Lemon Cake Mix Cookies are easily made by mixing 3 ingredients with a box of cake mix and drizzling them with white chocolate. These soft and chewy spring treats bake in under 10 minutes and taste like a burst of bright sunshine in every bite.
Easy Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
These Lemon Cake Mix Cookies are an easy way to brighten any day by turning a box of cake mix into the best soft-baked cookies that are bursting with refreshing lemon flavor. In a matter of minutes, you can combine the cake mix with oil, eggs, and vanilla, roll the dough into balls, bake them until golden brown around the edges, and decorate with a sweet drizzle of chocolate.
Packed with fresh lemon flavor, these cookies are soft, light, and fluffy rather than cake-like and have a cute crinkle on top like my Lemon Cool Whip Cookies, but instead of covering the cookies in powdered sugar, they have a pretty white drizzle. The chocolate topping is the perfect sweet contrast to offset the tartness of the lemon and my favorite way to savor the spring season.
If you love the taste of lemon, try my Lemon Puppy Chow, Strawberry Lemon Blondies, Lemon Drop Martini, Lemon Chicken citrus-inspired recipes.
Why We Love This Lemon Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Only uses 4 ingredients plus a box of cake mix.
- Light, soft-baked cookies that taste sweet, tangy and refreshing.
- Perfectly sweet and packed with tart lemon flavor.
- Simple to swap with your favorite flavor of cake mix.
- Delicious summer dessert that’s great for cookie exchanges, backyard BBQs, pool parties, or potlucks.
Ingredients
- Lemon flavored cake mix
- Vegetable oil
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Almond bark or white chocolate chips
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
Substitutions and Additions
- Tweak The Tang: Feel free to use a white or yellow cake mix instead of the lemon flavored cake mix and replace the vanilla with lemon extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest for a similar tart flavor.
- Add-Ins: You can add white chocolate chips, chocolate chips, or shredded coconut to the dough mixture for more flavor and texture.
- Tasty Toppings: Instead of drizzling your cookies with chocolate, you can top them with a lemon glaze, a dusting of powdered sugar, or even spread your favorite frosting on top.
Recommended Tools
- Baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Measuring tools
- 1″ cookie scoop
How to Make Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies are the easiest and quickest way to transform a box of cake mix into a fresh-flavored delicious dessert simply by mixing the powder with 3 ingredients and rolling the dough into balls. The cookies bake into sweet and tangy treats that are perfect for spring and summer.
- Mix together the cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla until well incorporated.
- Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
- Scoop out 1-inch balls of chilled dough and place them on the prepared baking tray, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.
Pro Tip: Do not over-bake. - Allow the baked cookies to cool on a cooling rack.
- Melt the almond bark in the microwave in 30-second intervals until smooth.
- Drizzle the almond bark over the cooled cookies and let them sit for an additional 5-10 minutes or place them back in the refrigerator to set.
- Serve with your favorite glass of milk. Enjoy!
Tips
- Cake mix cookies tend to be very delicate, so make sure you do not make the dough balls too big. You can also lightly press down on the tops with the bottom of a glass.
- Make sure the cookies have completely cooled before adding the melted almond bark.
- Using parchment lined baking sheets will keep the cookies from sticking and make them easier to remove to a cooling rack.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Place you cookies in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 7 days. You can also refrigerate them to extend their lifespan for up to two weeks.
- To Freeze: Once the cookies have cooled, freeze them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy the cookies, place them on the counter and let them come to room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of creating dough from scratch, a cake mix is used to replace multiple dry ingredients and any rising agents. Eggs and oil are added are simply combined with a box of cake mix to create the cookie dough. The dough is then rolled into individual balls and baked like normal cookies.
Yes, you can freeze the cookie dough. Roll the dough into balls and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can either thaw the cookie dough overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed in the recipe or bake from frozen for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Yes, you must chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. Do not bake with unchilled dough because the cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and will be more prone to spreading.
Other Easy Cake Mix Cookies Recipes
Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon flavored cake mix
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 12 ounces meltable almond bark or white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the lemon cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir until well incorporated. Place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
- Set the oven temperature to 350. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator.
- Scoop out 1-inch balls of dough and place them on the baking tray about 2 inches apart. **see note in “tips” section.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven and let the cookies cool on a cooling rack.
- Melt the almond bark in the microwave in 30-second intervals until smooth.
- When the cookies are cooled, drizzle the almond bark over the cookies. Let them sit for an additional 5-10 minutes or place them back in the refrigerator to set.
- Serve with your favorite glass of milk.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Place you cookies in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 7 days. You can also refrigerate them to extend their lifespan for up to two weeks.
- To Freeze: Once the cookies have cooled, freeze them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy the cookies, place them on the counter and let them come to room temperature.
- Cake mix cookies tend to be very delicate, so make sure you do not make the dough balls too big. You can also lightly press down on the tops with the bottom of a glass.
- Make sure the cookies have completely cooled before adding the melted almond bark.
- Using parchment lined baking sheets will keep the cookies from sticking and make them easier to remove to a cooling rack.
love love love your site thanks a bunch
Thank you for sharing
Looks like powdered sugar is topping these cookies….when is is applied and how much is needed for said recipe? Thanks!
Hi Kay – yes, you can sprinkle a little powdered sugar on the cookies after they are cool! Just adds a little more sweetness and it looks pretty!!
What a fun teacher gift! I’d like to invite you to stop by my weekly link party and link this up. http://www.thelifeofjenniferdawn.com/2014/07/a-little-bird-told-me-link-party-101.html
Quick and easy recipes are wonderful, love to mix up a batch of cookies on spur of moment. These sound so good and look so good/yummmmmy. Thanks for sharing recipe and the adorable tag. Will be using tag also. Happy summer days
This is adorable, Jenn! Such a great idea! Thank you bunches for linking up and partying with us this week!
Cake mix cookies are so quick and easy! Love the cute printable too!