Texas sheet cake cookies are soft, fudgy chocolate cookies covered in a warm, glossy cocoa frosting that sets into a thin, sweet shell, the same idea as the cake but in a size you can pick up. They are the cookies for bake sales, potlucks and chocolate cravings on a weeknight.
How to make Texas sheet cake cookies: Mix a box of chocolate cake mix with eggs and oil, scoop onto a lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 7–8 minutes. Cool on the sheet for 4–5 minutes, move to a rack, then pour on a cooked frosting of butter, cocoa, milk and powdered sugar and let it set.
Why You’ll Love It
- Three-ingredient dough. Cake mix, eggs and oil. No flour to measure.
- A real cooked frosting. Butter, cocoa and milk melted together, then whisked with powdered sugar.
- Quick to bake. Each tray is in the oven for only 7–8 minutes.
- Sixteen cookies. A good batch for a plate to share.
What Makes Texas Sheet Cake Special?
Texas sheet cake is a thin chocolate cake with a cooked chocolate frosting poured over it. The frosting is the part people remember: it goes on warm and sets as it cools. These cookies borrow that frosting and put it on a soft chocolate cookie. If you want the cake itself, the Texas sheet cake recipe is here too.
Ingredient Notes
Chocolate cake mix. One box. It is the whole dry base of the cookie dough.
Eggs. Two, whisked before they go into the bowl.
Oil. A 1/3 cup. The dough will be thick, and that is right.
Butter. A 1/2 cup for the frosting, melted in the saucepan.
Cocoa powder and milk. Two tablespoons of cocoa and 3 tablespoons of milk go in with the butter.
Powdered sugar. Two and a half cups, whisked in off the heat until smooth.
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1/3 cup oil
For the frosting
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
How to Make Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Mix the dough. Combine the cake mix, whisked eggs and oil in a large bowl until completely incorporated. The dough will be thick.
3. Scoop and bake. Drop dough onto the prepared sheet with a medium cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon. Bake for 7–8 minutes.
4. Cool the cookies. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 4–5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. Repeat until all the dough is baked.
5. Cook the frosting. In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the butter, cocoa powder and milk until melted together. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
6. Frost and serve. Pour the frosting over the cookies. Use a knife or spoon to spread any excess so each cookie is completely covered. Let the frosting set before serving.
When to Frost Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
In this recipe, the frosting goes on after the cookies have left the pan. The order is: bake, rest on the baking sheet for 4–5 minutes, move to a cooling rack, then frost.
| Stage | What to do |
|---|---|
| Out of the oven | Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 4–5 minutes |
| After that rest | Move them to a cooling rack |
| All trays baked | Cook the frosting in a small saucepan |
| Frosting smooth | Pour it over the cookies and spread it to cover each one |
| Before serving | Let the frosting set |
There is another way to do it: some bakers spoon the icing onto the cookies while they are still on the hot pan. That is a separate method. Here, the cookies go to the rack first.
Make the frosting last, when every cookie is on the rack. It is poured while it is still warm and loose, so you want the cookies lined up and waiting. Set a sheet of parchment under the rack to catch the drips.
Tips for Success
Why is my dough so thick?
It is supposed to be. Cake mix with only eggs and oil makes a stiff dough, closer to brownie batter than cake batter.
How do I know the cookies are done?
The recipe goes by time: 7–8 minutes. A cue used for similar cookies is a top that looks dry to the touch while the center is still soft and moist. Do not overbake them.
How big should the scoops be?
A medium cookie scoop, or a heaping tablespoon of dough for each cookie.
Why is my frosting lumpy?
The powdered sugar was not whisked in fully. Take the pan off the heat and whisk until the frosting is smooth before you pour.
How Long Do They Take?
About 40 minutes: 5 minutes to mix, about 30 minutes to bake the trays, and the 4–5 minutes each tray cools on the sheet. The frosting also needs time to set, and the recipe does not say how long, so leave some room before you plan to serve them.
Variations
Pecans or walnuts. Chopped pecans or walnuts are an optional topping. Sprinkle them over the frosting before it sets.
Chilled dough. Some cake-mix recipes chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking. This one does not call for it.
Storage & Reheating
These cookies are not reheated. Keep the finished cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To freeze, freeze the baked cookies without frosting. Frosting on frozen cookies can crack as it thaws, so frost them after they thaw. And do not taste the raw dough: it has raw eggs in it.
What to Serve With It
For a cookie plate, add carrot cake cookies and no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies. If you have another box of cake mix, bake the Easter cake mix cookie bars. For bars and sheet cakes, there are oatmeal raisin cookie bars and Bea’s blueberry sheet cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should the cooked chocolate frosting go on the cookies: after pan cooling or while the cookies are still on the hot pan?
For this recipe, after pan cooling. Rest the cookies on the sheet for 4–5 minutes, move them to a rack, then pour on the frosting.
How many cookies does this make?
Sixteen cookies.
Can I freeze Texas sheet cake cookies?
Freeze the baked cookies unfrosted. Frosting can crack as frozen cookies thaw.
How long do they keep?
Up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Final Notes
I wait until every cookie is on the rack before I start the frosting, so it goes on while it is still warm and pourable. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Texas Sheet Cake Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 box chocolate cake mix for the cookies
- 2 eggs whisked; for the cookies
- 1/3 cup oil for the cookies
- 1/2 cup butter for the frosting
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder for the frosting
- 3 tablespoons milk for the frosting
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar for the frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the cake mix, whisked eggs and oil in a large bowl until completely incorporated. The dough will be thick.
- Drop dough onto the prepared sheet with a medium cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon. Bake for 7–8 minutes.
- Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 4–5 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. Repeat until all the dough is baked.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk the butter, cocoa powder and milk until melted together. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Pour the frosting over the cookies. Use a knife or spoon to spread any excess so each cookie is completely covered. Let the frosting set before serving.
