Easy Strawberry Crinkle Cookies Recipe with Cake Mix

You'll love these easy strawberry crinkle cookies made with cake mix and butter. Learn all the secret tricks to keep the powdered sugar from dissolving!

Looking for the easiest cookies to bring to a get-together? Strawberry cake mix cookies are the best treat for the job.

These pink cookies have a colorful, cracked interior peeking through a generous dusting of powdered sugar. The soft, gooey middle has an intense strawberry flavor, thanks to a secret ingredient that punches up the flavor.

Ready for a fool-proof dessert that will be a huge hit at any party? Then grab your pink apron. Easy strawberry cookies coming your way!

Jump to:

• You'll Make This Recipe Over and Over – Here's Why
• Ingredients
• Equipment
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Directions
• Prep Work
• Bake
• Tasty Tips
• How to Store
• How to Freeze Strawberry Crinkle Cookies
• Frequently Asked Questions
• What to Serve with Strawberry Crinkle Cookies
• Recipe
• Craving More Cookies?
• Comments

You'll Make This Recipe Over and Over – Here's Why

• Bright strawberry flavor matches the cookie's gorgeous pink hue. The cookies don't taste like they started from a boxed cake mix. Oh, no!
  
  With a few select ingredients, your strawberry cake mix is upgraded to a homemade cookie taste. The perfect treats taste as good as they look. 

• Foolproof to make with minimal dirty dishes. Even your distracted teen can make easy strawberry crinkle cookies.
  
  Throw in the cake and pudding mixes, stir in a few additions, and you are on your way to gourmet-tasting treats.

• Beautiful pink cookies. You can't go wrong with colorful pink treats. Serve them at a party, throw them in the family's Easter baskets, or gift them to a friend.
  
  They are perfect for a gender-reveal baby shower, a Barbie party, and Valentine's Day.

Ingredients

A few simple ingredients are all it takes to make these easy cookies.

• Strawberry cake mix. Cake mix is the start of any easy cookie recipe. I prefer Duncan Hines's perfectly moist strawberry supreme mix.
  
  But Betty Crocker's super moist strawberry cake mix is a good choice, too. Note that Betty Crocker cake mixes are smaller than many other brands (13.25 vs. 15.25 ounces).
  
  I have not found that this makes much difference in the cookies as long as they are chilled according to the recipe directions.

• Strawberry or vanilla pudding mix. This is the secret ingredient you've been waiting for.
  
  Stirring dry pudding mix into the box of cake mix takes the cookie flavor up a notch or two. Once you try it with pudding, you'll never make these delicious cookies without it.
  
  I prefer using strawberry pudding mix because it keeps the batter a nice shade of pink. Sonic strawberry shake pudding mix is my favorite, which I've only seen at Walmart or Amazon.
  
  However, if strawberry pudding mix is too hard to round up, use vanilla pudding mix plus a drop or two of pink food coloring gel.

• Unsalted butter. Butter has much better flavor than a half cup vegetable oil.

• Large egg. Use just one egg at room temperature.
  
  Many cake mix cookie recipes need two eggs. However, the yogurt takes the place of one of the large eggs.

• Strawberry yogurt. A little bit will go a long way in perking up the boxed mix. I prefer Yoplait strawberry yogurt.

• Granulated and powdered sugar. Roll in white granulated sugar first. Powdered sugar second.
  
  Rolling crinkle cookies in granulated sugar before coating in powdered sugar helps the powdered sugar adhere to the cookie surface.
  
  The granulated sugar layer can also create a barrier preventing powdered sugar from melting into the cookie, ensuring a distinct, snowy appearance.
  
  If you like, add a pinch of cornstarch to the powdered sugar to keep the sugar from dissolving.

Substitutions

• Don't want to use yogurt? Sour cream can save the day. It works just as well as yogurt.

• Curious about another flavor of cake mix? Swap out strawberry cake mix and replace it with lemon cake mix. Now you have lemon crinkle cookies.
  
  Use chocolate cake mix and make chocolate crinkle cookies. Or try red velvet boxed mix for another crinkle cookie recipe.

Variations

Looking for some different flavors? Give these recipe changes a try.

• Add lime extract and zest for a twist.

• Want more texture? Toss in some white chocolate chips or shredded coconut.

• Skip the powdered sugar and dip these babies in melted white chocolate instead (just like this recipe for cherry chip cookies).
  
  Then dust on pink sprinkles. That's a perfect recipe for Valentine's Day or a baby shower.

RELATED: You may also enjoy this article on what to do with leftover cake.

Directions

With a few simple steps, you'll have a delicious batch of cookies ready to go.

Prep Work

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. The parchment paper keeps the cookies from sticking to the pan.

• Melt the butter in the microwave and cool it for a few minutes. 

• Pour the dry cake mix and pudding mix into a large bowl. Add the melted butter, egg, and strawberry yogurt.

• Mix with a wooden spoon until everything comes together, and a soft dough forms. Scrape the sides with a rubber spatula to get all the ingredients combined.

• Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes. This step is crucial for getting the crinkled cookie appearance.

• Mix the powdered sugar and cornstarch together in a separate bowl. Then, sift the mixture, breaking up any lumps. Sift again, if necessary, until you have a fine powder.

• Pour the granulated sugar into a separate small bowl.

• Scoop the cookie dough balls with a medium cookie scoop (1 tablespoon-sized). Roll the dough ball in your hands to make it smooth. This recipe yields approximately 30 1-inch balls.

• Drop balls of dough in the granulated sugar first. Roll balls in the sugar until they are completely coated.

• Roll the sugar-coated dough balls in the powdered sugar mixture until generously coated. Double roll if necessary.

• Place the ball of dough about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle more powdered sugar on the tops of cookies.

Bake

• Bake in the oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until the edges are done. The centers of cookies may not look completely done, but they will finish baking with the residual heat when they are out of the oven.

• Remove the cookie sheet from the oven. Avoid touching the cookies until they have set to prevent the powdered sugar from dissolving.

• Cool the cookie sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then transfer the cookies from the cookie sheet to the cooling rack to finish cooling.

Tasty Tips

Getting that beautiful crinkled cookie appearance can be tricky.

However, after experimenting over 7 times, I found several techniques that keep the powdered sugar on the cookie and the beautiful pink cookie insides peeking through.

Chill the dough, pre-roll in granulated sugar, and avoid excessive handling. 

• Refrigerate the cookie dough. Always chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
  
  Cold dough contrasts sharply with the oven's heat, causing the exterior to set rapidly. At the same time, the interior continues to rise, producing a crinkled look.
  
  When the dough is chilled, it loses its stickiness, making it easy to roll into balls and then into the sugars, contributing to the crinkling effect.

• Pre-roll the cookies in granulated sugar -- then powdered sugar. Getting the perfect crinkle look is a two-part process.
  
  Roll the dough in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar. Rolling the dough balls in white sugar before powdered sugar keeps the powdered sugar from disappearing when the cookies are baked.
  
  This is still an easy recipe, and an extra roll doesn't take more than a few seconds. But the result is well worth it.
  
  I also like adding a pinch of extra cornstarch to the powdered sugar, which also helps prevent the sugar from melting while baking.
  
  And I always sprinkle more powdered sugar on top of the cookie balls when they are all on the cookie sheet before they go into the oven.
  
  Aim to completely cover the dough. No color should peep through.

• Handle the cookies as little as possible before they cool. This means keeping them on the cookie sheet to cool for several minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack (using a spatula - not your fingers).
  
  Then don't touch them until they cool.
  
  Note: I often recommend shaping cookies with a cookie ring after they bake so they are more uniform. However, this isn't a good practice with crinkle cookies. Handling the baked cookies could lead to powdered sugar disintegration.

• Use room temperature ingredients. The cookie dough will be easier to mix without pulling out your electric mixer. Though you can use a hand mixer if you like.

• Don't over-mix. Mix until everything is incorporated. But don't overdo it, or you might end up with tough cookies.

How to Store

These beauties last about 3 to 4 days... if you don't eat them all in a day or two. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature to keep 'em fresh.

Recipe

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