BEST White Cake Mix Cookies
These white cake mix cookies are shaped like cute bear paws and are simple to make with white cake mix, macadamia nuts, homemade coconut frosting, coconut shreds, and milk chocolate chips/candy melts. They are soft with a crunch, coconutty, and delish, making easy Christmas cookies for your holiday table or to give away as edible presents just like these Christmas tree coconut sugar cookies.
Servings 22 cookies
Calories219.1 kcal
Cost $ 0.25 per cookie
Equipment
- 1 hand mixer
- 2 Baking sheets
- 1 (1 ½ tablespoon) cookie dough scoop
Ingredients
White Cake Mix Cookies:
- 15 ounce box white cake mix I used Betty Crocker
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted (or mild vegetable oil, same amount)
- ½ cup macadamia nuts roughly chopped (or any other nut of choice)
Frosting:
- ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt OPTIONAL but it will balance out the sweetness
Decorations:
- 22 Milk chocolate candy melts
- 66 Semisweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate if you prefer
- 1 cup coconut shreds or shredded coconut -- NOTE: Coconut flakes are larger and thicker than dried shredded coconut and are not as suitable for these cookie decorations!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C). Then, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent the bottom of your cookies from browning. Set them aside!
- Make the cake mix cookie batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine the white cake mix and baking powder. Using a hand mixer, add the melted butter and then the eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed until fully incorporated. TIP: If you don't have a hand mixer, you can alternatively mix everything with a rubber spatula.
- Fold in the chopped macadamia nuts using a rubber spatula.
- Chill the cookie dough for 30 minutes to reduce spreading. NOTE: If you skip this step your cake mix cookies will be slightly thinner because they will spread more. However, the baking powder will still help to give it some rise.
- Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, drop 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls onto the lined baking sheets. Make sure to space them a few inches apart to leave room for the cookies to spread.
- Bake them for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are set (and it reaches desired doneness).
- Let the white cake mix cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to fully cool. Use a metal spatula to transfer them!
- While the cookies are baking, prepare the frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat the room temp butter until smooth and creamy. Then, add the powdered sugar gradually, mixing until combined. Add the vanilla and coconut extracts and the salt, mixing again until you have a smooth, easily spreadable frosting.
- Frost and decorate: Once the cookies have fully cooled, use a small icing spatula to frost about 1 tablespoon of frosting on each cookie. Add a chocolate candy melt and 3 semisweet chocolate chips to make the bear paws. Cover the rest of the frosting with coconut shreds, but do NOT cover the paws!
Recipe Notes
HOW TO STORE
These easy Christmas cookies are best eaten the same day. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze them (without frosting), let the cookies cool completely after baking. Then, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze them for about 30 minutes. Once they're hard, store the cookies in a freezer container or freezer bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.
To thaw them, remove them from the freezer for about 2 hours before frosting and decorating them.
Nutrition
Calories: 219.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.5g | Protein: 1.9g | Fat: 13.2g | Saturated Fat: 7.8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 33.4mg | Sodium: 156.6mg | Potassium: 109.4mg | Fiber: 1.2g | Sugar: 15.6g | Vitamin A: 236.5IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 74.1mg | Iron: 0.8mg
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