This cake mix cookies recipe is one of the first posts I wrote when I started my food blog in 2018. I was an absolute rookie, but the cookies are great; the recipe is versatile and might come in handy when life throws you a curveball.
This recipe reminded me of YEARS ago when our girls were in high school. It's been shared a lot, so I thought I'd refresh it a little and bring it back.
I was a working mom and perpetually in a hot rush. I started baking what I called "idiot cookies." (Credit to Peg Bracken's snarky humor in her "I Hate to Cook" cookbook.) It was the 80s. Remember, hair was bigger, and things were much less politically correct.
Fast-forward many years. The girls were grown and had their own families, and Papa and I were sitting home alone on the farm. It was dark and stormy on Saturday night, and it was really, really cold. We'd had ho-hum leftovers for supper, and suddenly, we were overcome by a craving for something sweet.
No way did we want to leave the house. Besides, the grocery store in the little town closest to us closed at 6:00. The clock ticked, and the hankering intensified.
We rummaged through the cupboards; nothing. The freezer; nothing. Then I remembered!
Back then, I called them Idiot Cookies because they were ridiculously simple to make, and I didn't even need to get out the mixer! This time, it was desperation that drove me to bake and fast.
So, on that cold, dark night, I pulled an old working-mom-of-teenagers rabbit out of my hat and grabbed a Devil's Food cake mix. I keep an "emergency stash" on hand in case the church calls and it's my turn to bring a cake. I usually grab them when they're on sale. Back then, I could often find them for a dollar or less.
I dumped the mix in a bowl, dropped in two eggs and half a cup of vegetable oil, and stirred it up with a spoon. Next, I dug in the freezer to see what chips I might have buried there. I found a bag of peanut butter chips and mixed some in.
I used a tablespoon to make walnut-size dough balls, arranged them on my age-blackened Pampered Chef jelly roll pan, and baked them for 12 minutes in a 350-degree oven.
Less than 20 minutes had elapsed since the light bulb went off in my head! Warm, yummy, chewy cookies!
Those warm cookies brought back memories of late-night ball games, play practice, or finding out that school needed 3 dozen cookies in a half-hour from right now!
I made another batch using vanilla cake mix and milk chocolate toffee chips. Oh, My Goodness! Now THOSE were a home run! Here's how they baked up!
Think of all the yummy possibilities: lemon cake mix with white chocolate chips, spice cake mix with butterscotch chips, chocolate cake mix with cherry chips, or crushed peppermint (I'm thrilled you can buy that in a bag nowadays!)
Try strawberry cake mix with mini dark chocolate chips! Oh, the delicious options! I'd love to hear about the combination you come up with!!
But then, one night, I was bone tired and totally done dealing. Even "idiot cookies" were too much for me to face. I couldn't even muster the gumption to shape the dough into 36 balls.
So, I just patted the dough into an 11" x 7" bar pan. Guess what? It worked great! (You can also use a 9" x 9" pan.)
Does anyone remember Toll House Bars? Of course, you do because they're amazing! At some point, a "smart cookie" came up with the idea of spreading cookie dough in a bar pan. Voila! A classic was born!
The first time I tried making cake mix cookies into bars, I used a yellow cake mix with toffee chips, and they turned out great! They became so beloved by one of our grandson's friends that we named them "Brandt Bars," I gave him a whole batch at graduation!
After that, I was off and running! Easy cake mix lemon bars were born! Since then, these simple lemon bars made from a cake mix have shot to the top of the chart as a family favorite!
When you're dying for something sweet or find out you have to bring three dozen cookies in 30 minutes
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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