The holiday season is the best time for cookie making and these soft and chewy sugar cookies make the perfect companion to a glass of milk by the fireside. The bright green color and red heart sprinkle bring a touch of the Grinch spirit to the recipe and the crinkle pattern made by the powdered sugar looks snowy and delicious.
To make your Christmas cookies a snap, we use a cake mix so you can get to the baking (and eating!) part of your cookie experience even faster and easier. Maybe, like the movie, these festive crinkle cookies will make your heart grow three sizes too!
Looking for more holiday recipes? Try our:
- Grinch Punch or Sherbet Punch
- Melted Snowman Cookies
- Christmas Cake Pops
- Christmas Wreath Cookies
- Eggnog Pie
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls – Small Batch
- Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
- Spiced Gingerbread Waffles
Ingredients for Grinch Cookies:
- White cake mix: These cake mix cookies use your favorite brand of white or vanilla cake mix that comes in a 15.25-ounce size.
- Eggs: You’ll want two eggs as the binder for this recipe.
- Vegetable oil: You can use any vegetable or canola oil.
- Vanilla extract: I’m using vanilla extract in my cookies, but you can choose to omit it if you choose a vanilla flavored box mix. Use a pure vanilla extract rather than an artificial vanilla for the best cookie taste.
- Powered sugar: Rolling the cookie dough in powdered sugar gives it that snowy look with an extra touch of sweetness.
- Cornstarch: Adding cornstarch to the powdered sugar helps it lay on top of the cookie rather than soak right in. You can also use arrowroot powder or tapioca starch as well.
- Green food coloring: You’ll want to add a few drops at a time until you get the perfect green that you’re looking for! Green gel food coloring is a little more intense in color but liquid food coloring will work as well.
- Heart sprinkle: To represent the Grinch’s heart, add a heart shaped sprinkle or red hot candy after baking.
Grinch Cookie Instructions:
Mix your dough: Add your cake mix, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer or stand mixer until combined.
Add your green food coloring one drop at a time until you reach your perfect shade of green and mix on low until just combined (I used 5 drops of gel food coloring).
Cover cookie dough and let chill in fridge for 30-60 minutes so it’s easier to scoop.
Roll your cookies: Whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl.
Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop 1-2 tablespoon size cookie dough balls and plop them into your powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. Dough will be really sticky but once it lands in the powdered sugar it’s easier to handle.
Roll it around until covered and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake your cookies: Bake cookies at 375°F in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the center is just set but the cookies haven’t started to brown on top yet.
Add heart and cool: While still warm, add your red heart sprinkle and after 3-5 minutes transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. Once cool, enjoy your holiday treats!
Tips for Making Grinch Cookies:
- Try adding flavored extracts like peppermint, pistachio, or almond to your dough for a fun twist!
- Make sure to mix the dough fully once you add your green food coloring so you don’t have any white streaks in your dough.
- If you don’t have cornstarch, you can just roll the cookies in powdered sugar—some will sink into the cookie but you should still get a dusted effect.
- Make sure to keep an eye on your cookies so they don’t start to brown, as that will affect the pretty green color of the cookie. These cookies should be soft and chewy.
- If you don’t have heart sprinkles on hand, you could also use pink royal icing to pipe on the shape of a heart once the cookies are cool or stick on a few red and green M&Ms for some added chocolate flavor.
These cookies are so soft and chewy and they are a fun one to make with kids and do some Christmas crafts or games by the fire. Enjoy!
Love a good cookie recipe? Check out:
Frequently Asked Questions
How long will Grinch cookies keep for?
In an airtight container, Grinch cookies will last for about 5 days at room temperature before starting to get stale.
Can you freeze Grinch cookies?
Yes! Put your cookie sheet in the freezer to first flash freeze the cookies for 30 minutes and then you can put them in a freezer bag for 2-3 months. Let the cookies thaw in the fridge or on the counter before eating.
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Ingredients
Cookie batter
- 1 box white cake mix (15.25 ounces)
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 drops green food coloring
Powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
Equipment
- 1 mixer or hand blender
- 1 cookie scoop (optional but helpful)
Instructions
- Mix your dough: Add your cake mix, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium speed until combined. Add your green food coloring one drop at a time until you reach your desired color and mix on low until just combined (I used 5 drops of gel food coloring). Cover dough and let it chill in fridge for 30 minutes so it’s easier to scoop.
- Roll your cookies: Whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop a 1-2 tablespoon size ball of dough and plop it into your powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture. Dough will be really sticky but once it lands in the powdered sugar it’s easier to handle. Roll it around until covered and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake your cookies: Bake cookies at 375°F for 8-10 minutes or until the center is just set but the cookies haven’t started to brown on top yet.
- Add heart and cool: While still warm, add your heart sprinkle and after 3-5 minutes transfer to a cooling rack to completely cool.
Notes
- Try adding flavored extracts like mint, pistachio, or almond to your dough for a fun twist!
- Make sure to mix the dough fully once you add your green food coloring so you don’t have any white streaks in your dough.
- If you don’t have cornstarch you can just roll the cookies in powdered sugar—some will sink into the cookie but you should still get a dusted effect.
- Make sure to keep an eye on your cookies so they don’t start to brown as that will affect the pretty green color of the cookie. These cookies should be soft and chewy.
- If you don’t have heart sprinkles on hand, you could also use pink royal icing to pipe on the shape of a heart once the cookies are cool.
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I make these for the Cookie Party every year! They’re a big hit!
Delicious and adorable! Thank you for the recipe and for your podcast!
Love it!
My kids are obsessed with brightly colored treats right now! 😆 these will be perfect for this holiday season! Cannot wait to make them 🎄
Fantastic !!!!
Adding to my Christmas baking list!
I’m wondering if you could use other types of cake mix for this recipe, such as red velvet or chocolate… I know white cake is a very specific texture so that might be important here. Maybe I’ll try it and report back
Have made variations of this cookie for years, but am hesitant to try this year. I’m not sure cake mixes come in 15.25 oz size any more, (thanks shrinkflation). Having to buy a second box and a scale for one batch of cookies seems a hassle. Beware and good baking y’all.
Will be making these!
such a cute idea for all the Grinches out there
Pretty cookies and tasty. However, recipe doesn’t make a lot.
Such a fun and easy to follow recipe (great for baking with kiddos!)
So pretty for Christmas cookie tables!
These look so fun to make and easy for kids!
Simple and easy to let kids help. Will try red coloring an try to Simi shape into hearts.
Love these cute recipes! Amazing for kids and families to do and cheap !