We used a cake mix to make Cut Out Sugar Cookies just by adding butter & shortening, an egg and vanilla! Easy sugar cookie recipe with no chilling required.

Grab a cake mix from your pantry and get started making the easiest sugar cookies ever. We cut them with a variety of cookie cutters and topped them with a simple royal icing that sets firm. Get ready to whip up some delicious treats with minimal effort!

Recipe Notes

• The shortening/butter blend adds both flavor and texture to the cookies and is pretty important. You can use butter flavored shortening or plain, whatever you have on hand.
• No chilling needed for these sugar cookies! The whole recipe comes together in under an hour.
• Feel free to swap out the vanilla extract for almond or lemon extract! Switch up the flavor of these cookies to experiment with the taste.

Cake Mix Sugar Cookie Ingredients

Cake mix: You will need a 13.75-oz box of white cake mix for this recipe.

Shortening: Use ½ cup of shortening, plain or butter flavored.

Butter: For extra rich cookies add some butter too.

Flour: Adding 2 TBSP of flour helps create a nice cookie texture.

Vanilla extract: Enhance the flavors of the dough with a little vanilla extract.

Egg: 1 egg in the cookie dough will help bind ingredients together.

Royal Icing

Powder sugar: For perfectly sweet icing you’ll need 4 cups of powdered sugar.

Meringue Powder: Use 5 TBSP of meringue powder or 4 eggs whites to help the icing set firm.

Water: Adding water will create a perfect icing consistency.

Tips for Making Cake Mix Cut Out Cookies

The full directions for making these cookies can be found below. Here are a few things I’d like to emphasize:

1. It’s better to use an electric mixer so that the ingredients are more evenly incorporated. This technique ensures the butter and dry ingredients are fully combined and lightened, which is crucial for achieving the desired texture in cookies
2. Use a ruler when rolling out the cookie dough so that you get the dough to ⅛ inch. If you err on one side, err on making the dough a bit thicker as thinner cookies tend to bake up crunchy.
3. Follow the royal icing directions and blend or mix the ingredients for the full 5 minutes. It makes a difference to achieve a smooth, fluffy consistency.

How long are these iced sugar cookies good for?

These cookies are best enjoyed fresh but can last up to 1 week when stored in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature to retain their softness. If you want to keep them longer, consider refrigerating them for up to 2 weeks.

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Cake Mix Sugar Cookies Recipe

We used a cake mix to make Cut Out Sugar Cookies just by adding a butter shortening blend, an egg and vanilla! Easy sugar cookie recipe with no chilling required.

Course Cookies, Dessert, treat

Cuisine American

Keyword Cake Mix Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 36 cookies

Calories 137kcal

Author Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

• 13.75 oz white Cake Mix
• ½ cup shortening
• ⅓ cup butter
• 2 TBSP flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Royal Icing

• 4 cups powdered sugar 1 lbs
• 5 TBSP Meringue Powder Or 4 eggs whites
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

• Prep: Heat the oven to 375°F.
• Cookie dough: Beat half of the cake mix, the shortening, butter, flour, vanilla, and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Then stir in remaining cake mix.
• Divide the dough into 4-equal parts, roll each part ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Cut into desired shapes and place them 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake: Place in the preheated oven and bake 5-7 minutes or until light brown. Cool 1 minute before transferring from the cookie sheet to wire rack.
• Royal Icing: Place all the icing ingredients in a blender and mix for approximately 5 minutes. This makes a thicker consistency which will be used for the border of the cookie. Transfer about ⅓ of the icing to a piping bag. We use this (white frosting) for a dam to hold in the thinner frosting that you use to flood the cookie with (other colors). You can also make them the same color if you’d like.
• Add about 2 TBSP- ¼ cup more water to the remaining icing in the blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer to bowls and add food coloring to create the colors you’d like. Ice each cookie after it's fully cooled. Top with desired sprinkles. Enjoy!

Notes

Cake mix cookies will last up to 1 week if stored in an airtight container, at room temperature. 

To freeze these cookies, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet until the icing hardens. Then, transfer them to an airtight container with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. They can last about 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 94mg | Potassium: 13mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Can you freeze these cookies frosted with royal icing?

Yes, you can totally freeze these cookies! First, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet until the icing hardens. Transfer them to an airtight container with parchment paper between layers to prevent them from sticking. When stored properly they can last about 3 months in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Can I use a different flavor cake mix for this cookie recipe?

Absolutely! You can experiment with different flavors of cake mix like chocolate, lemon, or funfetti. Each flavor will bring its unique twist to your sugar cookies, allowing for creativity and variety.

How do I ensure my royal icing on my sugar cookies sets?

To achieve perfect royal icing, ensure you sift the powdered sugar to remove lumps. Mix the icing to a consistency that holds peaks but is still flowable. Allow the decorated cookies to dry in a cool, dry place for at least 6-8 hours to ensure they harden completely.

For more tasty, easy sugar cookie recipes try these:

• These cream cheese sugar cookies are made with basic kitchen ingredients and taste like they came from a bakery!
• Our recipe for frosted lemon cookies taste incredible and have the best texture too. These cookies are topped with a lemon buttercream frosting that you will love!
• Make a batch of butter sugar cookies that are perfect for any occasion. They are topped with a simple icing and every bite is heavenly!
• Switch up the flavor slightly with these frosted brown sugar cookies, they are soft, chewy, and oh so delicious! The rich brown sugar flavor that is absolutely amazing.
• Blueberry sugar cookies are are wonderful treat to serve to family and friends! A lovely vanilla cookie dough with a blueberry frosting on top!

These Cake Mix Sugar Cookies are made with simple ingredients such as shortening, butter, and vanilla extract! An easy sugar cookie recipe that doesn’t require chilling.

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