Frosted Cake Mix Sugar Cookies Recipe
A lovely light and tender cookie made easy using cake mix!Use your favorite White Cake Mix to make 16 light and tender cookies. Each cookie is 2 tablespoons, about golf ball sized (50grams).
Equipment
- stand mixer, or handmixer, cookie sheet
Ingredients
For the Lofthouse Style Cookies
- 1 box Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1/4 cup softened margarine
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
For the Buttercream Frosting
- 3/4 cup cold butter (one and a half sticks)
- 4-5 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or more if your prefer)
- 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 dab pink gel food coloring optional
Decoration
- Sprinkles
Instructions
For the cookies.
- Preheat the oven to 365 F. (see notes)
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, margarine, and eggs. Mix to combine roughly.Add almond extract (optional), cake mix, cream of tartar, corn starch, and flour. Beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined. The batter will be thick.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Line cookie sheets with parchment or a non-stick Silpat mat and scoop out two tablespoons of batter per cookie - about the size of a golf ball, or 50 grams. Space cookies 3 inches apart. (baking 6 per tray works well).Roll the dough in the palms of your hands to create a round, smooth ball, handle briefly to avoid heating the dough. Then gently press the top to barely flatten. Bake on the center rack for about 9 minutes or until cookies are slightly puffed with cracks on the surface. Avoid over-baking. Pull them out before they start to take on color. (see notes below)Allow to cool before frosting.
For the buttercream frosting.
- It's counterintuitive to use cold butter, but it helps with the consistency of the frosting. A stand mixer or sturdy hand mixer will work - it's a bit chunky at first, but it will smooth out. Beat on medium-high until smooth.Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mix thoroughly after each addition. The frosting will be chunky at this stage. Mix until the powdered sugar is fully incorporated, then add the almond extract. Add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, thoroughly beating after each addition. After adding the 4th tablespoon, the buttercream should be starting to pull together and whipping into a light and fluffy frosting. Continue to mix and add the final tablespoon of heavy cream until you obtain the texture you want. If tinting the frosting pink, it's preferable to use pink 'gel' coloring to maintain a nice texture of the frosting. Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies (or use a piping bag), then top with Sprinkles! Enjoy!
Notes
Oven temperature tips! Baking at 350F was a bit too low; the cookies spread. Baking at 375F was a bit too high; the exterior took on too much color before the interior was fully baked. I found 365F just about right. I bake at a higher elevation (about 5000 feet), so I tend to bake at a slightly higher temperature. Depending on your oven, the temp may work best between 360 and 370F.
See the blog post for more details on why cream of tartar and cornstarch are included with the dry ingredients for this recipe. The cookies will bake and puff, keeping their shape pretty well. After scooping the batter (2 tablespoons, about golf ball sized, 50 grams), you'll want to roll the cookie batter to smooth the edges, then slightly press it very gently on the cookie sheet. Avoid pressing it too much, or the cookies will flatten with baking.
With baking, the cookies will rise, puff a bit, then crack in some places (on the surface). Take them out once the bottoms appear slightly golden but no color on the tops - about 9 to 10 minutes at 365F. As they cool, they'll settle a tiny bit but should hold their shape overall.
See the blog post for more details on why cream of tartar and cornstarch are included with the dry ingredients for this recipe. The cookies will bake and puff, keeping their shape pretty well. After scooping the batter (2 tablespoons, about golf ball sized, 50 grams), you'll want to roll the cookie batter to smooth the edges, then slightly press it very gently on the cookie sheet. Avoid pressing it too much, or the cookies will flatten with baking.
With baking, the cookies will rise, puff a bit, then crack in some places (on the surface). Take them out once the bottoms appear slightly golden but no color on the tops - about 9 to 10 minutes at 365F. As they cool, they'll settle a tiny bit but should hold their shape overall.
Nutrition
Calories: 422kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 381mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 1gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 619IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!