Name: 3-Ingredient Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Ingredients: 1 (15.25 oz) box strawberry cake mix; 2 large eggs; 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Soft pink cookies that taste like strawberry shortcake in a two-bite shape. You mix three things, scoop, and bake, and they come out of the oven in under fifteen minutes.

What Makes These Strawberry Cookies So Good

They stay soft with chewy edges, and the strawberry flavor is real and bright, not artificial. The cake mix does the heavy lifting so there is no measuring flour or sugar.

One bowl, a box of cake mix, and two other ingredients you already have. That’s the whole recipe, and it works every single time.

Ingredients

1 (15.25 oz) box strawberry cake mix: any brand works, but one that includes pudding in the mix gives the most tender texture.
2 large eggs: bring them to room temperature so the dough comes together faster.
1/3 cup vegetable oil: melted coconut oil or any neutral oil will do.

Variations / Substitutions

Add white chocolate chips: fold in 1/2 cup after mixing for a sweeter, creamier bite.
Use a different cake mix flavor: lemon, cherry, or vanilla cake mix will all work the same way.
Go dairy-free: check that your cake mix is dairy-free (some contain milk powder) and stick with vegetable oil.

Fresh Strawberry Milkshake goes great with these cookies when you want something to sip.

How To Make Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

Step 1: Mix the Dough

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, stir together the 1 box of cake mix, 2 eggs, and 1/3 cup oil until no dry pockets remain. The dough will be thick and bright pink.

You’ll see a few small lumps of cake mix at first, but keep folding with a spatula and they’ll disappear. The dough should look glossy and smooth, not crumbly. Stop as soon as it comes together because overmixing makes the cookies tough.

Step 2: Scoop the Cookies

Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to drop rounded balls of dough onto the prepared sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. You do not need to flatten them.

A standard ice cream scoop with a release lever works perfectly. The dough is a little sticky, so lightly wet your fingers if you need to nudge any off the scoop. You should get about 24 cookies from one batch.

Step 3: Bake the Cookies

Slide the sheet into the middle of the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges will look set and the tops will be slightly crackled, but the centers should still look soft.

Every oven runs a little different, so check at 10 minutes. The cookies continue to set on the hot pan after you pull them, so pulling them while the centers still seem underdone keeps them soft.

Step 4: Cool on the Rack

Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They firm up as they cool and the pink color deepens a shade.

Lift them carefully with a thin spatula, especially if they are still warm. Once cooled, they keep their shape and have a tender, almost cakey bite.

Tips for the Best Cake Mix Cookies

Do not chill the dough: if you are in a hurry, but 30 minutes in the fridge makes slightly thicker cookies that spread less.
Parchment paper is your friend: it prevents sticking and helps the bottoms brown evenly without burning.
If your cookies spread too much, your dough was probably too warm or your oven a little low. Pop the dough in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking the next sheet.
Use a cookie scoop: uniform portions bake at the same rate, so you avoid some cookies overbaking while others stay too soft.

Bake times by cookie size:

Scoop size	Bake time	Yield about
1 tablespoon	8 to 10 mins	30 cookies
1.5 tablespoons	10 to 12 mins	24 cookies
2 tablespoons	12 to 14 mins	18 cookies

Storing Leftovers

Room temperature: keep the cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread to maintain softness for up to 5 days.
Freezer: freeze baked cookies in a single layer then stack them in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. You can also freeze scooped raw dough and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a sugar-free cake mix?

Yes, sugar-free strawberry cake mix works. The cookies will be slightly less soft and may spread a touch more, but they still hold their shape.

Why are my cookies dry?

Overbaking is the most common reason. Bake only until the edges look set and the centers are still puffy and soft. They firm up a lot outside the oven.

Can I add frosting?

A simple cream cheese glaze or a drizzle of melted white chocolate tastes great, but let the cookies cool completely first so the topping does not melt off.

Can I make these gluten-free?

Use a gluten-free strawberry cake mix and check that all your other ingredients are gluten-free. The texture will be a little more crumbly, but the taste stays the same.