Here are my favorite Grinch cookies made with cake mix, with melted butter, eggs, and bright green food coloring, rolled in a powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture, and topped with little heart sprinkles.
These Grinch cookies are perfect for holiday baking with the kids. They’re so easy to make and always disappear fast at Christmas parties. Plus, who doesn’t love a cookie that reminds them of that grumpy green guy?
Why You’ll Love These Grinch Cookies
- Super quick to make – These festive cookies come together in under 25 minutes, perfect for last-minute holiday baking or when you need treats in a hurry.
- Easy cake mix shortcut – Using a box of cake mix means you skip measuring out a bunch of dry ingredients and still get soft, chewy cookies every time.
- Fun for kids – The bright green color and cute heart sprinkles make these cookies a hit with children, and they’ll love helping you decorate them.
- Perfect for holiday parties – These themed cookies are a festive addition to any Christmas cookie platter and always get compliments for their playful Grinch-inspired look.
What Kind of Cake Mix Should I Use?
For Grinch cookies, you’ll want to grab a white or vanilla cake mix from the store – this gives you the perfect blank canvas to add that bright green color. Any brand will work just fine, whether you go with Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker, or your store’s generic version. The key is starting with a light-colored mix so your green food coloring really pops and gives you that true Grinch look. If you accidentally pick up a yellow cake mix, don’t worry too much – it’ll still work, but your green might turn out a bit more olive-toned instead of that bright, fun green we’re going for.
Options for Substitutions
These festive cookies are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps:
- Cake mix: Any white or vanilla cake mix works great here – the brand doesn’t really matter. Just stick with cake mix rather than trying to make these from scratch, as the mix is what gives them that soft, chewy texture.
- Unsalted butter: If you only have salted butter on hand, go ahead and use it. Just skip any additional salt the recipe might call for.
- Canola oil: Vegetable oil, melted coconut oil, or even melted butter will work just fine as a substitute.
- Green food coloring: Gel food coloring gives you the brightest green, but liquid food coloring works too – you’ll just need more drops to get that Grinch-green color. You can also use natural food coloring if you prefer.
- Heart shaped sprinkles: Get creative here! Red M&Ms, red hots candies, or even small pieces of red fruit leather cut into hearts will work. Really, any red candy or sprinkle captures that Grinch heart theme.
- Cornstarch: In a pinch, you can use an extra ¼ cup of powdered sugar instead, though the texture might be slightly different.
Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking
The biggest mistake with cake mix cookies is overmixing the dough once you add the eggs and oil, which can lead to tough, dense cookies instead of soft, chewy ones – mix just until the ingredients are combined and no dry streaks remain.
Another common error is skipping the chilling step, as warm dough spreads too quickly in the oven and results in flat, thin cookies rather than the thick, pillowy texture you want.
When adding green food coloring, start with just a few drops and gradually add more until you reach your desired Grinch-green shade, since it’s much easier to add color than to fix an overly bright batch.
Finally, don’t overbake these cookies – they should look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them out at around 10-12 minutes, as they’ll continue cooking on the baking sheet and firm up as they cool.
What to Serve With Grinch Cookies?
These festive green cookies are perfect for holiday parties, so I love setting them out on a platter with other Christmas treats like sugar cookies, peppermint bark, and chocolate fudge. A tall glass of cold milk is always a must for dunking, but hot chocolate works great too if you’re going for that cozy winter vibe. Kids especially love these cookies as an after-school snack during December, and they make adorable additions to cookie exchange parties or as edible gifts in a decorative tin. You can also crumble them over vanilla ice cream for a fun holiday dessert or pack them in lunch boxes to spread some Christmas cheer throughout the season.
Storage Instructions
Store: These festive cookies stay soft and chewy when kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Just make sure they’re completely cooled before stacking them, or the heart sprinkles might stick together a bit.
Freeze: Grinch cookies freeze really well, which is great for holiday prep! Layer them between parchment paper in a freezer-safe container and they’ll keep for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the dough balls before baking and pop them straight into the oven when you need fresh cookies.
Serve: Let frozen cookies thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. If you froze the dough, just add a couple extra minutes to the baking time since they’ll be going in cold.
| Preparation Time | 10-15 minutes |
| Cooking Time | 8-10 minutes |
| Total Time | 18-25 minutes |
| Level of Difficulty | Easy |
Estimated Nutrition
Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):
- Calories: 2500-2700
- Protein: 20-24 g
- Fat: 85-95 g
- Carbohydrates: 400-440 g
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter (I use Kerrygold for rich flavor)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- green food coloring (gel or liquid, about 3-5 drops for vibrant color)
- 15.25 oz cake mix (any flavor works, but vanilla or lemon is ideal)
For the coating:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (for a unique texture and shine)
For the decoration:
- heart shaped sprinkles (optional but recommended for the Grinch theme)
Step 1: Prepare Your Setup and Mise en Place
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a shallow bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch—this mixture will coat your cookies and give them that signature crackled, shiny Grinch look.
Set this coating mixture aside within easy reach, as you’ll use it right after scooping the dough.
Step 2: Create the Wet Base with Butter and Eggs
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- 2 large eggs
In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, canola oil, and room-temperature eggs.
Beat them together for about 30 seconds until the mixture is light and well combined.
Using room-temperature eggs is important here—they blend more smoothly into the fat, creating a better emulsion and more cohesive dough.
The oil adds tenderness to these cake-mix cookies, which is a nice contrast to their crispy-crackled exterior.
Step 3: Incorporate Cake Mix and Green Color
- 15.25 oz cake mix
- green food coloring
Add the entire cake mix to the wet mixture and stir until just combined—don’t overmix, as this will overwork the gluten and make the cookies tough.
Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, add 3-5 drops of green food coloring (start with 3 drops and add more if you want a deeper, more sinister Grinch green).
Fold the coloring in gently until the dough is evenly tinted throughout.
I prefer gel food coloring here because it gives a more vibrant green without adding extra liquid that can throw off the dough’s consistency.
Step 4: Coat and Shape the Cookie Dough
- green dough mixture from Step 3
- powdered sugar and cornstarch coating from Step 1
Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop rounded portions of the green dough and drop them directly into the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture from Step 1.
Roll each scoop gently to coat all sides evenly—this coating creates the crackled, textured surface that makes these cookies visually appealing and gives them a delicate crispy exterior.
Place each coated cookie about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets, as they will spread slightly during baking.
Step 5: Bake Until Just Set
Bake the cookies in your preheated 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes.
The cookies should look slightly underdone on top—they’ll have a soft center with those beautiful crackled edges.
The exact time depends on your oven and the size of your scoops, so start checking at 8 minutes.
Don’t overbake these, or they’ll lose their tender cake-like texture and the powdered sugar coating will begin to brown rather than stay white and contrasted.
Step 6: Cool and Serve
- heart shaped sprinkles
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes—this allows them to set up enough to handle without breaking apart.
Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
If you’re using heart-shaped sprinkles for the Grinch theme, press them gently onto the warm cookies right after removing them from the oven so they’ll stick.
The contrast between the soft, cake-like interior and the crackled, powdered sugar coating becomes even more pronounced as they cool.
Quick Grinch Cookies with Cake Mix
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter (I use Kerrygold for rich flavor)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp canola oil
- green food coloring (gel or liquid, about 3-5 drops for vibrant color)
- 15.25 oz cake mix (any flavor works, but vanilla or lemon is ideal)
For the coating:
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (for a unique texture and shine)
For the decoration:
- heart shaped sprinkles (optional but recommended for the Grinch theme)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a shallow bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch—this mixture will coat your cookies and give them that signature crackled, shiny Grinch look. Set this coating mixture aside within easy reach, as you'll use it right after scooping the dough.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, canola oil, and room-temperature eggs. Beat them together for about 30 seconds until the mixture is light and well combined. Using room-temperature eggs is important here—they blend more smoothly into the fat, creating a better emulsion and more cohesive dough. The oil adds tenderness to these cake-mix cookies, which is a nice contrast to their crispy-crackled exterior.
- Add the entire cake mix to the wet mixture and stir until just combined—don't overmix, as this will overwork the gluten and make the cookies tough. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, add 3-5 drops of green food coloring (start with 3 drops and add more if you want a deeper, more sinister Grinch green). Fold the coloring in gently until the dough is evenly tinted throughout. I prefer gel food coloring here because it gives a more vibrant green without adding extra liquid that can throw off the dough's consistency.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, scoop rounded portions of the green dough and drop them directly into the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture from Step 1. Roll each scoop gently to coat all sides evenly—this coating creates the crackled, textured surface that makes these cookies visually appealing and gives them a delicate crispy exterior. Place each coated cookie about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets, as they will spread slightly during baking.
- Bake the cookies in your preheated 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes. The cookies should look slightly underdone on top—they'll have a soft center with those beautiful crackled edges. The exact time depends on your oven and the size of your scoops, so start checking at 8 minutes. Don't overbake these, or they'll lose their tender cake-like texture and the powdered sugar coating will begin to brown rather than stay white and contrasted.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes—this allows them to set up enough to handle without breaking apart. Transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. If you're using heart-shaped sprinkles for the Grinch theme, press them gently onto the warm cookies right after removing them from the oven so they'll stick. The contrast between the soft, cake-like interior and the crackled, powdered sugar coating becomes even more pronounced as they cool.
