COLORFUL COOKIES

Jessica — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 14:18:00 +0000

Bright & Fun Colorful Cookies start with a simple box of white cake mix! Rolled in sugar and tinted with vibrant food coloring, they’re an easy treat that turns basic pantry staples into a rainbow of sweetness.

These colorful cookies are always a hit whenever I make them, and kids absolutely love picking out their favorite bright colors. I love that they start with a simple cake mix, which means I can whip up a batch with hardly any effort and still get perfectly soft, chewy cookies every time. One batch makes about two dozen, so there’s plenty to share (or keep a few extra for myself!). They come together so quickly, you’ll be reaching for a glass of milk before you know it.

Recipe Highlights

Starts with Cake Mix – Using a boxed white cake mix keeps this recipe incredibly simple while still delivering soft, chewy cookies with perfect consistency every time.
Bright, Customizable Colors – Divide the dough and tint it any shades you like, making these cookies perfect for back-to-school parties, birthdays, team colors, or holiday themes.
Quick & Kid-Friendly – With just a few ingredients and minimal prep time, you can have two dozen festive cookies ready fast—and kids love helping mix the colors and roll them in sugar!

Cake Mix Cookie Ingredients

15.25 oz white cake mix – The dry cake mix forms the base of the recipe, providing structure, sweetness, and that perfectly soft, chewy cookie texture.

⅓ cup vegetable oil – The oil adds moisture and richness, keeping the cookies tender and preventing them from drying out.

2 large eggs – The eggs bind the dough together and help create a soft, slightly puffy cookie.

Food coloring (as desired) – Food coloring gives each portion of dough its bright, fun shade, making these cookies festive and customizable.

½ cup granulated sugar (for rolling) – Rolling the dough balls in sugar adds a light crunch on the outside and an extra touch of sweetness.

Tips for making perfect Colorful Cookies

Chill the Dough for Brighter Colors & Thicker Cookies – Don’t skip the 45-minute chill time; it helps prevent spreading and keeps the colors from blending together too much while baking.
Use White Cake Mix for True Colors – Yellow cake mix will tint your dough and alter the final shades, so stick with white cake mix if you want bold, vibrant colors.
Avoid Overbaking – The cookies should look slightly puffy and just set in the center when you pull them out (about 8–9 minutes); they’ll finish baking on the sheet and stay soft instead of turning dry.
Gel Food Coloring Gives More Vibrant Results – Liquid food coloring works, but gel coloring produces brighter hues without thinning the dough.

How long are these Rainbow cookies good for?

These cookies stay soft and fresh for about 4–5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you want to keep them longer, they freeze beautifully.

You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container (layered with parchment paper), or freeze the dough balls before baking for up to 3 months—just bake straight from frozen and add an extra 1–2 minutes to the bake time.

Colorful Cookies

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Colorful Cookies

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 9

Chill 1

Total Time 1 29

Servings cookies

Calories 114kcal

Author Jessica & Nellie

Ingredients

15.25 oz white cake mix
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Food coloring of choice
½ cup granulated sugar

Instructions

Add the cake mix, vegetable oil, and eggs to a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat until combined.
Divide the dough into the number of different colors you want (we did 5). Mix each portion of dough with the desired color. Using a single hand mixer beater will give you the most even color and easiest mixing method.
Cover the bowls of dough and place in the fridge to chill for 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Use two teaspoons to portion out the dough into dollops, using the spoons to work the dough back and forth between them until the dough drops onto the parchment since it will be very sticky. Drop one dollop of each color dough per cookie.
Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop the dollops together then gently roll into balls, you want to avoid getting food coloring all over your hands. Then roll the balls in the sugar to coat. Place the balls of dough on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Bake for 8 to 9 minutes. Do not over bake these cookies, they will look puffy and slightly underdone, but they will finish cooking on the baking sheet after coming out of the oven.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve & enjoy!

Notes

These cookies stay fresh for 4–5 days in an airtight container at room temperature.

They also freeze well—store baked cookies for up to 2 months, or freeze dough balls for up to 3 months and bake straight from frozen, adding 1–2 extra minutes.

Nutrition

Which food coloring works best for cookies?

I used Wilton color performance dye, but you could also use regular food coloring or gel coloring. These will have varying strengths and certain colors may transfer off of the other dough more than others.

Can I add sprinkles or mix-ins?

Yes! Stir in sprinkles, white chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips for extra texture and flavor.

Do I have to chill cookie dough before baking?

It is extremely important that you chill these cookies for at least 45 minutes and not longer than 1 hour. The dough will be too soft to shape and roll without chilling. Prior to the 1 hour mark, these cookies really puff up and have more of a soft and chewy texture, after 1 hour they can become hard and crunchy.

Why do the cookies look underbaked when I take them out?

They should look slightly puffy and just set in the center at 8–9 minutes; they’ll finish baking on the hot pan as they cool, keeping them soft and chewy.

More Cake Mix Cookie recipes to try:

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies are soft, chewy, and bursting with sweet strawberry flavor, made easy with just a cake mix, eggs, butter, and pink candies! 💖🍪 Perfect for Valentine’s Day—or anytime you want a pop of pink and sweetness.
These Cake Mix Peanut Butter Blossoms are soft, chewy, and packed with peanut butter goodness—plus a Hershey’s Kiss right in the center. They’re quick, easy, and totally irresistible!
Caramel Spice Cake Mix Cookies are bursting with warm fall flavors, crunchy pecans, and sweet caramel chips! With just 5 simple ingredients, they’re the easiest way to enjoy a cozy, seasonal treat.
Our recipe for Caramel Apple Cake Mix Cookies are packed with chunks of apple and gooey Rolo candies—just like a bite of a caramel apple. Super easy to make with a simple cake mix!
These Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies are made in just minutes with 5 simple ingredients! The ultimate easy chocolate cookie recipe for when you want decadent cookies fast.
Strawberry Lemonade Cake Mix Cookies are soft, crinkly, and bursting with the perfect mix of tart lemon and sweet strawberry from freeze-dried berries!

You’re going to love these bright, fun, and easy Colorful Cookies! Made with a simple boxed cake mix, they’re the perfect soft, chewy treat for back-to-school snacks or anytime you need a pop of color and sweetness.

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