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These Grinch Cookies are a fun and festive holiday treat, with the signature bright green color and red candy heart. Cake mix keeps them quick and easy to prepare, along with creating a perfect soft and chewy texture!
Watching the Grinch Christmas movie is a family tradition every Holiday season. And, of course, that always means themed treats. I’ve made many Grinch desserts over the years, like Grinch cheesecake lush and Grinch brittle, but these Grinch cookies get requested every year. Kids love helping roll the dough balls in sugar and adding the candy heart!
Why This Grinch Cookie Recipe Is A Holiday Favorite
- Fun & festive. With their bright green color and red heart center, these easy Grinch cookies are just so fun and festive. Kids love them and they add a pop of color when added to a cookie tray for Holiday parties.
- Quick & easy to make. These cookies begin with a yellow cake mix which means a short ingredients list and no measuring of dry ingredients. The dough takes just a few minutes to prepare then it needs to chill for 20 minutes. The perfect recipe for little hands to help with.
- Soft & chewy. The texture of these cookies is so soft, thanks to the cake mix base. They’re a little chewy too. Just be sure to not overbake them or they’ll be a bit dry!
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of each of the few ingredients needed to make these cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- White cake mix – You can use other shades of off white to yellow cake, but it will be more of a challenge to achieve the desired shade of green.
- Eggs – Bring them to room temperature first.
- Vegetable oil – Adds moisture to the cake.
- Vanilla
- GEL green food coloring – If you only have green liquid drops, you can use them, but the chemistry of the cookie will be a little off. The cookies will spread a bit thinner than if you use gel, but the taste will be the same.
- Powdered sugar – The dough balls are rolled in powdered sugar to add the crackled effect.
- Cornstarch – Cornstarch is mixed with the powdered sugar and makes the crackled effect more visible.
- Red heart sprinkles – Or other candy hearts to add to the cookies.
How To Make Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
This is one of the easiest Christmas cookie recipes out there. It takes just 10 minutes of hands-on time! The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Make the dough. Mix the cake mix, eggs, oil, and vanilla on medium/low speed. Once fully combined, add a small amount of gel food coloring at a time until the dough is the desired shade.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 20 minutes.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Roll the cookies. Scoop 1.5 tablespoons of dough and roll to create a smooth ball. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar and place on the baking sheet, leaving two inches between each one. Flatten each one slightly. Place a candy heart in the middle, using light pressure to ensure it sticks.
- Bake. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just barely starting to turn golden and the tops are dry. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few helpful tips to making the best Grinch cookies.
- Use cornstarch with the powdered sugar. Adding the cornstarch makes it so the cookies don’t absorb as much of the powdered sugar making the cracks of the cookie much more visible. If you just use powdered sugar, be aware that those cracks will just not stand out as much. But otherwise, it will taste the same.
- The final number of cookies may vary. The number of cookies you end up with will be determined by the size of the cookie balls you make. The bigger the cookie ball, the fewer cookies you’ll end up with.
- Chill the dough. It’s important to chill the dough as it’s very sticky. Chilling will prevent the cookies from overspreading. I put the dough back into the fridge in between sets of cookies.
- Use a cool baking sheet. If you use a warm one your cookies will spread too fast as well. I recommend having a few baking sheets so each one goes in the oven once.
- Do not overbake. Make sure to pull the cookies out of the oven at the right time. The edges should just be starting to turn golden and the tops of the cookies should appear dry. They will continue to cook just a bit while sitting on the pan.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. Grinch cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the counter. They’re best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
- Freezer. The cookies can also be frozen. Once cooled, transfer to a ziploc bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter and enjoy.
More Grinch Recipes:
Grinch Cookies
These Grinch Cookies are vibrant green Holiday cookies made with Betty Crocker Sugar cookie mix and topped with heart sprinkles.
Servings: 15 cookies
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces white cake mix
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- GEL green food coloring
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- Candy heart sprinkles
Instructions
- Add the cake mix, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla to a large mixing bowl. Mix on medium/low speed until fully combined.
- Add the green gel food coloring a little at a time until you reach the desired shade.
- Cover and chill the dough for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- Once chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Scoop out 1.5 Tablespoon cookie dough balls (1 ½ inch diameter) and roll them in your hand to create a smooth sphere.
- Roll each sphere in the powdered sugar mix and place on the prepared baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart.
- Take your hand, glass or bottom of your spatula to slightly flatten each sphere.
- Place a candy heart in the middle of the cookie and use slight pressure to stick it.
- Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until the edges of the bottom are just barely starting to turn light gold and the tops are dry.
- Remove the baking sheet and allow the cookies to sit on the sheet for three minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
Last Step:
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Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 191kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 208mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 32IU | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
Variation
Here is another variation for making Grinch Christmas cookies using a sugar cookie mix. If you like “not so fluffy” chewy sugar cookies, this might be your favorite version.
How To Make Grinch Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounces white vanilla cake mix
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- GEL green food coloring
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- Candy heart sprinkles
Directions
- Mix the first 4 ingredients, then stir in food coloring for whatever green cookies you prefer.
- Cover and chill the dough for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Scoop out 1.5 Tablespoon cookie dough balls and roll them in your hand to create a smooth sphere.
- Roll each ball in the powdered sugar mix and place on the prepared baking sheet approximately 2 inches apart. Take your hand, glass or bottom of your spatula to slightly flatten each sphere.
- Decorating. Place a candy heart in the middle of the cookie and use slight pressure to stick it. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until the edges of the bottom are just barely starting to turn light gold and the tops are dry.
- Remove the baking sheet and allow the cookies to sit on the sheet for three minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.
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