These Grinch Cake Mix Cookies are an easy Christmas treat made with yellow cake mix, green food coloring, and cinnamon candy hearts! These cookies have a sweet powdered sugar crinkle coating, slightly crunchy edges, and soft, chewy centers.
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Why You'll Love Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
Since you guys loved my Funfetti Cookies and Strawberry White Chocolate Cookies so much, I thought I'd make another version today that's just perfect for Christmas baking!
These Grinch Cake Mix Cookies have just 6 ingredients, are so easy to whip up during your holiday baking session, and have a great cookie texture - crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
Bake Time: 9-11 Minutes
No Chilling Needed
Pretty Crinkle Finish
Let's take a look at this fun holiday recipe!
Ingredient Notes
(See recipe card at the bottom of this post for exact ingredient measurements.)
- Yellow cake mix: Don't follow the directions on the box! We're using different amounts of eggs and oil to turn the mix into cookie dough instead of cake batter.
- Green food coloring: This gives the cookies that fun Grinch-green color. I use about 10 drops of liquid food coloring, but you can adjust depending on how vibrant you want the cookies. Gel coloring works too, but you'll need less because it's more concentrated.
- Eggs: Two large eggs bind the cookie dough together and give the cookies structure.
- Vegetable oil: This adds moisture and helps keep the centers soft and chewy. Canola oil works as a substitute. I wouldn't use a strongly flavored oil like olive oil, and don't sub butter - the consistency of the cookies just isn't the same with butter.
- Powdered sugar: This creates the white crinkle coating on the outside of each cookie. It also makes the sticky dough a little easier to handle.
- Cinnamon heart candies: These little red hearts are the finishing touch! (Unfortunately, they can be a little tricky to find outside of Valentine's season, but they are available on Amazon if needed.)
Additions & Substitutions
There aren't many ingredients to change in this recipe, but you do have a few options!
- Change the cake mix. White cake mix gives you a brighter green cookie, while French vanilla adds a little bit of a different flavor. Stick with a 15.25oz box for the same proportions.
- Skip the cinnamon flavor. If you don't like spicy cinnamon candy, use red heart-shaped sprinkles instead. You'll get the same Grinchy look without the cinnamon kick.
- Use red M&M's. These are an easy swap if you can't find heart candies. They won't be heart-shaped, but you'll still have that red-and-green Christmas look.
- Add vanilla. For a little extra flavor, mix ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract into the dough. This is totally optional and isn't needed for the original six-ingredient version.
- Try different shades of green. Adjust the food coloring for a lighter or darker Grinch green. Keep in mind that yellow cake mix already has that yellow color, so the shade will be a little different than it would be with white cake mix.
How to Make Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
- Prep your baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. There's no need to grease the pan.
- Mix the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry yellow cake mix, green food coloring, eggs, and vegetable oil. Use a hand mixer to blend until everything is combined and a thick, evenly colored dough forms. If you want a brighter green, you can add a little more food coloring.
- Scoop and coat the cookies. Use a cookie scoop (mine is a 2-tablespoon scoop) to portion the dough into evenly sized balls. Roll each ball generously in powdered sugar, then place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. If the dough is too sticky to scoop or won't hold its shape, refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes first.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look a little soft. The cookies won't brown much because of the green food coloring, so don't wait for golden edges.
- Add the cinnamon hearts. Within a couple of minutes of taking the cookies out of the oven, gently press one cinnamon heart candy into each cookie. The cookies will still be soft enough for the candy to stick without cracking the tops.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before moving them to a wire cooling rack. They'll continue to firm up as they cool.
Leftovers & Storage
Room Temperature: Store completely cooled Grinch cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
I like to separate the layers with parchment or wax paper. This helps protect the powdered sugar coating and keeps the heart candies from getting knocked off.
Fridge: You don't need to refrigerate these cookies. In fact, I like keeping cake mix cookies at room temperature; refrigerating them can make the texture too firm. If you do refrigerate them, let them come back to room temperature before serving.
Freezing: To freeze baked Grinch cookies, let them cool completely and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag, separating layers with parchment paper. Freeze for up to 3 months for best quality.
When you're ready to serve them, let them thaw at room temperature. Avoid stacking them while they're still frozen if you want to keep the candy decorations intact.
Can You Make the Dough Ahead of Time?
Sure! You can prep the green cake mix cookie dough up to 24 hours ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.
When you're ready to bake, scoop the chilled dough and roll it in powdered sugar right before baking. The dough may need a few extra minutes in the oven if it's still very cold, so watch for set edges and soft centers.
Since they store well at room temperature for up to 4 days, you can also just make them ahead of time as needed. I recommend making them as close as you can to serving them, but baking the cookies a day in advance should be fine.
Leslie's Helpful Tips & Tricks
- Use the right size cake mix. This recipe calls for a 15.25oz box. Some brands have started making smaller boxes, and that difference can make your dough softer and cause the cookies to spread more. A difference of +/- half an ounce shouldn't be a huge issue, but get as close to 15.25oz as you can.
- Don't overmix the dough. Once the dry cake mix is incorporated and the dough is evenly green, you're good to go. There's no need to keep beating it.
- Coat generously with powdered sugar. Don't be afraid to really roll the dough balls in the sugar. A thin coating can absorb into the cookies as they bake, leaving you without much of that crinkle effect.
- Keep your baking sheet cool. If you're baking multiple batches, let the pan cool completely before adding more dough. A hot pan can cause the cookies to spread too much.
- Don't flatten the dough balls. Leave them rounded when placing them on the baking sheet. They'll naturally spread as they bake.
- Pay attention to the cinnamon hearts. Add them after baking rather than before so they keep their shape. Cinnamon heart candies are usually hard and kind of spicy, so keep that in mind if you're serving these to younger kids.
FAQs & Troubleshooting
I can't wait to see what you think of these pretty, fun cookies! If you give them a try, let me know what you think in the comments below. And make sure to add me as a preferred source on Google to see more of my results in search!
Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz yellow cake mix
- 10 drops green food coloring
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cinnamon heart candies (1 per cookie)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine dry yellow cake mix, green food coloring, eggs, and vegetable oil. Mix with a hand mixer until a thick, evenly colored dough forms.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion dough into balls. Roll each ball generously in powdered sugar and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers are still slightly soft. Don't wait for the cookies to brown.
- Within a couple of minutes of removing the cookies from the oven, gently press one cinnamon heart candy into the center of each warm cookie.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They'll continue to firm up as they cool.
Notes
- Use a 15.25oz box of dry cake mix. Don't prep it according to the package directions.
- Adjust green food coloring as needed. Gel coloring works too, but you'll need less than liquid coloring.
- If the dough is too sticky to scoop or won't hold its shape, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes before baking.
- Roll dough generously in powdered sugar for the best crinkle coating. Don't flatten the dough balls before baking.
- Don't overbake! The cookies should have set edges and slightly soft centers when removed from the oven.
- Add cinnamon hearts after baking so they keep their shape. For a less spicy option, substitute red heart sprinkles.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts
Leslie Lambert is a lifestyle writer and content creator specializing in home organization, family recipes, and intentional living. With 17 years of experience in blogging and digital storytelling, she helps busy women create calm, purposeful homes they love.
