Cake Box Holiday Cookies

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If you were to say anything about these cookies you could say they are semi-homemade. Why? Because they start with a cake mix and the only ingredients you add are simple pantry staples and your imagination.

And you could also say they are tasty. Whenever your budget is tight and you need some cookies to give as a holiday gift, send to a bake sale at a school function or for your sons or daughters serving in the military, cake box cookies are the ticket.


You can add all sorts of ingredients to them like nuts, coconut, chocolate or peanut butter chips - all those things you add into a regular from scratch cookie to add flavor or perhaps crunch factor. These cookies can be decorated as these are with a sprinkling of colored holiday sugars or frosted lightly with a colored frosting.

• 1 pkg. Butter Recipe Yellow cake mix (or vanilla or white)
• 1/3 cup butter - softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• sugar for sprinkling

1. In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except for the sprinkling sugar. Use a hand held mixer and mix on medium speed to combine.
2. Take the dough and form in to a big ball making sure that all of the ingredients did indeed incorporate well.
3. Use a 1 inch scoop or your hands and form into balls. Place 1 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet or on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Press each one down slightly. Sprinkle with a colored sugar.
5. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for about 15-17 minutes.
6. When the cookies come out of the oven, give them a minute or so to cool down then remove them with a spatula to a cooling rack.

 
That's it. Simple, easy. I got about 20 cookies for about $3.00 cost as I got the cake mix on sale for $1.00.

HINT: If you want soft cookies as soon as they cool down cover them. I like crunchy cookies so I left them out a while before adding them to a container!