Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
These Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies are rich, chewy cookies that are irresistibly cute! Ready in under 15 minutes with just a handful of ingredients, and no mixer required, this chocolatey cookie recipe transforms a boxed cake mix into rich, chewy cookies topped with playful candy eyeballs.
The candy eyeballs make them perfect for Halloween, or anytime you want to add a little personality to your dessert table. Bake them up with kids, if you are short on time or just looking for a fun twist on a classic chocolate cookie, these spooky-soft treats deliver flavor and fun in every bite.
Two of my favorite cake mix recipes you might enjoy are my Christmas Cake Mix Cookies and Strawberry Rhubarb Dump Cake.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy: No mixer, no chill time. Just mix, drop your dough and bake.
- Super Chocolatey: Devil's food cake mix delivers rich cocoa flavor.
- Soft and Chewy: A short bake keeps the texture soft and perfectly fudgy.
- Crowd-Friendly: Great for last-minute celebrations or Halloween parties.
- Customizable: Swap decorations for any holiday or skip them for a simple chocolate cookie with regular or white chocolate chips.
- Kid-Approved: Candy eyeballs are always a hit and little hands can help!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
"I loved this quick recipe. I didn't have cool eyes, so I added in white chocolate chips and it was delicious. I'll look for some of those candy eyes and surprise my kids at Halloween with these."
-Leanne
Ingredients
Make these Devil's food cake mix cookies with just a few simple ingredients.
See the recipe card below for the exact quantities of each ingredient.
- Devil's Food Cake Mix: The staple of this recipe, a box of cake mix gives these cookies their chewy base.
- Vegetable Oil: A neutral oil to add fat, which helps make the cookies soft; vegetable oil will not affect flavor.
- Candy Eyeballs: Every spooky dessert needs googly eyes.
For this easy cake mix cookie recipe, you'll want to have on hand a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop (unless you are good at 'eyeballing it'; see what I did there??), large bowl, baking sheet, parchment paper, spatula and cooling rack.
Variations
- Sprinkles: Use ¾ to 1 cup of any seasonal or colorful sprinkles.
- Mix-ins: Add up to 1 cup of chocolate chips, chopped nuts, crushed pretzels, or festive candies like candy corn or gummy pumpkins.
- Cake Mix Flavors: Try different dry cake mix bases like red velvet, lemon, strawberry, or yellow cake mix (avoid angel food mix from experience).
- Oil Swap: Use melted butter instead of vegetable oil for a richer cookie.
- Decorating Options: Press candy eyeballs, Halloween gummies or peanut butter cups into the tops before baking or right after.
- Frosting Finish: Top cooled cookies with a swirl of chocolate frosting for extra indulgence.
How to Make Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Check out how simple it is to make these cake cookies.
Preheat oven to 350F and prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl add cake mix, oil, eggs, vanilla and mix by hand with a spatula. It should be well blended in about 30-60 seconds.
Drop dough balls of cookie dough, with 1 ½ tablespoon scoop, on prepared baking sheet. Be sure to leave a couple of inches between to make sure they do not touch when they spread.
Bake for about 9 minutes for chewy chocolate cookies.
Remove baked cookies from the oven and carefully add a few eyeballs to each one right away. We like to incorporate both small and large eyeballs, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
When the cookies have been out of the oven for about 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack.
Use a fresh or cooled baking sheet for any subsequent batches so the dough does not start to spread before you get it in the oven.
Hint: These cookies bake quickly, so start checking at the 8-minute mark. The centers should look soft (not raw) and will finish setting as they cool.
Recipe Tips
- Eyeball Trick: Lightly press the eyeballs to make sure they stay in the cookies, when they are fresh out of the oven!
- Use a Cookie Scoop: Helps keep the cookies uniform and prevents over-handling the dough.
- Don't Flatten: The dough balls will spread just the right amount as they bake.
- Cool Pan: Let the pan cool completely before starting another round so your cookies bake evenly.
If you love easy cake-mix desserts, my Strawberry Brownies are another delicious one to whip up whenever the craving hits.
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Storage Instructions
- Countertop: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Best enjoyed within 3-4 days. Layer with parchment to prevent sticking.
- Refrigerator: Not necessary, but they'll keep up to 2 weeks if chilled. For best flavor and texture, still eat within a few days.
- Freezer: Freeze in small bundles (wrapped and placed in a freezer-safe bag) for up to 6 months.
Serving Suggestions
- More Easy Cookie Recipes: Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies, Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies, Smores Cookies, Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies and Red, White and Blue Cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cake Mix Cookies
Have questions about making cake mix cookies? Here are some helpful answers.
Cake mix cookies are made using a box of cake mix. You just add eggs and oil (and sometimes extras like vanilla) and you're ready to bake. They're quick, easy and incredibly versatile.
Cake mix dough is naturally a bit stickier than traditional cookie dough. If it's too sticky to scoop, chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm it up.
Cake mix is incredibly versatile. You can make cookie bars, brownies, or even pancake-style cookies by baking the dough in a pan instead of scooping it.
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Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 1 ½ Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Baking Sheet
- Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 1 15 ounce box Devil's Food Cake Mix (432 grams)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract optional
- 60 candy eyeballs various sizes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl add cake mix, oil, eggs, vanilla and mix by hand with a spatula. It should be well blended in about 30-60 seconds.
- Drop dough balls of cookie dough, with 1 ½ tablespoon scoop, on prepared baking sheet. Be sure to leave a couple of inches between to make sure they do not touch when they spread.
- Bake for about 9 minutes for chewy chocolate cookies.
- Remove baked cookies from the oven and carefully add a few eyeballs to each one right away. We like to incorporate both small and large eyeballs, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
- When the cookies have been out of the oven for about 10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- Check for Doneness: These cookies bake in no time and oven temperatures can vary. Begin checking for doneness at the 8-minute mark. The centers should look soft, not raw, and will continue to set as they cool.
- Eyeball Trick: Lightly press the eyeballs to make sure they stay in the cookies, when they are fresh out of the oven!
- Use a Cookie Scoop: Helps keep the cookies uniform and prevents over-handling the dough.
- Don't Flatten: The dough balls will spread just the right amount as they bake.
- Cool Pan: Let the pan cool completely before starting another round so your cookies bake evenly.
Nutrition
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I loved this quick recipe. I didn't have cool eyes, so I added in white chocolate chips and it was delicious. I'll look for some of those candy eyes and surprise my kids at Halloween with these.
I am sure they will love it! Such a fun one for them. Glad you enjoyed it with the addition of white chocolate chips, love that!
What are the ingredient measurements for these Halloween chocolate cookies? Just follow directions in the box?
Hey Debi! If you use the recipe card on the post it will give you all the quantities. You can go directly to the recipe card here: https://myradkitchen.com/cookies-from-devils-food-cake-mix/#recipe
These cookies are easy, and fun to make.
They really are! It is great to hear that you had a good time making them!
These cookies are so soft and chewy - and ultra fun! Easy to make in a pinch and fun to decorate with the kiddos.