawberry cake mix, but any brand, like Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines, will work. Make sure the flavor of the cake mix is strawberry! Vanilla won’t work
For the Frosting
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese – Make sure to use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese, not cream cheese from a tub
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioner’s sugar
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Soft and Chewy Cake Mix Strawberry Cookies
Make sure to preheat your oven to 350 degrees F before you begin. Then, have all the ingredients ready to go! Here’s an overview of how the cookies come together:
- Combine the wet ingredients in a bowl. Then, fold in the cake mix. If the dough seems too wet, add a bit more cake mix, a tablespoon at a time. Or, if it’s too dry, add water a tablespoon or two at a time.
- If you have enough time, chill the dough for 15-20 minutes. This isn’t 100% necessary, but it prevents the cookies from spreading while baking.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls, and place the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet lined with a Silpat mat or parchment paper, leaving space between each piece. Bake until the cookies are barely browned.
- Cool on the baking sheet; there’s no need to transfer them to a wire rack to cool!
- Use a hand mixer or whisk by hand, beating the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar, and mix until smooth. Spread the frosting over the cookies in a thick layer. Finish with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or other garnishes. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes! Store cookies flat in an airtight container or sealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Sure! Feel free to fold in white chocolate chips, coconut flakes, or whatever you like best.
Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- 2 Large Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
Cookies
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, half of one stick, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup + 1/8 cup strawberry cake mix (this is about 9 ounces, or half of an 18.25 ounce box of Pillsbury Strawberry Cake Mix
Frosting
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, half of one stick, softened
- ¼ cup cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Cookies – Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl combine the softened butter, egg, vanilla and stir by hand or with a mixer until combined. Add the cake mix and stir until smooth. If the dough seems too wet to be cookie dough, add a bit more cake mix, one tablespoon at a time, until it’s less wet. Conversely, if the dough seems dry and it’s not combining, add a tablespoon or two of water.
- If time permits, I recommend chilling the dough by placing the mixing bowl in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. Chilled dough spreads less during the baking process.
- Form 1 inch balls on a Silpat-lined, parchment paper-lined, or cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Allow for adequate spacing because they do spread; which is why I recommend chilling the dough and do not exceed 1 rounded tablespoon-sized or 1 inch sized balls (I only placed 9 cookies on one cookie sheet and do not recommend trying to fit the batch on one cookie sheet). Bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes or until cookies are barely browned. They make look a bit loose and jiggly after only 8 to 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 well (on the cookie sheets is fine) before attempting to move them.
- While the cookies are baking, make the frosting.
- Frosting – In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer or whisk by hand. Add the vanilla extract and add two cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth. If you like thick(er) frosting, add more powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. I used nearly 4 cups of powdered sugar in mine because I like very thick frosting (shown in the photos).
- After the cookies have cooled, frost them (I applied a thick layer). Finish with sprinkles, sanding sugar, or other garnishes such as coconut flakes or chocolate shavings, as desired. Optionally, make sandwich cookies.
- Because these cookies are frosted with cream cheese frosting, you may want store them in the refrigerator if they’re going to be out more than a day or so; use common sense.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Related Recipes
Angelfood Cake with Berries and Cream is another favorite play on berry + creamy flavors that I enjoy.
White Chocolate Snickerdoodles – Soft, sweet, bursting with cinnamon flavor, and studded with chocolate chips. What’s not to love?
Oatmeal Raisin – A classic cookie recipe, these are soft, chewy, and sweet, just like Grandma used to make!
Cookie Butter Spread Ginger Molasses Cookies (No Bake, Vegan, with GF option)
Stuffed cookies score bonus points:
Snickers Bar Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
And for Valentine’s Day, Dark Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Cookies Stuffed with Chocolate Covered Strawberries with the red surprise center would be fun.
Thank you so much for this yummy recipe. I found it on Pinterest and then a neighbor tried it first and recommended it. It worked out great.
https://tastes-from-tricias-table.blogspot.com/2012/02/strawberry-cake-mix-cookies.html
So glad you liked them!
Just made these last night, HUGE hit around the office & at home. I’m in love with the idea of using cake mixes for cookies, oh the possibilities!
I have a few more tricks up my sleeve in the next couple weeks with cake mix cookies…chocolate, peanut butter, yeah…a few things to come :)
Glad they were a hit!
All these cookies look great!!! I found you over at Katherine Martinellis blog hop! I can’t wait to check out the rest of you blog! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for saying hi and glad you found me!
These are so pretty and I bet they taste great! Thanks for linking up to my v-day blog hop! :-)
This post is perfect timing for me. I actually have a box of this cake mix from last February, before I opted to make red velvet cupcakes. You have given me the inspiration needed to finally use this box. Thanks!
Glad you have it all on hand :)
I meant to say, glad to hear you have the cake mix on hand and that you can use it up, finally!
Made these just last night and they were SO good!!!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe and all your wonderful pictures. I also like how you post pictures from other recipes to which now means up next on my list are the Snicker Cookies!!!!
Oh awesome. So glad you liked them. And that you like the linkbacks/photos to other things. I like that when I go to blogs and I know I have new readers so try to link things up in case you missed something or it catches your eye. And I have another cake mix recipe coming up within a week :)