Peanut butter cookies made with cake mix is a quick and easy treat with 4 ingredients. From simple to crinkle cookies sandwiches frosted, you can choose any flavor but this one with Jif is our favorite.

What you need for the most basic dessert you can see here. This is our favorite add in of choice. You could go way beyond that though if you wanted more of a loaded version. Below is the base if you will. Chocolate chips of course would be a great choice, crushed nuts or M&Ms maybe.

They don’t take long to bake either. Compared to cookie bars from cake mix you’re talking about 1/3 of the time which is nice if you have kiddos. I like both though, a great way to tweak a boxed mix into something totally different.

peanut butter cake mix cookies

Ok so they come out as 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies but don’t start out that way at all. White and yellow have a very basic flavor to it so I’d recommend those two. Then whatever you add really can be tasted quite a bit.Here are a few questions you might want answered before you get started on this.

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How do you make cookies out of cake mix?

All you need is a box of your favorite mix, eggs and melted butter. This is the base batter you can add to from there. Use lemon or strawberry cake mix for a bit of fruity flavor. Spice cake mix is a great choice for the Fall with some pumpkin added in! NO need for two bowls to combine wet and dry separately, just throw it all in and go.

easy peanut butter cookies

Cake Mix Peanut Butter Cookies Ingredients

You want a box of Cake mix, Betty crocker chocolate cake mix is great with white chocolate chips. We sometimes make homemade yellow cake mix for these. This and white cake mix are very versatile while butter pecan will give you more Fall flavors.

Eggs should be added at room temperature ideally to make them as fluffy as you can. I highly recommend that you use organic cage free for a deeper yolk that will make your dessert richer with a deeper flavor.

Melted butter or vegetable oil could be substituted, dairy free alternative works as well to add a bit of fat to make them chewy.

We added peanut butter to these, could add peanut butter chips as well if you wanted an even richer flavor to them.

What can you use other than peanut butter?

You could swap out Nutella for the PB if you wanted and try that. OR if you want a mixture then follow this one as is and spread the hazelnut spread on top to get both. For a nut free option go for sunflower butter instead.

Can you add chocolate chips?

Of course but I would keep it to about 1/2 cup so it doesn’t overwhelm the batter. I like mini semi-sweet chocolate chips so you get a few in each bite which is ideal and a kid fave for sure.

Electric beaters mixing thick cookies made with cake mix dough in a clear glass bowl.

A large bowl is needed and you will want to line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non stick spray too. A cooling rack is handy to have once done. Kids love these because they can add just about anything. Put a scoop of ice cream in the middle for ice cream sandwiches too!

It is best to refrigerate the batter once made for about 1 hour. This will make it so they don’t flatten out as much and become a bit more poofy. I do like to roll balls of dough in sugar too and that is easier to handle.

How Long to Bake Cookies made with Cake Mix

Biggest tip when baking cookies– DO NOT overbake them!! 8 minutes is the right bake time almost always, as long as the scoops are with a medium cookie scoop for them to be chewy, 10 minutes for crispy.

How do you know when they are done?

The edges should be browned and stiffening up. In the very middle it will appear to be a bit wet. Take them out at this time and leave them on the cookie sheet! Allow them to cool completely and this will create a fall apart soft cookie, even the next day.

Scoops of raw cookies made with cake mix are spaced out on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat.

Baking Tips

Preheat oven so the heat is even the whole time they are baking, not before. In a bowl mix cake mix with eggs, your melted butter and peanut butter if you’re adding that. Gently fold in any chips if you want those too. Here’s how to make cake mix if you want to make your own from scratch.

Scoop out dough and roll in a bowl full of sugar. Place on baking sheet with parchment paper and set into oven on middle rack. Bake just until the outsides are lightly browned and the center is no longer wet but appears to be a bit underdone. This will yield a chewy texture if you allow them to cool on the pan for a few minutes.

Set pan on cooling rack and do not remove cookies for about 20 minutes until they’ve cooled so they can continue to stiffen up on the tray.

A metal spatula lifts a peanut butter cookie with a crisscross fork pattern from a baking tray, showcasing cookies made with cake mix for an extra soft texture.
cake-mix-cookies
5 from 2 votes

Peanut Butter Cookies Made with Cake Mix Recipe

By Justine
Peanut butter cookies made with cake mix with 3 ingredients! Add peanut butter and chocolate chips if you like to transform the YUM.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Servings: 12

Equipment

  • 1 baking sheet

Ingredients 

  • 1 box cake mix, we used yellow
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature ideally
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup peanut butter, or you could use Nutella instead for chocolate
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Instructions 

  • In a bowl mix cake mix with eggs, softened butter and peanut butter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to stiffen batter so they don't spread as much when baked.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  • Scoop out dough with small cookie scoop and you can then roll in a bowl full of 1/3 cup sugar (optional, for best results). Place on baking sheet with parchment paper on top or lightly sprayed with non stick spray.
  • Bake for 8 -10 minutes just until the outsides are lightly browned and are starting to stiffen up. Middle will still appear just a tad wet is the way we like it (so they remain chewy – we stick to 8 min.)
  • Take out, set pan on cooling rack and do not remove cookies until they've cooled so they can continue to stiffen up on the tray.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2oz, Calories: 385kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 20g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 490mg, Potassium: 170mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 276IU, Calcium: 107mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

How do you keep cookies from drying out?

Follow my suggestions when it comes to under-baking them a bit in the oven. You don’t want the middle to become stiff or else when they cool off they will be hard and crunchy. Remove tray when outside edges are barely brown. Very middle will appear a bit wet but that is okay, it will become perfect when they are cooled my friend. Do not remove from baking sheet until they are room temperature.

Let’s say you don’t follow my suggestions, boooo. Now they’re crispy and not soft like you wanted, now you’re going to start over. Don’t throw the others away though! Crush them and sprinkle them over ice cream or yogurt!

Other quick and easy desserts you’ll love

We have another peanut butter oatmeal cookies recipe that we love too. Super moist every time and great with chocolate chips inside too. These air fryer cookies have been a fun treat to make. Small batches for those late night cravings. 😉

And that is how you make cookies from boxed cake mix! So easy and versatile, you can make any flavor combination you want. We even made strawberry cake mix cookies once. Printable cookie recipe is below. Put it into your recipe box for later or come back again again. We love “seeing you” so don’t go away, we have a lot more to share with you every day.

cookies made with cake mix
cake mix peanut butter cookies

How should soft cookies be stored?

If you do happen to have leftovers make sure they are put into an airtight container. Air will dry them out. Keep them on your countertop instead of the refrigerator, that will keep them tender too. Some people like to go a step further and put a small piece of bread in between each one when they’re stacked. The moisture in the bread will keep them soft longer. Want another fun idea? Make cake mix gingerbread cookies!

What is the difference between cake mix and cookie mix?

If you had both in front of you that had been mixed with the necessary ingredients it would be very clear. Cake is much thinner than a bagged cookie dough. BUT we will show you here how to make cookie dough out of cake mix.

What else can you do with cake mix?

OH let me count the ways!! We use them to make easy dump cakes all the time as well as using it in our 4 ingredient banana bread recipe!

About Justine

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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