Strawberries and Cream Cake Mix Cookies
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These soft, gooey, and unique Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies are filled with white chocolate chips and strawberry flavor thanks to extract plus fresh and dried strawberries. They can be made with either yellow cake mix or strawberry cake mix.
About This Recipe
- Taste and Texture: These cookies are gooey, soft, and filled with strawberry flavor. They also have interesting textural variance thanks to the white chocolate chips and fresh and dried strawberries.
- Unique: Very few strawberry cookie recipes include both fresh and dried strawberries as a mix-in and it really makes a difference in flavor–especially when compared to the artificial flavor of strawberry cake mix.
- Versatile: You can use store-bought yellow cake mix or our homemade Yellow Cake Mix. Both have been test and work well.
- Rigorously tested: Our recipe contributor (also a pastry chef!), Rachel Riegel, tested many variations of this recipe until she nailed it.
Ingredients
Here is what you’ll need for these unique cookies.
Ingredient Notes
- Any neutral oil can be used–vegetable, canola, avocado, etc.
- This recipe utilizes strawberry in four different ways – jam, extract, fresh, and dried strawberries.
- The jam and fresh strawberries provide fresh strawberry flavor.
- The dried strawberries add both flavor and texture while ensuring there isn’t too much moisture in the dough.
- Strawberry Extract – You can find this in most baking aisles near the vanilla.
- Dried strawberries –
- This is a unique but important ingredient in these cookies. They bring extra strawberry flavor (without more water content, unlike fresh strawberries) and a chewiness. You can purchase a bag here.
- Chopped freeze dried strawberries can be substituted for the dried strawberries–they are more crunchy in texture but taste similar in that they have a strong natural strawberry flavor.
- Additionally, fresh strawberries cannot be substituted for the dried strawberries because they add too much moisture to the cookie dough, which will cause the cookies not to set properly and fall apart when picked up.
- Yellow Cake Mix (or store-bought yellow cake mix) –
- If using a store-bought cake mix, the weight needs to be 15.25 ounces. Anything less than that may result in cookies that won’t fully set.
- Make cookies as directed if using yellow cake mix, but omit the strawberry extract if using strawberry cake mix.
Dried Strawberries
This is a unique but important ingredient in these cookies. They bring extra strawberry flavor without more water content (unlike fresh strawberries) and a chewiness. They are also a yummy snack on their own!
Cooking Notes from Our Pastry Chef
Our pastry chef, Rachel Riegel, made these notes during her many tests of these cookies:
- Using the Thriving Home yellow cake mix will result in cookies that are thinner, crispy on the outside, and doughy in the middle. The advantage is that our mix includes no additives or preservatives! Using a store-bought mix will create thicker, cake-like cookies with a recognizable “cake mix/batter” flavor.
- Cookies will be very soft before they are fully cooled–be careful when transferring them to wire rack.
- Ideas for Add-Ins: semisweet or dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips, dried mango, kiwi, or pineapple instead of dried strawberries, chopped almonds or pistachios, lemon zest
- Toppings Ideas: strawberry glaze (using jam or extract), white or dark chocolate drizzle, freeze-dried strawberry powder, cream cheese glaze or frosting
How to Make Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
Prep
Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment or coating with cooking spray.
Mix Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, vanilla, strawberry extract, and strawberry jam until fully combined. Add cake mix to liquid ingredients and stir with a spatula or spoon until dough is almost fully combined. Add white chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, and dried strawberries and continue to combine until no cake mix is visible.
Scoop & Bake
Scoop cookies with a greased cookie scoop and place 2-3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. It may be necessary to re-grease the scoop a few times.
Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cookies will be done when they are almost fully set on the edges and slightly golden on the bottom.
Cool and Store
Let cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Want More Cake Mix Cookies?
See All Cake Mix Cookie RecipesHow to Freeze Cookies
Freeze for Later: The cookies can be frozen before (here’s how to freeze cookie dough) or after they are baked and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. If they have been baked, make sure they are fully cooled first.
Prepare from Frozen: Bake frozen cookie dough according to the recipe instructions – baking times will still be the same. For baked cookies, let thaw to room temperature and enjoy.
FAQs
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. However, if they have an icing on them that has milk or cream in it, the cookies will need to be stored in the refrigerator not at room temp.
They are so soft and cakelike – they practically melt right in your mouth. These cookies stay soft throughout and don’t form much of a crust on the bottom – you can either use a spatula to transfer them to the wire rack or just pull them right off the parchment (none of them stuck or ripped).
Because these cookies do not spread much as they bake, you can flatten dough with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup (spray with cooking spray to avoid sticking to cookie dough).
Yes, no problem.
Did you make this? Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @thrivinghome so we can see your creations and cheer you on!
Strawberries and Cream Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup avocado oil (sub: vegetable oil)
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons strawberry extract
- 1 tablespoon strawberry jam
- 1 batch of Yellow Cake Mix or 1 (15.25-ounce) box of yellow cake mix
- 1/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup finely diced fresh strawberries
- 1/2 cup finely diced dried strawberries
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment or coating with cooking spray. The cookies spread out quite a bit so it may be necessary to use more than one baking sheet or bake in batches.
- Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, vanilla, strawberry extract, and strawberry jam until fully combined.
- Combine: Add cake mix to liquid ingredients and stir with a spatula or spoon until dough is almost fully combined. Add white chocolate chips, fresh strawberries, and dried strawberries and continue to combine until no cake mix is visible.
- Portion: Scoop cookies with a greased cookie scoop and place 2-3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. It may be necessary to re-grease the scoop a few times.
- Bake: Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cookies will be done when they are almost fully set on the edges and slightly golden on the bottom.
- Store: Let cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to let cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Freeze for Later: The cookies can be frozen before (here’s how to freeze cookie dough) or after they are baked and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag. If they have been baked, make sure they are fully cooled first.
Prepare from Frozen: Bake frozen cookie dough according to the recipe instructions – baking times will still be the same. For baked cookies, let thaw to room temperature and enjoy.
Notes/Tips
- Cookies will be very soft before they are fully cooled–be careful when transferring them to wire rack.
- Using the all-natural Thriving Home cake mix will result in cookies that are thin, crispy on the outside, and doughy in the middle. Using a store-bought mix will create thicker, cakelike cookies with a recognizable “cake mix/batter” flavor because of the additives and preservatives. Both are delicious!
- Ideas for Add-Ins: semisweet or dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips, dried mango, kiwi, or pineapple instead of dried strawberries, chopped almonds or pistachios, lemon zest
- Toppings Ideas: strawberry glaze (using jam or extract), white or dark chocolate drizzle, freeze-dried strawberry powder, cream cheese glaze or frosting
Recipe Contributor: Rachel Riegel
Pastry Chef Rachel Riegel developed and rigorously tested this recipe for Thriving Home.
Rachel grew up in northern Michigan with a family that loved to cook and bake. She attended a career center for culinary and baking and pastry arts in high school and went to college at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She graduated in August 2023 with a Bachelor’s in Food Business Managment and Baking and Pastry Arts.
In her free time, she loves to read, listen to true crime podcasts, go on walks, travel, and spend time with her fiancé.
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