Description
These Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies are a delightful twist on traditional cookies, combining the sweet, fruity flavor of strawberry cake with a soft, buttery cookie texture. Featuring a vibrant pink hue and a luscious homemade buttercream filling, these sandwich cookies are perfect for parties, bake sales, or a special treat any time of year.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 (15.25 oz) strawberry cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups sanding sugar
Buttercream Filling
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (1 cup), softened
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 cup heavy cream (2 tablespoons)
- 6 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.
- Prepare Dough: In a mixing bowl, combine the strawberry cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil. Stir until just combined to form your cookie dough—avoid overmixing to keep the cookies tender.
- Shape & Coat: Use a cookie scoop or spoon to portion the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in sanding sugar thoroughly to achieve a sparkling outer crust.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange the sugared dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart to allow room for spreading. Bake in the preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers remain soft.
- Cool Completely: Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting to prevent melting the buttercream.
- Make Buttercream: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the pinch of salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and heavy cream, and beat until combined.
- Add Powdered Sugar: Gradually add the powdered sugar to the butter mixture, beating on low speed at first, then increasing to high speed. Whip until the mixture is light, fluffy, and smooth.
- Assemble Cookies: Using a piping bag or spoon, pipe or spread a generous amount of buttercream onto the flat side of one cookie and sandwich it with another. Repeat with remaining cookies.
Notes
- Store sandwich cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
- For a more intense strawberry flavor, add 1 teaspoon of strawberry extract to the dough or buttercream.
- Ensure cookies are fully cooled before applying buttercream to avoid melting.
- Sanding sugar gives a nice crunch and sparkle, but regular granulated sugar can be used as a substitute.
- This recipe yields soft, cake-like cookies that are thicker and more tender than traditional cookies.
