These showstopping red velvet crinkle cookies are super soft and chewy and made extra easy with a box of cake mix. They literally take 5 minutes to mix together and will quickly become one of your favorite cookies!
There’s so much to love here! Here are a few reasons you’ll want to make these super easy red velvet cake mix cookies over and over again:
- They’re Gorgeous: The vibrant red color and unique crinkly tops make these cookies stunning, perfect for holiday gatherings or Christmas cookie swaps.
- Easy to Make: By using a box of red velvet cake mix, you can make these cookies in no time at all! They seriously couldn’t be any easier and only require a bowl and a wooden spoon!
- Irresistible Taste: Classic red velvet flavor that’s both sweet, tangy, and chocolatey? Sign us up.
- Chewy and Soft: These cookies are baked to perfection, with crackly tops and wonderfully gooey centers that melt in your mouth.
If you love recipes made extra easy with a box of cake mix, try these festive easy Christmas whoopie pies, cake mix cookie bars with three kinds of chocolate chips and these easy spice cookies!
The Ingredients You’ll Need
Before you start baking, you’ll need to gather up your ingredients. In this case, that’s very easy, because there are only four! For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Butter: Melt the butter, and then let it cool.
- Eggs: Large, whole eggs.
- Cake Mix: You’ll want a box of red velvet cake mix. Look for the 15.25 oz box.
- Powdered Sugar: For coating the cookies. This helps show off the crinkles.
With only four ingredients, you can bet this cookie recipe comes together in a flash. These are the basic steps:
- Make the Dough: Combine the butter, eggs, and red velvet cake mix until there are no large lumps left.
- Shape and Coat: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll each ball of dough in the powdered sugar. Place the coated dough balls on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, leaving about 2 inches of space between for spreading.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tops have cracked, and they look set (the centers will still be gooey). Be careful not to overbake to maintain that deliciously chewy center.
- Cool: Let the cookies sit for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, and then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Helpful Tips
These helpful baking notes are my top tips for creating perfectly crinkled, soft-and-chewy red velvet crinkle cookies every time. Enjoy!
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- Chill the Dough: If your kitchen is warm or you live in a humid, warm area, chilling the dough can be helpful. After mixing the cookie dough, place it in your fridge for about 30 minutes. This helps the dough firm up, making it easier to handle.
- Use a Cookie Scoop: For uniform cookie sizes and even baking, use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to portion out the dough.
- Watch the Time: Keep a close eye on the cookies as they bake. You want to take them out of the oven when the tops have cracked and set, but the centers are still slightly gooey. Overbaking can result in dry cookies, so it’s better to err on the side of underbaking if you want that chewy center.
- Cool on a Rack: Once the cookies have cooled a little on the baking sheet, let them finish cooling on a wire rack. This keeps them from drying out while they cool.
Recipe Variations
While these red velvet cookies are perfect just as they are, here are a few fun ways you can change them up!
- Whoopie Pies: Pipe or spread some cream cheese frosting on the bottom of one cookie and sandwich it together with another cookie to create red velvet whoopie pies! To make them extra festive, you can roll the edges of the icing in sprinkles.
- Chocolate Chips: Adding 1 cup of chocolate chips adds a great extra chocolate-y flavor to your cookies. You can use white, milk or dark chocolate chips!
- Sprinkles: Instead of rolling the cookie dough in powdered sugar, you can roll these red velvet cake mix cookies in sprinkles instead!
- Serve with Ice Cream: We love these cookies warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce to really take them over the top!
These cookies are great for baking ahead of time, because they stay soft and scrumptious for up to five days! Just store them in an airtight container at room temperature, and you’re good to go. To keep them extra soft and chewy, store the cookies with a slice of white bread. Replace the slice of bread every few days as it goes stale.
Can I Freeze These?
I do not recommend freezing crinkle cookies because the powdered sugar coating tends to melt after you freeze and thaw them. They’ll still be safe to eat, but they won’t be as cute!
More Cake Mix Recipes
- Easy Tres Leche Cake
- Coconut Sheet Cake
- Vanilla Mug Cake
- Best Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Banana Pudding Cake
- McDonald’s Holiday Pie
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (15.25 oz) box red velvet cake mix
- ½ cup powdered sugar
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line two cookie sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the butter, eggs and red velvet cake mix until there are no large lumps left.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough with a medium sized cooke scoop and roll into balls and toss to coat in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheets, leaving about 2 inches for spreading.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tops have cracked and the tops look set (the centers will still be gooey). Let sit for 5 minutes and then serve warm or transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
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I just made a double batch of these & they came out looking perfect. My husband devoured 4 of them immediately. I don’t eat sugar so I can’t give my opinion on taste. But he knows a good cookie.
I followed the recipe as written but I did add white chocolate chips & chopped cherries. I also added 1/2 tsp of vanilla & 1/2 tsp almond extract. I also chilled for hour. I rolled them in granulated sugar then the powered sugar. I think it helped with the stickiness. They are messy. But great results. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m not sure if Australian cake mixes are different sizes, but I had to add roughly 1 cup extra of cake flour as the mixture was way too runny. Nonetheless they turned out beautifully. Thank you. Will be making again for Christmas.
Ohh..these are little temptations..i am going to make them today!
These cookies look like an easy recipe to make with my special education students for Valentine’s Day! How many cookies does one recipe make?
All yields are right under the recipe name. 🙂 This recipe makes 18 cookies.
Do these cookies freeze well?
I doubt it, but if you try it and have good results please let me know!
Love love this recipe!! I added some white chocolate chips and they turned out amazing!
Was excited to make these cookies for them to only turn out to be an epic fail! I was so bummed cuz they looked so good. Was making them for my employees birthday and red velvet is her favorite. Used 15 OZ standard cake mix and it was the consistency of gum. Even after beating it with mixer and adding water they were so thick that rolling them into balls was a huge mess and I couldn’t even get one made. The clean up was thick and I spent 30 mins with a mess and waste of ingredients. And now no dessert to take to work. Totally bummed.
Hmm I can’t understand why it would have been like gum?? Crinkle Cookies (made with cake mix) are super popular…and this recipe doesn’t use any strange ingredients or quantities. It’s the very traditional way – except with Red Velvet. Sorry you had an issue!
These are so easy and delicious! If you add 1 tbsp of cornstarch to the powdered sugar, they “crinkle” better”. But these are a big bit around my family. I’ve even made them into little whoppie pies 🙂
I’ve never made crinkle cookies from a cake mix.. I’m making them tonight for a cookie swap…. Should I use I salted butter in this recipe, or unsalted?
I would use unsalted butter! 🙂
@ Bryant – I followed the directions, except the box mix was slightly smaller (15 or so oz. of Betty Crocker red velvet cake mix). It was very hard to get it mixed together properly by hand, so I just threw it in a food processor, which mixed together perfectly. They came out great. A lot more powdered sugar than in the photos, but still delicious.
Thanks for this recipe. It was one of the easiest and most delicious things I’ve baked!
I just made these cookies, and the dough… ohh my gosh, the consistency is amazing. <3 them, they are in the oven now!
I’ve seen this before but the recipe before but it said you had to have a cake recipe with pudding in it and also the cake recipes now are only 15. something. if i don’t need the pudding one that’s great but if i wanted to put in pudding how much would you suggest?
Hey Linda,
I have never added pudding, so I don’t know how much people add. I don’t feel it needs anything else…they are great as is! Also, if you added pudding, you would need more liquid…so I would google other recipes if you wanted to add pudding!
I was unable to effectively mix the cake mix, eggs, and butter because the batter was so thick and dry. It was so thick that the hand mixer I was using completely stopped. I had to add about 2T of oil and 1/2 C of water to even be able to mix the batter. Therefore, my cookies turned out more like whoopie pies instead of crinkle cookies. Any suggestions?
Hmm. I made these again this weekend without any issues. My best guess is that you possibly used a bigger cake mix? Was it an 18oz box?
With 6 tablespoons of melted butter and the two eggs, there should be plenty of moisture to mix the dough into a batter.
Made these today using pineapple cake mix; they were a huge hit!
You are HILARIOUS! Love reading your intros! My daughter is also a Florida transplant from Texas & weathered her first storm (Beryl) with no issues!
christmas cookie exchange idea?!?!?!?
I love your blog!
How simple, but I’m sure they’re really tasty…great recipe!!
I’m in awe of your first photo! What a cute idea. 🙂
Can this cookie dough be frozen for later use?
No, sadly crinkle cookie dough does not freeze well. It’s best used fresh!
Your story reminds me of Hurricane Rita. Yes, the traffic leaving Houston was a messy nightmare, but the storm…not much to talk about. I am going to have to actually buy a box of cake mix to try those.
This sounds highly suspiciously like my experience with Hurricane Irene last summer…except I made the cookies beforehand, not after. You know….just in case I had to live out of my cabinets for a week or so. At least those cookies would have fed me for…an hour. 😛