Cake Mix Snickerdoodles are fluffy and satisfying, with a warm cinnamon flavor. They’re great for holiday parties, and bring a cozy feeling to cold winter days.
Want even more great cookie recipes, try my pecan turtle cookies and my fruity peach cookies.
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Why this Cake Mix Snickerdoodles Recipe is a Keeper
These easy cake mix snickerdoodle cookies are made using a box of vanilla cake mix. They’re soft and chewy, and are an easy recipe to make for the holidays. The cookies are quick to make, and taste scrumptious with their cinnamon and granulated sugar topping. If you’ve never tried them, here are a few reasons why our snickerdoodle recipe is sure to become your favorite cookie:
- 15 Minute Cookies: These snickerdoodles with cake mix only take 15 minutes to make these warm cookies.
- Easy Ingredients: Making snickerdoodles from a cake mix lets you save time, as most of the dry ingredients you need are already in the box of cake mix.
- Only 5 Ingredients: You only need 5 ingredients to make these cake mix snickerdoodle cookies.
What is a Snickerdoodle?
Snickerdoodles are soft, chewy cinnamon cookies. These cookies have been eaten in the United States since the 19th century, but nobody’s quite sure where they got their unusual name.
One theory is that it came from the German schneckennudel, or “snail noodle,” a kind of cinnamon roll. Although snickerdoodles don’t have the same spiral shape as these rolls, they do share their sweet cinnamon flavor.
Ingredient Notes for Our Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe
- Cake Mix: All the dry ingredients you need for these chewy cookies are in a box of yellow cake mix. You can use white cake mix, too. Try Betty Crocker or your favorite brand of cake mix to make these cookies.
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon: Make a cinnamon-sugar mixture in a small bowl to flavor these snickerdoodle cake mix cookies.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Prep Ahead Suggestions for these Soft Cookies
- Make Ahead: Make the dough ahead of time, then store in the fridge until ready to use.
Special Equipment Needed
- Cookie Scoop: Use a cookie scoop to make all your cookies the same size and shape.
Pro Tip
Remove the cookies from the oven when they are just barely set. They will continue to cook as they cool on the baking sheet.
How to Make Chewy Snickerdoodles with Cake Mix
These are the basic steps for making snickerdoodles using a cake mix. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Combine the Ingredients in Large Bowl
Preheat the oven to 350°f. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, butter, and egg, until a thick batter forms.
2. Roll Dough in Cinnamon Sugar
In a separate bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Roll balls of cookie dough into 1-inch spheres and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture.
3. Bake the Cookies on Sheet Pan
Place each cookie dough ball 2 inches apart onto a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray, or a prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then transfer from the cookie tray to a cooling rack to cool completely.
How to Store and Use Leftover Easy Cookies
- Storing: Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Using Leftovers: When stored properly, the cookies should last for up to 3-5 days.
Variations and Substitutions for Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Cake Mix: Use a low sugar or gluten free cake mix.
- Butter: Use vegetable oil or vegan butter instead of a stick of butter.
- Cinnamon Sugar: Use a storebought cinnamon sugar mixture if you’d prefer.
Recipe FAQs and Reader Interactions
Serve these cookies with these related recipes: strawberry cake mix cookies, brownie cake cookies, or hot cocoa cookies. You can also visit our page for new recipes.
If your cookies are too flat, your butter may have been too soft. Using completely melted butter may cause the cookies to spread out too much. Alternatively, we recommend chilling the dough before baking.
Make sure there aren’t any lumps in your cinnamon sugar mixture before coating the dough balls. You can also add more spices, like cloves or nutmeg.
Expert Tips for Making This Snickerdoodle Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
- Chips: Incorporate some cinnamon chips or white chocolate chips to the mix.
- Zest: Add a hint of orange or lemon zest to your cookies.
- Frosting: Just like a conventional sugar cookies, these snickerdoodles can be enhanced with frosting. Try cream cheese frosting or a standard vanilla glaze.
- Flavor: Add vanilla extract or almond extract to the cake batter cookies.
- Nuts: Add a little extra crunch with some nuts. Walnuts or pecans are great.
Cake Mix Snickerdoodles
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Vanilla Cake Mix
- ¼ cup Butter, melted and cooled
- 1 Egg, large
- 3 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, butter and egg. Mix until a thick cookie batter forms.
- In a separate small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.
- Roll the cookie dough into one inch spheres and coat each one in the sugar and cinnamon mixture by rolling it.
- Place each cookie sphere gently onto a non-stick baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes and allow to cool on rolling rack.
Christina’s Notes
- Chips: Incorporate some cinnamon chips or white chocolate chips to the mix.
- Zest: Add a hint of orange or lemon zest to your cookies.
- Frosting: Just like a conventional sugar cookies, these snickerdoodles can be enhanced with frosting. Try cream cheese frosting or a standard vanilla glaze.
- Flavor: Add vanilla extract or almond extract to the cake batter cookies.
- Nuts: Add a little extra crunch with some nuts. Walnuts or pecans are great.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Super easy and so delicious! I love that little cinnamon kick!
Thank you so much for this, it is so easy and taste perfect! Will make it again for sure!