These fun, whimsical, bright, and tasty Grinch Cookies made with cake mix are the perfect holiday baking and perfect for cookie exchanges.
They’re soft in texture, chewy, buttery, almond extract flavored, and sprinkled with red, green, with the addition of mini chocolate chips, then finished with a red candy right in the center.
The cookies bring a holiday spirit to the tray with the Grinch's classic Christmas story.
A simple recipe starting with a boxed cake mix, making it ideal for busy families, last-minute office parties, baking sessions, or festive school parties.
Why You Will Love These Grinch Cookies
- Super easy: Cake mix cookies require minimal measuring and come together in minutes.
- Perfect for kids: Tinting the dough green and adding a “Grinch red candy” makes this a fun holiday activity for little helpers.
- Festive & Holiday-ready: These bright green Christmas cookies stand out on any cookie platter.
- Soft and chewy: The cake mix ensures a tender texture every time.
- Customizable: Use heart candies found in most craft stores or online, IE, Walmart (holiday baking aisle), Michaels or Hobby Lobby (cake decorating section, )Amazon (year-round availability)Local grocery stores with seasonal baking supplies, cinnamon red hots, or pipe your own icing hearts.
Mix In's Ideas for Variety
- Dried chopped cherries in green or red
- Peanut butter chips
- Flavored chocolate chips
- Pistachios or Macadamia nuts
- Raisins or Craisins
- Chocolate chips or chunks for a rich twist
- White chocolate chips and dried cranberries for a festive combo
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Toasted coconut for extra chewiness
- Butterscotch chips for a buttery, sweet flavor
- Add extra colorful, shaped sprinkle assortments for Christmas
Tips for Making Perfect Grinch Cookies
- Don’t overbake: These cookies should look soft in the center when you pull them out—the heat from the tray will finish baking them.
- If the dough is too sticky, refrigerating the dough helps firm it up for cleaner shaping.
- Use gel food coloring: Gel creates a bold green without thinning your dough.
- Add the candy AFTER baking: Candies melt or discolor in the oven, so press them into the hot cookies right after baking.
- Piping option: For a smooth, bakery-style red heart, pipe a small heart shape using red royal icing or red candy melts once the cookies have fully cooled.
Festive Grinch Cookies Pin for Later
Final Thoughts on Making Christmas Festive Grinch Cookies
These Festive Grinch Cookies aren’t just adorable it's a life long memories to create a fun, memorable holiday baking moments special.Kids love mixing in the green color, adding mini chips, and sprinkles to the dough with the addition of ending after the cookies are still warm that little signature red heart.
Whether you’re making them for a classroom party, bringing some to the neighbors, an addition to that cookie tray, or even a movie night with hot cocoa, these cookies bring smiles and create traditions that last long after the holidays.
Festive Grinch Cookies
Yield: 30
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 27 Min
These fun, whimsical, bright, and tasty Grinch Cookies made with cake mix are the perfect holiday baking and perfect for cookie exchanges.
Ingredients
- 1 - 15.25-ounce box of Christmas funfetti seasonal cake mix (or white cake mix and add 1/2 cup of Christmas sprinkles)
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 stick (1/2 cup butter) softened (if you melt this, then refrigerate the dough for 1 hour)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- green food gel, around 1/4 teaspoon or 3 drops of food coloring in the bottle
- 2 large eggs
- Garnish and roll the cookies in before baking:
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
- After baking:
- While cookies are still warm, add either red cinnamon candies, red heart candies ( or, after cookies cool, pipe hearts with frosting on the cookies).
- Optional: sprinkle with more powdered sugar if desired after baking
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the butter. food coloring, eggs, mini chips, funfetti cake mix, oil, and almond extract all together.
- Roll into balls by hand (or use a small cookie scoop, then roll them for even-sized cookies).
- Roll them into a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar and place them on the baking sheet.
- Bake 10 to 12 minutes just until set and edges are golden. (Baking time varies depending on the size cookies you're making.)
- Remove from the oven.
- While still warm, place the heart candies or cinnamon candies in the center of each cookie.
- If piping hearts on top, cool completely first.
- More powdered sugar can be sprinkled on each cookie after cooling if desired.
Notes
Mix In's Ideas for Variety
- Dried chopped cherries in green or red
- Peanut butter chips
- Flavored chocolate chips
- Pistachios or Macadamia nuts
- Raisins or Craisins
- Chocolate chips or chunks for a rich twist
- White chocolate chips and dried cranberries for a festive combo
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Toasted coconut for extra chewiness
- Butterscotch chips for a buttery, sweet flavor
- Add extra colorful, shaped sprinkle assortments for Christmas
Tips for Making Perfect Grinch Cookies
- Don’t overbake: These cookies should look soft in the center when you pull them out—the heat from the tray will finish baking them.
- If the dough is too sticky, refrigerating the dough helps firm it up for cleaner shaping.
- Use gel food coloring: Gel creates a bold green without thinning your dough.
- Add the candy AFTER baking: Candies melt or discolor in the oven, so press them into the hot cookies right after baking.
- Piping option: For a smooth, bakery-style red heart, pipe a small heart shape using red royal icing or red candy melts once the cookies have fully cooled.
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Festive Grinch Cookies Pin for Later
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