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Tha-tha-tha-tha…THE GRINCH! Jim Carey’s The Grinch is my all time favorite Christmas movie, so when the holidays roll around, what better way to get in the spirit than to bake cookies in honor of the movie. The secret to these super simple soft-baked grinch cookies is boxed cake mix! That’s right, no measuring out baking powder or cake flour, just a simple box of cake mix will do the trick.
Grinch Cookie Dough
Besides how cute and fun they are, I love these grinch cookies because they are sooooo simple. There is no weighing or measuring involved, just a little mixing and rolling. To make the simple batter, begin with 1 package (8oz) of cream cheese and 1/2 cup (one stick) of unsalted butter, both softened. Beat together with a whisk or hand mixer until flight and fluffy.
Mix in one egg until fully incorporated. Now it’s time to dye it grinch green! For any recipe, I prefer gel food dye to liquid. I find it is more concentrated, so you need less of it and it does not alter the taste of whatever you are making. In these grinch cookies, I like to use a combination of green and yellow dye, to make a slightly lime color.
The key is to mix in the dye before you add the dry ingredients. It is really hard to fully incorporate the dye once you have finished the dough. It will be streaky with dye and require a lot more mixing. So add your dye right after the egg and keep playing around until it reaches a color you want. You actually want the color to be slightly darker than you want the cookies to be, because once you add the cake mix it will lighten.
When the color is perfect, mix in one box of white cake mix (NOT yellow, this will alter the color). Allow the dough to chill for at least 30 minutes, otherwise it will be too soft and sticky to roll into balls.
Baking the Cookies
While your dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350. Take your chilled dough and roll it into balls the size of a golf ball. Roll each ball in powdered sugar (you will need about a quarter cup total), and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a baking mat. It is helpful to press them down a little to ensure even cooking, as these cookies do not spread very much.
Bake for 9-10 minutes, no longer or they will begin to caramelize and burn on the bottom. Allow them to cook on the baking sheet for 3 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. While still warm, gently press in a heart shaped sprinkle or decorative candy into the center of each cookie. And that’s it! Perfect Christmas cookies.
Want More Dessert Ideas?
- Cinnamon Apple Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
- Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Raspberry Lemonade Blondies
- Peach Cobbler Cheesecake
- White Peach Sangria Cupcakes
Grinch Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- green and yellow food dye
- 1 box white cake mix
- ¼ cup powdered sugar for rolling
- red heart sprinkles or decorating candy
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350
- In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy
- Add in egg a mix. Drop in green and yellow food coloring until the mixture is the desired color (add this in before the cake mix so it is easier to incorporate the colors)
- Mix in cake mix and chill for 30 minutes
- Roll dough into golf ball sized balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 9-10 minutes
- Allow to cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes then transfer to a cooking rack. Press a sprinkle or candy into the center of each cookie and cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
