No fuss Carrot Cake Cookies without all the work. These cake mix cookies are so easy to make and they melt in your mouth. The best part is you only need 3 ingredients and a container of frosting to make them.
If you love the flavor of soft frosted bakery style cookies but just don't have the time to make them from scratch cake mix cookies are for you! You can whip a batch up in under 30 minutes.
I love my Old Fashioned Carrot Cake recipe, Carrot Cake Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and my Carrot Cake Bread. Sometimes when I am craving the sweet flavors of carrot cake I just don't have time to bake from scratch. That's when I make this cake mix carrot cake cookie recipe. It hits the spot and takes much less time to make.
Cake mix cookies are so much fun to make! I've made Pillsbury Funfetti Cookies, Cake Mix Spice Cookies for the holiday season, and Red Velvet White Chip Cake Mix Cookies.
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The biggest benefit to making carrot cake cookies with a box mix is you don't have to grate a bunch of carrots and risk scraping your knuckles on a box grater. You know if you know!
Let's get started. Wait until you see how easy these cookies are to make. And you can make any flavor cookies with this recipe. Just pick your favorite flavor of cake mix and try it out.
Ingredient Notes
Here are the three ingredients you need to make this recipe.
- 2 large eggs-divided into 1 whole egg and just the white from the other.
- softened butter no substitutes or the cookies will not be soft!
- 13.25 oz box of cake mix: I used Betty Crocker Delights Carrot Cake Mix (with pudding in the mix)
- a tub of cream cheese frosting or you can make my cream cheese frosting recipe if you prefer homemade. Or skip the frosting if you want.
Recipe Prep
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. degrees.
- Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper. I like to use small ¼ sheet baking sheets but you can use a large cookie sheet instead. The parchment paper prevents the bottoms of the cookies from over cooking. I use it for every cookie recipe I bake. It really makes a difference and you don't have to grease the baking tray if a recipe calls for it when you use parchment to line the pan.
Step by Step Directions
Follow the easy step by step directions with pictures below. You can find the more detailed directions in the recipe card below.
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg, and egg white to the bowl. Beat for 1 minute and then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat for another minute.
- Step 2: Open the bag of cake mix and add to the bowl of wet ingredients. On low to start with beat the cake mix into the wet ingredients. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl at least once while mixing. Increase the speed to medium and beat until all butter and dry cake mix is combined completely. About 3 minutes in total. The batter will be thick.
- Step 3: Using a 1 ¼ inch dough scoop (1 tablespoon) that will make uniformly sized cookies drop the cookie dough batter onto a lined cookie sheet leaving at least 2 inches between the cookie dough.
- Step 4: Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or just until the edges a slightly golden. The centers will still be soft. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Frosting the cookies
Once the cookies are completely cool. And when I say completely cooled I mean cold to the touch on the top and bottom.
If the cookies are still warm in the center the frosting will melt and slide off into a puddle.
Use a spoon or an offset spatula to frost the cookies.
Spread a heaping tablespoon of frosting over the top center and gently spread it out leaving about a half inch unfrosted edge.
If you spread the frosting too close to the edges when someone picks up a cookie they will get frosting on their fingers.
These cookies are so good. They are soft and chewy like bakery style frosted cookies.
Baking Tips
Baking times will vary depending on how small or large the dough balls are. This is why I always use a dough scoop when making cookies.
The baking times will always be the same if all of the dough balls are the same size and shape. I also know how many cookies I will get each time I make the recipe.
I ended up with 26 two and a half inch round cookies using a 1 ¼ inch dough scoop.
Storing Frosted Cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container in a single layer. You can not stack these cookies once they are frosted.
Cream cheese frosting does not harden like a powdered sugar glaze does. The cookies will stick together and frosting will get on the bottom of the cookies you have stacked on top.
Can these cookies be Frozen?
Both the baked cookies and the dough can be frozen.
Freeze baked (unfrosted) cookies for up to 2 months, and thaw before frosting or serving.
To freeze ready to bake cookie dough:
Arrange the unbaked dough balls on a cookie sheet and freeze for a couple of hours until solid. Transfer the frozen dough balls to freezer or vacuum seal bags. Freeze for 2 to 4 months.
When ready to bake put the dough on a cookie sheet and bake in the preheated oven. No need to thaw the dough!
Carrot Cake Recipes
Check out 25 Carrot Cake recipes for more Easter and Spring recipes.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, most standard carrot cake mixes will work. Buy the brand you prefer and follow this recipe.
No chilling is required for cake mix cookie dough. These cookies are designed to be quick and easy to bake. But if your kitchen is extremely hot and the cookie dough is so sticky you can chill it for 10 minutes to firm it up enough to handle.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If frosted, keep them in a single layer or use parchment between layers.
Easy Easter Cookies
These semi-homemade Carrot Cake Cookies prove that a box mix can deliver big on flavor with minimal effort.
Whether you're baking for a crowd or just want a quick treat, this easy recipe is guaranteed to be a hit. Fast to make, no fuss, just soft, Easter inspired cookies everyone will love.
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Carrot Cake Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup softened butter (no substitutes!)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 1 large egg white (room temperature)
- 13.25 oz. Betty Crocker Delights Carrot Cake Mix (with pudding in the mix)
- 16 oz. tub Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Make the cookies
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy. Add the whole egg and egg white. Beat for 1 minute, scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat for another minute.
- Add the cake mix to the wet ingredients. Start mixing on low speed until mostly combined, scraping the bowl once or twice. Increase to medium speed and beat for about 3 minutes, or until the batter is thick and fully blended.
- Use a 1¼-inch dough scoop to drop evenly sized portions of cookie dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden and the centers are still soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Frosting the cookies
- Using an offset spatula, spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over the center of each cookie. Leave a small border around the edges so the frosting doesn't smear when someone picks one up.
Storing
- Once the cookies have been frosted, place the cookies in a single layer inside an airtight container. Avoid stacking them or the frosting will stick to the bottoms of other cookies.
- Keep the container sealed at room temperature for up to 4 to 5 days to maintain freshness. If your kitchen is warm, you can refrigerate them, but let the cookies come to room temperature before serving for the best flavor and texture.
Recipe Expert Tips
- I used store-bought cream cheese frosting for these cookies, but you can absolutely make your own if you prefer homemade.
- Use a dough scoop so all cookies are the same size and bake evenly.
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