Fall baking is my favorite, the cozy spices, the warm oven, the excuse to sneak a cookie or two and enjoy the silence before the kiddos tornado in. But I’ll be honest, as much as I love the idea of pumpkin-flavored everything, I don’t always want to crack open a can of pumpkin puree just to make it happen. That’s where these 3-ingredient spice cake mix cookies come in.
They’ve got all those warm, cozy fall vibes baked right in. And since they start with a box of cake mix (my secret weapon for low-stress baking), they’re perfect for whipping up a batch with my kids after school or during halftime of the football game (Go Blue!). If you’ve tried my brownie mix cookies or the strawberry cake mix cookies my daughter now makes solo, you already know I’m all about taking shortcuts that taste like they are from scratch.
These are soft, lightly spiced, and ready in less than 30 minutes, just the kind of recipe that makes fall baking feel fun and doable. And of course, these cookies fit right in with my go-to rule: 7 ingredients or less, always.
Ingredients
- Boxed cake mix: Either a 15 or 16 oz box cake mix will work. I’m partial to Duncan Hines, but any brand you have in your pantry will work.
- Vegetable Oil: You can substitute butter or even coconut oil depending on your dietary needs.
- Eggs: I always use large eggs when baking.
Step by step directions
In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, eggs and oil.
Stir the ingredients together, until you can’t see any more dry cake mix. You don’t want to overmix this cookie dough.
Using a cookie scoop to make sure all your cookies are the same size, scoop the cookie dough onto your prepared baking tray, leaving about 2” between dough balls.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until you see cracks on the top of the cookies, being careful not to overbake them.
Remove from the baking tray to a cooling rack and once cool, enjoy!
Fun Additions
While the simplicity of a cake mix cookie is where it’s at, you can certainly dress up the spice cookies a bit if you want.
- Roll them in cinnamon sugar before baking for a snickerdoodle effect
- Add butterscotch chips or cinnamon chips
- Melt white chocolate and dip half the cookies in then dip into sanding sugar for a sparkle
- Make them double sized and top with a swirl of cream cheese frosting ala Crumbl cookies
Tea time cookies: These cookies so remind me of a warm cup of chai tea, so feel free to add a little chai spice blend in before you mix them up. Or just enjoy them dunked in your afternoon tea…you won’t be disappointed.
Make a sandwich cookie
Spice cake reminds me of carrot cake which reminds me that frosting goes great with cookies of all sorts. Kinda like if you give a mouse a cookie…except this mouse will ask for some icing to make a cookie sandwich…anywhoo. Turn your spice cake mix cookies into sandwich cookies with any of these filling options. You won’t be sad you did.
- Cream cheese frosting
- Cinnamon swirl buttercream
- Nutella
- Pumpkin butter or apple butter
Storage Tips
Store the baked cake mix cookies in a zip top bag or air tight container on the counter for up to 4 days. If you frosted them I suggest using wax or parchment paper to separate the layers in your container.
Freezing Instructions: You can either freeze the cookie dough balls before baking, or bake the cookies as directed and freeze them already baked. They will last in the freezer for up to 2 months and are delicious straight from the freezer.
Other Desserts from Boxed Baking Mixes
📖 Recipe
3-Ingredient Spice Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box Spice Cake Mix
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup oil
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix, the eggs and the oil.
- Stir until you can’t see any more dry cake mix. You don’t want to overmix.
- Using a cookie scoop to make sure all your cookies are the same size, scoop the cookie dough onto your prepared baking tray, leaving about 2” between dough balls.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until you see cracks on the top of the cookies, being careful not to overbake them. Let sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then remove from the baking tray and let cool.
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