Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies with Buttercream

Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies with buttercream are Santa approved. I’ve dressed up a soft and fluffy cake mix cookie with peppermint buttercream.  They are perfect for any holiday cookie platter or for snacking on after a marathon wrapping session!

If you’re looking for more cookies to leave out for Santa I’ve heard first hand that he likes Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies and Soft-Baked Christmas Sprinkle Cookies along with a mug of Butterscotch Schnapps Spiked Hot Chocolate.

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Christmas Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies

Last Saturday I spent 16 hours in my kitchen!  I made a Red Velvet Rose Cake for my aunt’s surprise 70th birthday and I made several batches of holiday cookies.

When you are doing that much in one day, they have to be easy…….if you know me, you know I’m all about doing things the easy way! 😉 Check out my 10 Tips for Holiday Cookie Baking

I first shared these Christmas cake mix cookies over at Katrina’s Kitchen. They are one of my favorite “go-to” cookies with a Christmas twist……Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies with Buttercream!

Cake mix cookies are so simple, and chances are you have everything you need to make them – any flavor cake mix, oil, and eggs! That’s it!  For super quick and easy you can top them with canned frosting, or no frosting and add a little Cool Whip to the batter and roll in powdered sugar as I did for Lemon Burst cookies.  It’s such a versatile recipe, it’s easy to change it up like I did this year for my holiday cookie platter.

I couldn’t decide between chocolate or vanilla Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies, so I made a batch of each.

How To Make Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies With Buttercream

(full printable recipe at the end of this post)

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine cake mix, 2 eggs, and vegetable or canola oil and mix using an electric mixer until well combined.
3. Form cookie dough into 1-inch balls (I like to use a cookie scoop so they are all the same size) and place on a prepared cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven for approximately 9 minutes.
4. Let the cookies cool and then frost with peppermint buttercream frosting.

FOR THE PEPPERMINT BUTTERCREAM:

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed (I set my KitchenAid mixer on speed 4). Butter will become pale and creamy.
2. Add remaining ingredients (see notes about food color) and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 6 minutes. Frosting will be very light and fluffy.

Using an off-set spatula frost each cookie, and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Notes and Tips For Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies

• Frosting is best used right away for ideal spreading consistency.
• My frosting is pink because I used a little red gel food color – you could use pink, green or even leave it white.
• This is NOT a crusting buttercream, so the frosting will not harden. I left them out overnight before I packaged them. If you’d rather have a more firm buttercream, you could use this recipe for quick crusting buttercream and add peppermint extract.
• You could add peppermint extract to the cookie dough.  If you do this, I would replace the peppermint extract in the frosting with vanilla extract,

These Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies with Buttercream were part of the 2nd annual I’ll Bring the Cookies virtual cookie party, where 23 bloggers are sharing a different cookie recipe every day in December before Christmas. There are some pretty fabulous bakers joining in,  be sure to bookmark it so you don’t miss a single crumb!

Like This Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies with Buttercream Recipe? Pin It!

What cookies do you bake every year?  Do you try new recipes or stick with only what you know they love?

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Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies with Buttercream

Yield: 36

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Total Time: 29 minutes

Print

Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies with buttercream are Santa approved. I've dressed up an easy cake mix cookie with peppermint buttercream.  Perfect for any holiday cookie platter.

Ingredients

For the Cookies

• Box of Cake Mix (any flavor – I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge and French Vanilla)
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable Oil (use amount called for on box directions for cake recipe)

For the Frosting:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
• 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 5-6 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 2 teaspoon peppermint extract
• red gel food coloring (optional - you could leave the frosting white)
• Pinch of salt
• Crushed candy canes, for garnish

Instructions

For the Cookies:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Place all cookie ingredients in a large mixing bowl, Using an electric mixer mix until well combined.
3. Form cookie dough into 1-inch balls (I like to use a cookie scoop so they are all the same size) and place on a prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for approximately 9 minutes.
5. Let cool before frosting.

For the Frosting:

1. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, whip butter for 8 minutes on medium speed (I set my KitchenAid mixer on speed 4). Butter will become pale and creamy.
2. Add remaining ingredients (see notes about food color) and mix on low speed for 1 minute, then on medium speed for 6 minutes. Frosting will be very light and fluffy.

To Assemble

1. Using an off-set spatula frost each cookie and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Notes

• Frosting is best used right away for ideal spreading consistency.
• My frosting is pink because I only used a little red get color - you could use pink, green or even leave it white.
• This is NOT a crusting buttercream, so the frosting will not harden. I left them out overnight before I packaged them. If you'd rather have a more firm buttercream, you could recipe for quick crusting buttercream and add peppermint extract.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  KitchenAid 7-Quart Pro Stand Mixer
• 
  KitchenAid Hand Mixer
• 
  Glass Mixing Bowls
• 
  Pure Peppermint Extract
• 
  Red Gel Paste Food Color
• 
  Aluminum Baker's Half Sheet Pan
• 
  Cookie Scoop
• 
   Peppermint Crunch Sprinkles
• 
  Cooling Racks
• 
  Offset  Spatula

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 165Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 115mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 19gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used.

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