Listen, there are times when you need cookies and you need them NOW. Maybe the kids just announced a bake sale tomorrow, or your neighbor dropped off dinner when you were sick, or you’re hosting book club in two hours and completely forgot about dessert. Cool whip cookies are your salvation.
This isn’t some complicated recipe that requires perfect timing or fancy techniques. You literally dump four ingredients in a bowl, stir, and bake. The result? Impossibly soft, pillowy cookies that taste like they came from a fancy bakery. The secret is that tub of Cool Whip sitting in your freezer – it acts as both the fat and creates the most incredible tender texture.
These cookies stay soft for days (seriously, DAYS), they’re practically foolproof, and they’re ready from start to finish in about 20 minutes. Perfect for beginners who get intimidated by traditional cookie recipes, busy parents who need something quick, or anyone who appreciates maximum results with minimum effort.
*Before You Start: You’ll find more explanation here than a basic recipe. That’s intentional, the aim is to educate, not just instruct.
Here’s Why You’re Going to Love This Cookies
❃ Ridiculously simple: No creaming butter, no chilling dough, no complicated steps, just mix the ingredients and bake. Perfect for when you want homemade cookies without the fuss.
❃ Actually foolproof: Nearly impossible to mess up, even if you’re a total beginner. These cookies turn out soft, fluffy, and delicious every single time.
❃ Stays incredibly soft: Thanks to the addition of Cool Whip, these cookies don’t go stale like regular cookies. They stay tender and pillowy, making them perfect for enjoying over several days.
❃ Endless variations: Use any cake mix flavor to completely change the cookies’ taste, chocolate, red velvet, funfetti, you name it. Each flavor is a new adventure.
❃ Great with kids: Safe, easy, and fun to make, these cookies are a fantastic baking activity for little hands. Kids love mixing, scooping, and tasting their creations.
❃ Emergency-ready: Uses ingredients most people already have on hand, so you can whip up a batch whenever a cookie craving strikes, or when unexpected guests show up.
What You’ll Need!
✾ The Magic Four:
• 1 box (15.25 oz) cake mix (yellow works great, but any flavor rocks)
• 1 container (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
✾ For rolling (totally optional):
• ½ cup powdered sugar
Real talk on ingredients:
Cake mix brand matters: Stick with name brands like Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker. The cheap stuff sometimes has weird ratios that throw off the texture.
Cool Whip temperatur: Thawed but still cold is perfect. If it’s soupy, toss it in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Any cake mix flavor works: Chocolate makes fudgy cookies, strawberry makes pretty pink ones, funfetti adds sprinkles. Get creative!
Skip the sugar coating if you want: they’re delicious either way.
How to Make It!
➲ Get your oven ready
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Don’t skip the parchment, it prevents sticking and keeps your cookies perfectly soft and round. This small step makes cleanup a breeze, too.
➲ Mix the wet stuff
Grab a large mixing bowl and gently fold together the Cool Whip and egg. It might look a bit lumpy at first, and that’s totally normal, don’t worry, it will all come together once you add the rest. Stir in the vanilla extract for a touch of warmth and depth of flavor, giving the mixture another gentle fold until it’s combined.
➲ Add the cake mix
Pour the entire box of cake mix into your bowl and gently fold it into the Cool Whip mixture. You’re aiming for a soft, slightly sticky dough. Don’t overmix, just fold until everything comes together. Overmixing can make the cookies tough, and we definitely want soft, pillowy perfection.
➲ Let it chill for a sec
Give the dough a quick 5-minute rest. This allows the cake mix to absorb the moisture from the Cool Whip, making the dough easier to handle and helping your cookies keep their shape during baking.
➲ Shape your cookies
Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion out walnut-sized balls of dough. If you’re rolling them in powdered sugar, do it gently so you don’t compress the dough. Place the cookies on your prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart to give them room to spread slightly as they bake.
➲ Bake ’em
Slide your cookie sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 10–12 minutes. Keep an eye on them, your cookies are ready when the edges look set but the centers still seem slightly underdone. Don’t wait for them to look fully baked; they’ll continue cooking on the hot pan and come out perfectly soft and tender.
➲ Cool down
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This short cooling period helps them firm up slightly and prevents any breakage or crumbling. After that, they’re ready to enjoy, soft, pillowy, and utterly irresistible.
Pro Tips That Actually Matter
❃ Don’t overbake these babies: Seriously, they look underdone when they’re perfect. Take them out when the edges are barely set and the centers still look soft. They’ll continue cooking on the hot pan, giving you that soft, pillowy texture every time.
❃ Sticky dough driving you nuts?: Pop the whole bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes. This little trick makes scooping and shaping a breeze, no more sticky fingers or dough clinging to your hands.
❃ Make a double batch: This recipe doubles perfectly, and the shaped dough balls freeze like a dream. That way, you can bake fresh cookies anytime, perfect for busy days or unexpected guests.
❃ Storage hack: Keep finished Cool Whip cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread. Sounds odd, but it keeps them bakery-soft for over a week, so you always have a ready-to-eat treat.
❃ Flavor experimenting: Try lemon cake mix with a little lemon zest, or chocolate cake mix with mini chocolate chips. The possibilities are endless, and each variation is just as easy and delicious as the original.
Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers
➲ Can I make these ahead of time?
Absolutely! The shaped dough balls freeze for months – just bake them straight from frozen (add a minute or two to the time). Baked cookies stay perfect in an airtight container for about a week.
➲ What if my Cool Whip got too warm and soupy?
Been there! Stick the whole mixture in the fridge for 20-30 minutes until it firms up. The dough will be much easier to work with.
➲ Can I use sugar-free or light Cool Whip?
Yep, both work fine! The texture might be slightly different, but they still turn out soft and delicious.
➲ My cookies spread out flat – what happened?
Usually means the dough was too warm or the Cool Whip was too soft. Next time, chill everything down and make sure your Cool Whip is cold but thawed.
Wrapping It Up
These cool whip cookies are basically magic disguised as a simple recipe. They’re the kind of cookies that make people ask for the recipe, then refuse to believe it’s really that easy. The texture is unlike anything else – soft, tender, almost cake-like but definitely still a cookie.
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Made these cake mix cookies? I’d love to hear how they turned out! Drop a comment below and share your experience, did they come out soft and pillowy like you hoped? Did you try any fun twists, like adding chocolate chips, a sprinkle of sea salt, or using a funfetti cake mix? Every variation is worth celebrating and can inspire other home bakers to get creative.
These cookies are perfect for a quick treat, after-school snack, or dessert for unexpected guests. Their soft, chewy texture, easy prep, and endless flavor possibilities make them a hit for both kids and adults.
If these cake mix cookies became a new favorite in your kitchen, save the recipe to your Pinterest board so you can easily find it whenever a cookie craving strikes. That way, you’ll always have a go-to recipe ready for last-minute baking or when you want to experiment with new flavors.
Cool Whip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box 15.25 oz cake mix (yellow works great, but any flavor rocks)
- 1 container 8 oz Cool Whip, thawed
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, gently fold together Cool Whip, egg, and vanilla until combined.
- The mixture may look slightly lumpy – this is normal.
- Add Cake Mix: Fold in the entire box of cake mix until soft, sticky dough forms. Don’t overmix.
- Let dough rest 5 minutes.
- Shape Cookies: Scoop dough into walnut-sized balls.
- Roll in powdered sugar if desired. Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake: Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set but centers still look slightly underdone. Don’t overbake.
- Cool: Let cookies rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
- Store in airtight container up to one week.
