This Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies recipe is so easy, simple, and delicious. No one will know these Chocolate Peppermint Cookies come together with just five ingredients and a shortcut- boxed cake mix! They are rich, fudgy, and festive for the Christmas holidays with chocolate chips and peppermint or candy cane chunks!
Love cake mix recipes? Also, try my Cake Mix Peach Cobbler and Cake Mix Pumpkin Muffins.
Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
This 5 Ingredient Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies Recipe is not just an amazing cake mix cookie recipe but a kitchen hack you need to know about. These fudgy, rich chocolate cookies are simply made in one bowl with no fuss. Sure there is a time and place to make cookies completely from scratch, but sometimes you are running short on time, or just don't want to mess with it and this recipe is perfect for those days.
Did you know that if you have one of those boxed cake mixes around you can not only make cookies but really good ones? I'm talking about rich, chewy, and perfectly moist cookies that everyone will be asking for again and again. The fudgy chocolate texture on these is legit and no one needs to know you took this shortcut.
With the Christmas season in full swing, I decided to make these cookies Chocolate Peppermint with a rich fudgy batter, mini chocolate chips, and just the right amount of peppermint candies or candy canes.
The combination will blow away all the other cookies on your plate this season.
I love a good kitchen hack like my 2 Ingredient Black Bean Brownies made with boxed brownie mix, my 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins made with boxed cake mix and canned pumpkin, or my Cake Mix Peach Cobbler made with cake mix. This easy cookie recipe is another recipe just like that but with a holiday twist.
Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies- SO easy, festive & delish! Share on X
Why You'll Love These Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies:
- These Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix cookies are made with a handful of ingredients you most likely have in the pantry.
- You can use any chocolate cake mix you have to make the chocolate cake mix base for the cookies.
- They use a baking shortcut- a boxed cake mix!
- They are double chocolate cookies! Rich and chocolatey from chocolate batter AND chocolate chips. The cookies are rich, chocolate and amazing.
- They will get you in the holiday spirit!
- If you don't have candy canes you can use crushed peppermint candy.
You'll even be surprised at how EASY these are. These cookies are pretty forgiving and use just one bowl for mixing making for an easy clean-up.
Ingredients:
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies recipe, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.
- Chocolate Cake Mix: You'll need a 15.25 ounce bag of chocolate cake mix. The size of the box cake mixes can vary, so make sure to find one that is the correct size. The 18 ounce bag will mess up the ratios in the cookie. Betty Crocker is a great option. Duncan Hines will work, but the bags are larger, causing the cookies to spread more.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in my baking. To make sure you don't get any bits of shell in your cookies, break them into a small bowl first. Use room temperature eggs for best baking results.
- Oil: I used vegetable oil in testing this recipe but you can use olive oil or melted coconut oil if you'd like. If you are feeling extra indulgent you can use slightly cooled melted butter. You'll need ⅓ cup.
- Chocolate Chips: I used mini dark chocolate chips for my cookies, but you can use any type you like or have on hand. You could even use white chocolate chips!
- Peppermint Candy: You'll need crushed peppermint candy to get the peppermint flavor in these cookies as the mix-ins. You can either crush candy canes, peppermint candies OR find already crushed peppermint on Amazon. (Affiliate Link) To crush the candy, I put it in a ziplock bag and use the back of a measuring cup to break it into smaller pieces.
Instructions:
This is an overview of the instructions to make this Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies, but the full detailed printable recipe is below in the recipe card.
- To start making the cookies get out a large mixing bowl. In a large bowl, stir together the chocolate cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, chocolate chips, and peppermint candies.
- Put the cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. This makes it easier to form into cookies AND makes it less likely to spread too much on the pan.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper, or cookie mats.
- Using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop spoon the cookie dough ball into balls and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. For extra pretty cookies put a few extra chocolate chips and peppermint pieces into the top of the balls.
- Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Baking Tips:
- You can get away with using just one bowl for this recipe since the cake mix is already stirred together.
- Use a cookie scoop for easy preparation and uniform-size cookies.
- Don't skip chilling the dough.
- If you don't chill the dough, the cookies can spread on the pan and turn flat.
- Use baking sheets that aren't warm or hot. Otherwise, the cookies can spread too much before baking.
- You can make this dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a day before baking.
Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies Variations & FAQ
I love these Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies as written, but here are some fun ways to mix it up.
- If you really love peppermint flavor, add a few drops of peppermint extract. It's pretty potent though, so be careful with it.
- Make these plain Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies any time of the year by leaving out the peppermint.
- Make them peanut butter by leaving out the peppermint and adding extra Peanut Butter Chips.
- For Birthday cookies add sprinkles instead of crushed peppermint.
- Use any type of chocolate chip you like!
- You can also add a touch of vanilla for depth of flavor.
- You could also make this extra special by adding frosting.
Do I have to chill the dough?
You do. It allows the dough to chill enough to where it doesn't stick to your hands AND it keeps the cookies from spreading too much on the baking sheet.
Can I make these ahead of time?
YES! You can make the dough 24 hours ahead of time and then bake it when you are ready.
Can I freeze the cookies?
Yes. Freeze them individually for up to 3 months.
My cookies spread out too much? What happened?
The cookies need to be chilled before baking and put on a cool pan to keep them from spreading.
These Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies are the Star of the Cookie Platter!
These Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies are so tasty and will be the start of any cookie platter or exchange. I love that you can make them with only 5 ingredients and taste so rich and fudgy. The chocolate flavor in these are so good. Serve them with milk, hot tea, Peppermint Hot Cocoa, or a mocha!
I hope you love them as much as my family does. These are so fun for kids and adults.
Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies- SO easy, festive & delish! Share on X
More Cake Mix Recipes:
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Black Bean Brownies
More Peppermint Chocolate Recipes:
- Peppermint Chocolate Energy Bites
- Dark Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn
- Peppermint Chocolate Nice Cream
- Peppermint Chocolate Smoothie
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!
Peppermint Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 15.25 oz Chocolate Cake Mix
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup crushed peppermint candy or candy canes
- Garnish: extra chocolate chips and crushed peppermint candy
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together the chocolate cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil, chocolate chips, and peppermint candies.
- Put the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray two baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie or ice cream scoop spoon the dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. For extra pretty cookies put a few extra chocolate chips and peppermint pieces into the top of the balls.
- Bake for 7-9 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute and then transfer to cooling racks.
Notes
Nutrition
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Judith Barth says
Easy and delicious - I used a Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix! Happy that mine came out as pretty as yours, also! Happy Holidays!
Natalie says
Lovely cookies. So easy to make and I bet my son will love them. I'm baking them today.
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says
These are so easy...the addition of the peppermint made them feel homemade. They're a great addition to a holiday cookie platter!
Marisa Franca says
If it's one thing I love it's making something easy that also tastes good. I'm busy making up some cookie trays and I needed some fill ins. I tried your recipe and it was delicious! I'm saving this recipe and I don't know if I want to share the recipe with the neighbors who I know will ask for it. Some things are NOT meant to be shared. This way they'll think I'm a genius baker.
Sharon says
Yes! I love these cookies. Peppermint and chocolate have to be one of my fave combos. Perfect for the holidays! 🙂