Festive Peppermint Cookies Recipe Made With Cake Mix

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This recipe for frosted peppermint cookies will make you feel like the best baker in the neighborhood. The fact that you can make them with a cake mix makes it easier! It’s perfect for the holidays because it’s simple to prepare but impressive to look at on a cookie platter. And there will be less mess to clean up.

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What I Love About This Peppermint Cookies Recipe

★ For the next holiday season, your new best-kept baking secret is the Peppermint Cookies Recipe With Cake Mix.

★ In terms of taste, these cake mix peppermint cookies much surpass anything you’d get in a grocery store, and they look like they came straight out of Grandma’s oven. They have a nice, chewy texture.

★ They are given a special touch by being coated with homemade buttercream and having peppermint candy bits sprinkled on top, making them even more delicious.

★ The buttercream icing adds a touch of merriment, making these peppermint cookies perfect for any celebration.

★ For other Holidays: Add candy corn for Halloween, red hots for Valentine’s Day, or chopped up miniature Cadbury eggs for Easter, and the frosting will be ready to be decorated for any holiday. In addition to using broken pieces of peppermint candies as ornaments in the icing, this is another festive touch.

★ The texture of the peppermint cookies is superb; they’re perfectly crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Blending these two textures into one unbeatable whole is no easy feat.

★ You can use whatever flavor of cake mix that you like. As an alternative to the standard chocolate and vanilla, you can use any kind of cake you like, from yellow to chocolate fudge to red velvet.

Ingredients You’ll Be Using

Cake Mix: You can use any cake mix that you like, regardless of brand or flavor. It’s a lot of fun to play with with different combinations of ingredients in this peppermint cookies recipe. Use a box that holds between 15.25 and 15.5 ounces to guarantee accurate proportions.

Baking Powder: a small amount of baking powder added to your cake mix will give it a freshly baked flavor and will help your cookies rise to the perfect height.

Melted Butter: You can skip the step of waiting for the butter to soften by adding it pre-melted directly to the peppermint cookies batter. While the cookies are in the oven and cooling, get out a second stick and start warming it up for the frosting.

Eggs: The addition of eggs make the cake batter taste richer and keeps the peppermint cookies chewy and not dry and crumbly.

Powdered Sugar: If you want to give these cookies that special touch, I recommend making your own homemade buttercream icing, which will require powdered sugar. Powdered sugar’s solubility in liquids makes it an ideal ingredient for making fluffy frosting. If you use regular white sugar, your frosting will be gritty, and no one wants that!

Peppermint Extract: Flavor can be greatly enhanced by using it.

Crushed Candy Canes, or similar peppermint candy: They add a peppermint-y crunch and a festive touch to these cookies.

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How To Make Peppermint Cookies From Cake Mix

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicon mat before preheating the oven.
2. A soft dough can be made by combining a cake mix, baking powder, eggs, and vegetable oil in a mixer. While a stand mixer will make this process even easier, a rubber spatula will do the trick in a pinch.
3. Use a scoop to roll the dough into balls, and place them at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
4. Bake the peppermint cookies for about 9 minutes, or until the edges are turning golden. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees. The tops should not be too dark in color and have a charming wrinkled appearance.
5. The peppermint cookies should cool completely on a cooling rack before the icing is applied.
6. Frost the cookies and then top them with crushed peppermint candy pieces

Pro Tips and Substitutions

★ Shake it up! Try any flavor of your favorite cake mix to make cookies. You can include chocolate, yellow, and even red velvet varieties. If it’s on the store shelf, try it!

★ Sticky dough will firm up if you refrigerate it for 15–20 minutes.

★ If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar, one teaspoon at a time, until it reaches the required thickness. Wait until the cookies are completely cool before applying the icing to avoid it melting.

★ In order to have peppermint cookies whenever you want, you can make the cookie dough using the cake mix ahead of time and freeze it in individual portions. You can cook them straight from frozen by increasing the baking time by two or three minutes.

★ Take store-bought vanilla frosting and flavor it with a few drips of peppermint extract if you’re in a rush.

★ Try out different toppings and see what you like! Andes peppermint baking chips are another of my favorite ingredients to work with. You could also use sanding sugar or holiday colored sprinkles, tint the frosting with a few drops of food coloring, or top the cookies with M&Ms.

★ Half a cup of white chocolate chips could be folded into the peppermint cookies batter before it is scooped. A cookie made in this manner will be far more decadent.

FAQs About Our Peppermint Cookies Recipe With Cake Mix

How Do I Store These Cookies?

It’s best to eat the cookies on the day they’re decorated, as the peppermint candies may seep into the frosting if left out for too long. However, if stored in an airtight container, they will keep for several days at room temperature.

Can They Withstand Being Put into the Freezer?

Yes! In order to prevent the cookies from sticking together during defrosting, arrange them in a single layer in the freezer. Once they are solid frozen, you may transfer them to an airtight container for long-term storage (up to three months). Let the frozen cookies thaw at room temperature in a single layer. You should know that freezing the cookies will alter the frosting color because of the peppermint candy. But the delicious taste will remain intact!

Can I Freeze Raw Cookie Dough to Bake Later?

If you want to be able to quickly make peppermint cookies later, double your recipe and you can freeze the uncooked dough to use it then. Make the dough into balls and freeze on tray first. Once frozen you can put in airtight container or freezer bag. When you are ready, put the frozen dough balls 2″ apart and bake. The only difference: add 1-2 minutes to baking time.

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How To Prepare Our Peppermint Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Cookies

- 15 ounce box of Cake Mix (up to 15.5 oz – any flavor)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
- Vegetable Oil (use amount called for on the box directions)

For the Frosting

- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
- 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 5-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup Crushed candy canes, for topping
- Food coloring – optional (choose color by holiday or leave the frosting white)

Instructions:

For the Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place all the cookie ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer until well combined.
3. Form cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place on the cookie sheet about 2″ apart. You can use a small cookie scoop to make them uniform.
4. Bake for approximately 9 minutes.
5. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the Frosting

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed. Butter will become pale and creamy.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 6 minutes. Frosting will be very light and fluffy.
3. Frost each cookie and then sprinkle with crushed candy cane pieces.

Notes:

★ Frosting is best used right away for ideal spreading consistency.

★ This is NOT a crusting buttercream frosting, so it will not harden. I left them out overnight before boxing them up.