Desserts Uncategorized

Help…Why didn’t my cake mix cookies work this time?

This is the same recipe that I have used for years, but with the cherry chip cake mix, it was a flop.  Have the big companies changed their cake mix ingredients?

My cousin taught me the coolest recipe for making cookies.  We’ve made this recipe for 10 years and I love it because:

  1.  Kids can make this simple recipe.
  2.  You can easily make this.
  3.  It is very quick.  (The perfect recipe when you realize you were supposed to send cookies to a lunch and you need them ready to go in 15 minutes.  Not like that has every happened or anything. ;))

The recipe is called 1-2-3 Cake Mix Cookies.  If you can remember the title, you can remember the recipe.

  • 1 Cake Mix
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/3 Cup Oil

Okay, stretch your imagination a little bit on the 3.

You can add extra ingredients like chocolate chips, nuts or coconut.  (Just in case you were curious, my favorite way to make cake mix cookies is by adding coconut and coconut extract with devil’s food chocolate cake mix and the 1-2-3 recipe).

Bake in a preheated oven until done.  (Probably 375° or 400°F for 8-10 minutes).

For years, I have only been using the store brand cake mix Western Family–it was the cake mix that was dairy-free. Lately, Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker brands have had some non-dairy options too.  I picked up a Betty Crocker Super Moist Cherry Chip cake mix from the store.

A few weeks ago, my boys needed to take some cookies to a youth activity.  They didn’t want to spend the time making their favorite snickerdoodle recipe, and so I suggested cake mix cookies.

The cherry chip cake mix came out, and it’s the first time I’ve used something besides the store brand for cake mix cookies. Cherry chip cookies sound pretty great, but as soon as the ingredients were mixed, you could see something was wrong.  The batter was almost runny and super sticky, not at all like cookie dough (Betty Crocker wasn’t kidding when she called it super moist).  I decided we should add a little more flour (which seemed to make sense, because our altitude is 4300 ft.)

With the added flour, it looked like a sticky muffin batter.  I decided to bake them and hope for the best.

Too bad I didn’t take a picture, but I wasn’t thinking of blogging them.  I’m still baffled, so I thought I’d see if anyone else has had problems.

My boys took them to the activity, but reported that the cookies just sat there on the plate mostly untouched.  They looked like sad muffin bricks.  Not really soft, and definitely not cookie-like.

The cherry chip cake mix contained corn syrup.  Could that have made the difference? I’ve read that corn syrup in cookies will result in a softer cookie, but muffin bricks?  Was adding the extra flour (about 1/3 cup) the mistake?

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

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3 Comments

  1. I have never made cake mix cookies before. However, seeing the tag “pudding in the mix” on the box might be a clue. The combination of the corn syrup and starch for the pudding and low level of fat in the recipe isn’t quite right for cookies. I’m remembering a time I tried to make low fat brownies years ago and ended up with goopy batter and rubbery bricks! My son loves snickerdoodles too and I have taken to baking them as a pan cookie in my brownie pan and sprinkling the cinnamon sugar over the top before baking. Saves time and if I’m headed out the door, they cool on the way and I can cut them when I get there!

    1. I love the idea for the snicker doodles in a pan, and not rolling every stinking cookie in cinnamon sugar.
      Your explanation makes sense. I will avoid pudding in the mix cake mixes in the future…or just stick with snicker doodle bars.

      1. We made snickerdoodles in a pan on Sunday….They were awesome! Thanks for sharing them with us.

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