These 4-Ingredient Cake-Mix Crinkle Cookies Are Soft and Chewy

Photo byUnfussy Kitchen

These soft and chewy cake crinkle cookies only take about 15 minutes to prepare and require no measuring. You need just four ingredients: a box of cake mix, a container of whipped cream, an egg and powdered sugar. And you can mix everything by hand instead of using an electric mixer.

While you can make these cookies with any cake mix, my favorite flavor is Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge because the contrast between the light coating and the dark cookie looks gorgeous. I also like to use lemon cake mix because it reminds me of the lemon coolers I used to eat as a kid. Red velvet, strawberry and Devil's Food cake mix also taste and look great.

As far as I can tell, this recipe dates back to the late 1960s, not long after Cool Whip was invented. The vintage lemon version was originally called Lemon Whippersnappers and if you're a cozy mystery fan, you can find the recipe in Joanne Fluke's Candy Cane Murder.

Cake-Mix Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients

1 (15.25 ounce) box cake mix

1 8-ounce container of Cool Whip, thawed

1 large egg

Powdered sugar for coating cookies

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix the whipped topping, dry cake mix and egg in a large bowl. Batter will be sticky, so be sure to fully combine ingredients and scrape the sides of the bowl.
3. Use a medium cookie scoop to form tablespoon-sized dough balls, then roll them in the powdered sugar.
4. Place the balls two inches apart on baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.
5. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Notes

Be careful not to overbake these cookies. They will firm up on the baking sheets after you remove them from the oven.

This dough is very sticky, more so than most cookie batter. I recommend lightly coating your cookie scoop with nonstick baking spray to prevent sticking. You also might want to use a sturdy spatula to make sure you get all the batter off the sides of the bowl.

I like to chill this dough because it's easier to work with when it's cool. Cookies will also rise higher and have a better crinkle effect.

Use a shallow dish or pie plate to hold the powdered sugar. I wear plastic food prep gloves because it's easier to coat the dough this way.

Add a teaspoon of vanilla, lemon or almond extract to add a dash of flavor.

You can use homemade whipped cream instead of Cool Whip. Cookies will still taste good but won't be as sweet.