Frosted Cake Mix Cookies Recipe With Duncan Hines

Making this melt-in-your-mouth frosted cake mix cookies recipe with Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix is easy! It makes perfect sense to use a cake mix to create that signature "Lofthouse-sytle" sugar cookie texture - light, airy, tender - like cake!

If you haven't tried a Cake Mix Sugar Cookie:

These cookies are just like those pink and white sugar cookies that you pass by in the grocery store's bakery section. The ones with the colorful Sprinkles. I have to admit they're tempting to pick up - mostly because I love a great sugar cookie, and I like the simplicity of the colors. They perfect for birthdays, work functions, family barbeques, and parties. They're cheerful!

Classic Lofthouse-style Cookies Recipe:

This cookie is light, tender, cakey, and melt-in-your-mouth. The outside has a bit of a crunch-like cookie, and the interior is soft.

Duncan Hines Cake Mix Cookies 

Using a cake mix to make a cakey cookie is a no-brainer! You'll need a quality white cake mix. I like Duncan Hines Classic White cake mix because it has just the right flavor, texture, and color to make a lovely cookie. I've added a few ingredients to the batter to achieve the shape and form we're looking for. I have them listed below, and you can scroll down to the bottom of the post for the recipe!

New on the blog! 

What you need for this sugar cookie recipe: 

• Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix
• ½ cup softened butter: adds that rich melt in your mouth texture and flavor
• ½ cup softened margarine: helps create a lighter cookie
• 3 large eggs: adds protein and structure
• ½ teaspoon almond extract: optional but tastes lovely and bright
• 1 cup all-purpose flour: helps create the proper cookie texture
• 2 tablespoons corn starch: creates structure and prevents the cookie from spreading out while baking
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar: makes the "loft" for these cookies
• Buttercream Frosting: the classic frosting to pair with these delicious cookies
• Sprinkles: use Sprinkles or whatever you have on hand!

Related recipes!

• The Best Zucchini Spice Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Soft Crinkle-Top Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe
• The Best 5 Minute Cream Cheese Frosting
• Soft & Chewy White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookie Recipe
• Duncan Hines Gooey Caramel Apple Cheesecake Cookie Bars Recipe

Buttercream Frosting for Cake Mix Cookies

Buttercream is the classic frosting for these sugar cookies. I use a basic recipe that calls for only a few ingredients and is easy to make. You'll need a hand-mixer or a countertop mixer to whip it to a spreadable consistency, and it will hold over on the counter for a few hours before you spread it on the cookies. I use just a little dab of pink gel food coloring, but you can definitely omit it and leave it as a classic white.

Also, the frosting will "set up" slightly on the cookie, which makes them easy to pack. As long as you're careful with arranging the cookies - they should travel just fine.

Frosted Cake Mix Sugar Cookies Recipe

A lovely light and tender cookie made easy using cake mix!

Use your favorite White Cake Mix to make 16 light and tender cookies. Each cookie is 2 tablespoons, about golf ball sized (50grams).

4.69 from 32 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 9 mins

Chilling the dough 30 mins

Total Time 59 mins

Course cookies, Dessert, Snack, sweets

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Calories 422 kcal

Equipment

• stand mixer, or handmixer, cookie sheet

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Lofthouse Style Cookies

• 1 box Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix
• ¼ cup softened butter
• ¼ cup softened margarine
• 3 eggs
• ½ teaspoon almond extract optional
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the Buttercream Frosting

• ¾ cup cold butter (one and a half sticks)
• 4-5 cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon almond extract (or more if your prefer)
• 4-5 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 dab pink gel food coloring optional

Decoration

• Sprinkles

Instructions

 

For the cookies.

• Preheat the oven to 365 F. (see notes)
• In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, margarine, and eggs. Mix to combine roughly.

  Add almond extract (optional), cake mix, cream of tartar, corn starch, and flour. Beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined. The batter will be thick.
• Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Line cookie sheets with parchment or a non-stick Silpat mat and scoop out two tablespoons of batter per cookie - about the size of a golf ball, or 50 grams.

  Space cookies 3 inches apart. (baking 6 per tray works well).

  Roll the dough in the palms of your hands to create a round, smooth ball, handle briefly to avoid heating the dough. Then gently press the top to barely flatten.

  Bake on the center rack for about 9 minutes or until cookies are slightly puffed with cracks on the surface. Avoid over-baking. Pull them out before they start to take on color. (see notes below)

  Allow to cool before frosting.

For the buttercream frosting.

• It's counterintuitive to use cold butter, but it helps with the consistency of the frosting. A stand mixer or sturdy hand mixer will work - it's a bit chunky at first, but it will smooth out. Beat on medium-high until smooth.

  Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mix thoroughly after each addition. The frosting will be chunky at this stage.

  Mix until the powdered sugar is fully incorporated, then add the almond extract.

  Add the heavy cream one tablespoon at a time, thoroughly beating after each addition. After adding the 4th tablespoon, the buttercream should be starting to pull together and whipping into a light and fluffy frosting. Continue to mix and add the final tablespoon of heavy cream until you obtain the texture you want.

  If tinting the frosting pink, it's preferable to use pink 'gel' coloring to maintain a nice texture of the frosting.

  Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies (or use a piping bag), then top with Sprinkles!

  Enjoy!

Notes

Oven temperature tips! Baking at 350F was a bit too low; the cookies spread. Baking at 375F was a bit too high; the exterior took on too much color before the interior was fully baked. I found 365F just about right. I bake at a higher elevation (about 5000 feet), so I tend to bake at a slightly higher temperature. Depending on your oven, the temp may work best between 360 and 370F.
See the blog post for more details on why cream of tartar and cornstarch are included with the dry ingredients for this recipe. The cookies will bake and puff, keeping their shape pretty well. After scooping the batter (2 tablespoons, about golf ball sized, 50 grams), you'll want to roll the cookie batter to smooth the edges, then slightly press it very gently on the cookie sheet. Avoid pressing it too much, or the cookies will flatten with baking.
With baking, the cookies will rise, puff a bit, then crack in some places (on the surface). Take them out once the bottoms appear slightly golden but no color on the tops - about 9 to 10 minutes at 365F. As they cool, they'll settle a tiny bit but should hold their shape overall.

Nutrition

Calories: 422kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 381mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 1gSugar: 43gVitamin A: 619IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 1mg

Keyword baked, baking, buttercream frosting, cookies, Lofthouse

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Thank you to Duncan Hines for this sweet partnership! All opinions are my own and thank you for supporting A Food Lover's Life.