Easy Triple Chocolate Devil's Food Cake Mix Cookies

Triple threat alert! Introducing the ultimate chocolate dream -- triple chocolate devil's food cake mix cookies.

This delicious recipe combines the sinful richness of devil's food cake, a gooey burst of chocolate chips, and a seductive drizzle of molten chocolate.

You'll get over a dozen (14 to 16) large, soft, gooey gourmet cookies overflowing with chocolate (inside and out). The perfect dessert for parties, gifts, and bake sales.

Ready for devilish deliciousness? Let's get baking.

You'll Keep Coming Back to This Recipe -- Here's Why

• Easy cookie recipe. Devil's food cookies are easy cookies that don't take a ton of baking skill.
  
  Starting with a box mix means less work for you. You don't even need an electric mixer.
  
  Just stir all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, and you are set. Minimal work and minimal mess.

• Brimming with chocolate. You'll satisfy your chocolate craving with these delicious cookies. They are crammed with chocolate -- cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and chocolate drizzle.
  
  It's not possible to stuff in any more chocolate. Sound like heaven?

• Gorgeous gourmet appearance. Yeah, looks aren't everything. But when it comes to this cookie, you get flavor and appearance.
  
  Homemade cookies never looked so good. They're perfect to serve on Valentine's Day, birthday parties, or potlucks. You can't go wrong with devil's food cake cookies.

Ingredients

Just a few simple ingredients yield gooey, soft cookies with a distinct chocolate flavor.

• Devil's food cake mix. Dry cake mix is the main ingredient in devil's food cake mix cookies, so use a good quality mix.
  
  I recommend Duncan Hines (15.25 ounces) instead of Betty Crocker. Betty Crocker cake mixes are 13.25 ounces now.
  
  The dough might be a little sticker if you use the smaller Betty Crocker box of cake mix. If the dough is too sticky, refrigerate it before scooping.

• Box of instant chocolate pudding. This is the secret ingredient for an upgrade in taste. Don't skip it. You'll miss it if you do.

• Unsalted butter. Butter tastes much better in cake mix cookies than vegetable oil.

• Large eggs. Use room temperature eggs.

• Chocolate chips. You can choose dark, milk, or semi-sweet chocolate chips. They can also be regular, mini, jumbo, or chunk. All work deliciously.
  
  You may also be interested in how to measure chocolate chips correctly.

• Ghirardelli chocolate melting wafers. I think dark chocolate drizzle tastes the best. But you can use milk or even white chocolate melting wafers.

Substitutions

• Chop up a chocolate candy bar and use it instead of chocolate chips.

• Use any box of chocolate cake mix in place of devil's food chocolate cake mix.

• Skip the chocolate melting wafer drizzle to get double chocolate chip cookies. Or go all in and dip the cookie in melted chocolate instead of drizzling.

Variations

• Use any flavor of cake mix to make cake mix cookies using the same directions. Use either vanilla or chocolate pudding mix, depending on the mix flavor.

• For a twist, mix in peanut butter chips, chopped peanut butter cups, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate mint cookies.

• Make German chocolate cookies and frost with coconut pecan frosting.

• For Rolo cookies, place a single Rolo in the center of the chocolate cookies before they go in the oven.

Directions

Prep, bake, and decorate. Easy recipe -- extraordinary results.

Prep Work

• Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

• Melt the butter in the microwave in a microwave-safe container. Heat for about 45 seconds. Cool for 2 to 3 minutes.

• Combine cake mix and instant pudding mix into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and eggs. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is combined.
  
  Use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure all the dry ingredients are combined into the cookie dough.

• Add the chocolate chips and stir until combined.

• Set the cookie dough aside for 10 minutes. The moisture will absorb into the dry ingredients, leaving the dough the perfect scooping texture.

• Scoop the cookie dough balls with a large cookie scoop (2 tablespoons size is ideal). Shape dough in your hands to make it smooth. Then, flatten the cookie slightly with your palms.

• Space the cookie dough about two inches apart on the lined baking sheet.

Bake

• Bake the cookies in the oven for 11 to 13 minutes or until the edges are done. The middles may not look completely done, but they will finish baking with the residual heat when out of the oven.

• Remove the cookie sheet from the oven.

• Optional: Shape the cookies to make them uniform. Using a large, round cookie ring is the easiest way to do this.
  
  Position the cookie cutter around the warm cookie, ensuring the whole cookie is inside the ring. Gently spin the ring around the cookie, rotating for about 5 seconds.
  
  As the cookie circles, the sides will pull in, and the cookie will get rounder. The warmth of the cookie will help it conform to the ring. Repeat this technique with all the cookies. 

• Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Then, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Decorate

• Place the cooled cookies on a sheet of parchment paper.

• Melt the chocolate wafers in the microwave. Heat in a microwave-safe bowl at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir.
  
  Repeat heating at 10-second intervals and stirring until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Do not overheat or it may seize (get thick and hard). 
  
  Stirring patiently is often better than heating the chocolate repeatedly.

• Transfer the melted chocolate into a pastry bag with a small point. (Or use a zip-top bag with the corner edge snipped off.)

• Drizzle the melted chocolate back and forth across the cookie.

• Rest the cookies until the chocolate dries.

Tasty Tips

• Flatten the cookie before baking to keep it under control. The cookie will bake tall if it isn't tampered down a bit.
  
  Rolling it for smoothness and pressing it before baking will automatically upgrade its appearance.

• Lining the baking sheet is the easiest way to keep the cookies from sticking. Parchment paper or a silicone liner will do the trick.
  
  If you don't have either, grease the pan. Don't use ungreased cookie sheets, or the cookies will stick.

• Chop up a candy bar to use instead of chocolate chips if you want an even gooier cookie. Chopped chocolate gets melty and yummy in the cookie.

How to Store

Store any leftover chocolate cake mix cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

They will stay fresh for 3 or 4 days. If you want to keep them longer, freeze them.

How to Freeze Devil's Food Cake Mix Cookies

This cake mix cookie recipe freezes wonderfully. That is if you flash freeze the cookies first. This keeps them from sticking together when they freeze.

It's easy. Here's how:

• Place the cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (so the cookies don't freeze to the pan).

• Freeze for 1 hour.

• Transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe container or plastic storage bags. Label it with the contents and date.

• Freeze for 6 months.

When you're ready to eat a cookie, pull one out of the freezer. Thaw it at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on your kitchen temperature).

What to Serve with Devil's Food Cake Mix Cookies

• A glass of cold milk. Every batch of cookies needs milk -- dairy or almond milk.

• A piping hot cup of hot chocolate. Make your cocoa with a little help from melted chocolate chips. Yum!

• A scoop of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Warm, gooey cookies pair perfectly with cold ice cream.

Ready for More Cake Mix Recipes?

Cake mix cookies are the easiest cookies to whip up. Here are a few cookie recipes to try.

• Spice cake mix cookies (one of my favorite cake mix flavors)

• Strawberry crinkle cookies made with strawberry cake mix

• Lemon cake mix cookies with lemon white chocolate glaze

• Red velvet cake mix cookies

• Sugar cookies with white cake mix

• Chocolate chip cookies with yellow cake mix and chocolate chips

• Funfetti cookie sandwiches with cream cheese frosting