Cake And Cookies Together? This Must Be A Dream!

Any world where cookies and cake become one dessert is where I want to be. This recipe combines two of the best things ever and is also as easy to make as any regular cookie recipe. Dry cake mix replaces the flour that a normal cookie recipe would have which ensures these cookies really taste like cake- because they are made with cake! Then there are chocolate chips and sprinkles packed into these chewy delicacies which make me just want to eat the entire batch. And to be honest, I did eat about half the batch of these cake batter cookies…

Ingredients:

1 and 1/4 cup (160g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)

1 and 1/4 cup (190g) yellow or vanilla boxed cake mix (I typically use vanilla cake mix – you just need theDRY mix)¹

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt²

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks or 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar

1 egg, at room temperature

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup (180g) chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup of white and 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1/2 cup (80g) sprinkles

Instructions:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, cake mix, and baking soda. Set aside.

Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and beat on high until combined. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low-medium speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and sprinkles. Mix on low until the add-ins are evenly disbursed.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 3-4 days. This step is mandatory. The dough is fairly sticky, so chilling the dough is required in order to avoid the cookies from spreading too much. If you chill longer than 2 hours, make sure you roll the cookie dough into balls after the 2 hour mark. Place dough balls on a plate, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You may also freeze the balls at this point for up to 3 months. (Then bake as directed adding 1 minute to the bake time without thawing.)

Once dough has been chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies).

Scoop rounded balls of the cold dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, use about 1.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. Shape your cookie dough balls to be “taller” than they are wide, as pictured above. Press a few chocolate chips into the tops of the cookie dough balls, if desired. That makes a pretty cookie. Make sure to keep dough chilled when working in batches.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until edges are slightly browned. Mine take 10 minutes exactly. The centers will still appear very soft, but the cookies will set as they cool. You can also press a few more chips into the tops of the cookies at this point (the chips will melt down and stick from the warm cookies).

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make ahead tip:Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Allow to come to room temperature and continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well – up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well – up to three months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw.