Cream cheese cake mix cookies are soft, thick, pillowy cookies with a tender, cake-like middle and a snowy dusting of powdered sugar. They start with a box of white cake mix and a brick of cream cheese, so they are quick enough for a weeknight and pretty enough for a holiday cookie tray.
How to make cream cheese cake mix cookies: Beat softened cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in an egg and vanilla, then a box of white cake mix, until the dough is thick. Scoop heaping tablespoons onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 9–11 minutes, until the edges are set. Cool completely on the sheet and dust with powdered sugar.
Why You’ll Love It
- Five dough ingredients. Cake mix, cream cheese, butter, an egg and vanilla.
- No flour to measure. The box does that part.
- Soft and thick. These are cake-like cookies, not thin, crisp ones.
- Two dozen. One batch makes 24 cookies.
Ingredient Notes
White cake mix. One 15.25-ounce box, used dry.
Cream cheese. One 8-ounce brick, softened.
Butter. A 1/2 cup, softened. Soft butter and soft cream cheese blend together smoothly.
Egg. One.
Vanilla extract. One teaspoon.
Powdered sugar. A 1/4 cup, for sprinkling over the cooled cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix (15.25 ounces)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (one brick), softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for sprinkling
How to Make Cream Cheese Cake Mix Cookies
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
2. Make the dough. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the egg and vanilla, then add the cake mix and mix until well combined and thick.
3. Scoop. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, onto the lined baking sheet.
4. Bake. Bake for 9–11 minutes per batch, until the edges are set. The centers may look a little underdone.
5. Cool and finish. Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.
When Are the Cookies Done?
When the edges are set. Do not wait for the middles to look finished. These cookies come out of the oven with centers that seem a little underdone, and that is right. They firm up as they cool on the hot baking sheet.
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| Edges still soft and shiny | Give them another minute |
| Edges set, centers look slightly underdone | Take them out |
| Tops browning all over | They have gone too long |
| Out of the oven | Leave them on the baking sheet until completely cool |
| Completely cool | Sprinkle with powdered sugar |
Overbaking is the easy mistake. A cookie baked until the center looks done in the oven will not be soft once it cools. Watch the edges, and trust the 9–11 minutes.
Wait for the powdered sugar. On a warm cookie it melts and disappears.
Tips for Success
Can you make 3-ingredient cookies with cream cheese?
Not with this recipe. This dough has five ingredients: cake mix, cream cheese, butter, an egg and vanilla. I do not have a three-ingredient version of it to give you.
What happens when you add cream cheese to box cake mix?
In this recipe it makes a thick dough that bakes into a soft, cake-like cookie.
Why does everything need to be softened?
Softened butter and cream cheese blend smoothly. Cold ones leave lumps in the dough.
How much dough per cookie?
A heaping tablespoon, about 1 1/2 tablespoons.
Can I use a different cake mix flavor?
Cookies like these are made with many flavors of boxed mix, and optional add-ins are common. This recipe is written for white cake mix with nothing added, and that is the one I can give you amounts and times for.
What Does the Cream Cheese Do?
It changes the cookie. With a whole brick of cream cheese in the dough, cake mix bakes into a soft, thick, cake-like cookie instead of a thin, crisp one. The dough itself is thick and a little sticky, so a cookie scoop or two spoons make the portioning easier. Keep the scoops the same size so the whole tray is done at the same moment.
How Long Does It Take?
About 70 minutes for the whole batch: 10 minutes to make the dough and about 60 minutes of baking, because the cookies bake a tray at a time for 9–11 minutes each. They also need to cool completely on the sheet before the powdered sugar goes on.
Variations
Red velvet. Red velvet cake mix cookies are usually finished with cream cheese icing on top. That is a separate recipe.
Lemon. Lemon cake mix cookies add lemon juice and zest. That one has its own recipe too.
Storage & Reheating
These cookies are not reheated. Because there is cream cheese in the dough, I store them the careful way: cooled, in a covered container in the refrigerator, and eaten within 3–4 days. Do not leave them out for more than 2 hours, or more than 1 hour when it is hotter than 90°F. The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
What to Serve With It
For more cake mix baking, try Easter cake mix cookie bars or the 5-ingredient slow cooker lemon lush. For a cookie plate, add carrot cake cookies. And if cream cheese desserts are your favorite, there are raspberry cream cheese bites, the 4-ingredient lemon cream cheese dump cake and the strawberry cream cheese icebox cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make box cake cookies with cream cheese?
Yes. This recipe mixes a brick of cream cheese into white cake mix with butter, an egg and vanilla.
Can you make 3-ingredient cookies with cream cheese?
This recipe uses five dough ingredients, not three.
How do I know the cookies are done?
The edges are set, after 9–11 minutes. The centers may still look a little underdone.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, for up to 3 months.
Final Notes
I pull these out as soon as the edges are set and leave them on the sheet until they are cold, because that is what keeps the middles soft. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Cream Cheese Cake Mix Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 8 ounces cream cheese one brick, softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar for sprinkling on the cooled cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Beat the softened cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the egg and vanilla, then add the cake mix and mix until well combined and thick.
- Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough, about 1 1/2 tablespoons each, onto the lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 9–11 minutes per batch, until the edges are set. The centers may look a little underdone.
- Cool the cookies completely on the baking sheet, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.
