These cake batter chocolate chip cookies are a cross between soft-baked chocolate chip cookies and funfetti cake. For over a decade, this has remained one of the most popular cookie recipes on my website, and after baking a batch, you’ll taste why. If you love chocolate chip cookies and sneaking a taste of cake batter, you will love these fun cookies!
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
Since 2012, this recipe for cake batter chocolate chip cookies has consistently been one of my most popular cookie recipes.
It was my very first recipe to “go viral,” which led to an appearance on Good Morning America and in People magazine. It even caught the eye of a cookbook publisher… which led to my first published cookbook, Sally’s Baking Addiction. (And they’re on the book cover, too!)
They’re like chocolate chip cookies and confetti cake in one irresistible treat.
What Makes Them a Fan Favorite?
- Soft-baked chewy centers with crispy edges
- Sweet, buttery cake batter flavor
- Loaded with both chocolate and white chocolate morsels
- Customize the sprinkle colors to fit a party or holiday theme
- Freeze wonderfully, both before and after baking
- Make fantastic cookie ice cream sandwiches
- A birthday party in cookie form!
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Just skim through some of the comments and reviews fans of these cake batter chocolate chip cookies have left over the years:
One reader, Kim, commented: “Still one of my favorite recipes after over a decade! ★★★★★“
One reader, Katie, commented: “Love making this recipe for birthdays and holidays with themed sprinkles!! Always a hit. People are always surprised how AMAZING they are, much more than a basic chocolate chip cookie!! ★★★★★”
One reader, Geri, commented: “Everyone needs to try these at least once and after that, you’ll know one time isn’t enough. I love them with regular vanilla cake mix but we use the butter flavor cake mix sometimes too. Very chewy and soft cookies with fun flavor, kids and adults alike can’t get enough of them. ★★★★★”
Cake Batter Cookie Dough Ingredients:
The cookie dough is made from your standard cookie ingredients: flour, leavener, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. What makes these cookies stand out in the crowded arena of cookie recipes is the add-ins:
- Cake Mix: My team and I prefer baking from scratch, but adding dry cake mix is the SECRET to this recipe. I usually reach for vanilla cake mix, but any flavor you love works. You won’t need the whole box of cake mix, so use the leftovers another time to make a batch of cake batter rice krispie treats!
- Chocolate Chips & White Morsels: I love to use a mix of both in these cookies. Semi-sweet chocolate chips make them taste like classic chocolate chip cookies, while white chocolate morsels taste like frosting—adding to the flavor that’s reminiscent of birthday cake.
- Sprinkles: Use your favorite color sprinkles here! I used rainbow sprinkles today, but love switching them up for different holidays. You can customize these cookies with a mix of specific colors or holiday sprinkles. Have fun with them!
And if you’d like to try Oreos as an add-in, see my similar recipe for cake batter Oreo cookies.
Best Sprinkles to Use
I’ve been baking sprinkles into cookie doughs and cake batters for years and have learned exactly which sprinkles work, and which don’t. Happy to share my best advice:
- Do not use nonpareils (the little balls) in dough/batter. They will bleed their color as you fold them in, resulting in a less-than-appetizing-color baked good.
- Rainbow sprinkles (aka “jimmies”) sold in the U.S. are intensely colored, but sprinkles sold in other countries may lose their color when baked. “Sugar strands” may be the same shape as jimmies, but they dissolve in wet batter/dough. For best results, try to use American-style rainbow sprinkles. I also really like Canadian-brand Sweetapolita sprinkles.
- Confetti quins (the little discs) are also great to use in sprinkle cookies and cakes. They rarely bleed their color in batter.
- Be careful using naturally colored sprinkles. They are wonderful as decoration, but—depending on the brand—can lose their color in doughs and batters.
Overview: How to Make Them
The cookie dough does need to chill, so if you’re in a rush, try these giant chocolate chip cookies instead (no dough chilling!).
Sift the dry ingredients together.
Cream the wet ingredients together. Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Then add the chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Chill the cookie dough. This step is imperative. If you skip it, your cookies will spread into a flat, greasy mess. Chilling the dough for at least 2 hours firms up the butter, allows the flour to absorb the wet ingredients, and helps prevent the cookies from overspreading. If you’re interested, I wrote a post all about how to prevent cookies from spreading. It’s helpful to read before making ANY batch of cookies.
Roll the cookie dough into balls. Use about 1.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. Shape your cookie dough balls to be taller than they are wide—see my tall cookie trick below.
Bake. Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly browned. The centers will still appear very soft, but they’ll continue to set as the cookies cool. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops. This is just for looks!
My Tall Cookie Trick
Before I leave you with the recipe, here’s one final tip. Use my favorite tall cookie trick to reduce excess spreading. Roll your dough balls to be taller rather than wider. This doesn’t necessarily mean using more dough per cookie—we’ll simply shape the cookie dough ball to be nice and tall, with a firm solid bottom to ensure the cookie doesn’t topple over as it bakes. This one trick gives us perfectly thick and chewy cookies every time.
By the way, if you can’t get enough cake batter flavor, try these cake batter blondies. Or give someone special a delicious start to their special day with birthday cake cinnamon rolls or birthday cake pancakes.
You can even sandwich ice cream between two cookies to make a birthday cookie ice cream sandwich. Enjoy right away or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to eat.
Print
Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 28-32 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These cake batter chocolate chip cookies are a cross between delicious, soft-baked chocolate chip cookies and sprinkle-filled funfetti cake. If you like chocolate chip cookies and you like the flavor of cake batter, you will love these soft & chewy cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cup (167g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/4 cup (190g) yellow or vanilla boxed cake mix (not the whole box and you just need the DRY mix)*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) chocolate chips (I use 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup semi-sweet)
- 1/2 cup (80g) sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift flour, cake mix, salt, and baking soda together. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and beat on high until combined. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low-medium speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and sprinkles. Mix on low until the add-ins are evenly combined.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 3-4 days. This step is imperative. The dough is fairly sticky, so chilling the dough is required in order to avoid the cookies from spreading too much. If you chill longer than 2 hours, make sure you roll the cookie dough into balls after the 2 hour mark. Place dough balls on a plate, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You may also freeze the balls at this point for up to 3 months. (Then bake as directed adding 1 minute to the bake time without thawing.)
- Once dough has been chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies).
- Scoop rounded balls of the cold dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, use around 1.5 Tablespoons (about 35g) of cookie dough per cookie. A medium cookie scoop is helpful for this. Shape your cookie dough balls to be “taller” than they are wide, as pictured above. Make sure to keep dough refrigerated when working in batches.
- Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. The centers will still appear very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies. This is optional and only for looks.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. See step 3. Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well up to 3 months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cake Mix: You can use funfetti cake mix and leave out the sprinkles called for in this recipe. I usually use vanilla cake mix. Remember, you only need 1 and 1/4 cups of dry mix. Not the whole box. Gluten free cake mix is not recommended.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Your site is a go-to for me when I am looking for a new recipe. I know that some professional bakeries use cake mix in their cookies so I am excited to try this recipe. I do wonder though, do you have any suggestions for the left over cake mix? I would of course prefer to not waste it. Thanks for all your great ideas!
I made 2 batches out of 1 box… then there wasn’t as much cake mix left that I threw away.
Christy, I found this link in a comment thread on a different recipe… a collection of recipes on this site that use cake mix! https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/tag/cake-mix/
I’d like to include these cookies in my holiday gift baskets in December. Can you explain to me what you mean by putting the dough into round balls before freezing? Does that mean I should scoop them into their cylinder shape before freezing so they’re ready to bake when I need it? Or? Thanks!
Hi Karen, that’s correct! Make the cylinder dough “balls” before placing them in the freezer.
Delicious cookies! Love all the white chocolate and sprinkles.
Could I substitute M&Ms for the sprinkles? Would I need to adjust the chocolate chips if I do this?
Hi Kate, that should work just fine. You may want to slightly cut back on the chocolate chips — see how the dough is coming together with, say, 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and add more up to 1 cup. You don’t want the dough to become too crumbly with the add ins. Let us know how it goes!
OMG, definitely my new favorite cookie recipe! I’ve made it 3 times in the past 2 weeks (I give them away, not eat them …. at least I give away *most* of them 🙂
I love strawberry so I also tried it with strawberry cake mix and used chocolate sprinkles and they are also delicious! The strawberry isn’t overwhelming and the strawberry chocolate is a nice complement. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes! (and your great baking tips, you’ve truly made me a better baker!)
I absolutely love these cookies and my boyfriend is obsessed with eating the dough. Are there any adjustments to make the recipe to turn this into a birthday cookie cake? Can i just spread the dough across a pan? Would love to try this out and hear your tips.
Hi Kelly, this recipe should work baked in a pie dish or 9 inch pan to make a cookie cake. Let us know if you give it a try!
I saw in your other recipe that cornstarch helps keep the cookie soft and thick. Is there a set amount of cornstarch i can add to any cookie recipe?
Hi Tiffany, it depends on the cookie dough itself but I usually add 1-2 teaspoons to cookie doughs.
I loved these so so much! I made these and by the end of the day my family had already eaten them all up!
Hi, would it work to replace the sprinkles with chopped nuts?
Hi Leigh, we haven’t tested that but can’t see why not!
Can I use cake flour instead of cake mix, or would I have to add other ingredients?
Hi Eric, Unfortunately homemade cake mix won’t provide the same exact flavor. We recommend using boxed mix for best results.
This is a GREAT cookie recipe! I have baked it multiple times and it is always met with positive reviews from others. If I wanted to turn this recipe into bar cookies, what would your recommendation be for size of pan and approximate baking time? Thank you.
Hi Kim! For a single batch, we recommend an 11×7 inch baking pan for bars. A 9-inch square pan could work, but the bars will be pretty thick. We haven’t tested a double batch as bars and are unsure of the best bake time, but let us know how you like them!
These cookies were fabulous! My grandchildren loved them. Thank you for sharing your delicious recipes.
Hi. If chilling the dough overnight, is it necessary to roll into balls after the to hour mark, or will chilling over night unrolled be okay? Thanks!
Hi Amy, it’s best to roll the cookie dough into balls after the two hour mark. Then you can place them on a plate covered overnight.
I love this recipe a lot! I was wondering if it would still work if I use brown butter?
Shouldn’t be a problem, Ellie! Just be sure to let the butter solidify after browning so that you can cream it with the sugars.
emergency!! I doubled the recipe for a bake sale tomorrow, and after cooling in the freezer for 2 hours, they’re way too hard to work with. What do I do??
Hi Georgie! Just let the dough sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so to soften up a bit.
Do I really need to sift dry ingredients. I don’t have a sifter.
Hi Stephanie! Sifting keeps lumps from the cake batter out of the cookie dough. You can give the dry ingredients a good whisk if you don’t have a sifter instead. Enjoy!
Is it okay to double/triple the recipe?
Thanks for letting me know.r
Hi Nancy! It is OK to multiply cookie recipes usually. Though, a large amount of dough may overwhelm your mixer. Separate batches always works!
Sally, I made these cookies and they are incredible. I had the batter in the fridge overnight and used your trick of shaping them taller. I always use a cookie scoop to portion them so they are all the same size but I usually make my cookies smaller than yours. They are also so pretty and fun looking. Keep up the good work!
I don’t use box cake mix. How would I substitute with homemade cake ingredients. I like to know what’s in my food for my family.
Hi Tati, Unfortunately homemade cake mix won’t provide the same exact flavor. Try these regular chocolate chip cookies and replace half of the chips/chunks with white chocolate chips add some sprinkles.
This is one of my favorite recipes to make. I customize the sprinkles for holidays! I found that the cookies were really crunchy for some reason, so I add a little powdered sugar, and it makes them much more chewy.
I called these Unicorn cookies and made them for my toddler as an incentive to use the potty. So far, no accidents! She gets one with her lunch if she stays dry. I used 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup mini m&m’s along with decorative sprinkles.
Have been making these for about 7 years now. They always get rave reviews.
Will the cake batter make it soft like corn starch does in your chewy chocolate chip cookies? Is there any harm adding some corn starch?
Hi Claudia, Yes the cake batter keeps these cookies very soft. We hope you love them!
I made the Christmas Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies. Delicious,
pretty, nothing but compliments! Thankyou for all the helpful Tips on baking them.
Hi Sally! I made these yesterday using Christmas themed sprinkles. Chilled the dough for more than 2 hours and made sure to roll them into balls that were taller than wide. Though they came out pretty good, they seemed to spread a bit more on the edges than expected. Any tips?
Hi Jen, cookies over-spreading is certainly a common problem. If you ever need help, here are my 10 tips to prevent cookies from over-spreading. For this particular recipe, make sure the butter isn’t too warm. You want room temperature butter to be cool to the touch. Additionally, a little extra flour can help too– even 2 extra Tbsp or about 15-20g.
Hi Sally:
I am not a baker but would like to be! I tried these cookies. I followed the recipe step by step. The dough was very stiff and somewhat crumbly. I baked and cooled them. The flavor is good but crunchy texture. I measure the flour by putting in cup and leveling it.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Hi Mary! Did you use 1 1/4 cups of the cake mix? You don’t use the whole bag of cake mix and this trips bakers up sometimes. Thank you for giving these cookies a try!
My husband says that these are the perfect balance between chocolate chip & sugar cookies, they’re a big hit here!
Seems amazing “Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies” will definitely try after trying this one …. super excited to try this one. Thanks for sharing this one.
I was wondering what the suggestion would be if I wanted to sub the cake mix with other ingredients so I know exactly what’s going in the cookies.
Hi Graham, We would suggest using out Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and mixing in white chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Yep, these are wonderful! The only change I made with these, (and your chocolate chip cookies) is to use half vanilla and half almond flavoring. This is a change my sister made for Toll House cookies years ago, and our families love it. Oh yeah, and I doubled this recipe because they disappeared too fast! Thanks for using weight measurements, the more I measure this way, the more I like it, (and I think I have better results).
Seriously the best cookie recipe I have ever tried! This will be my go-to from now on.
I totally goofed and use the whole bag of cake mix! So now it’s super powdery and not so doughy. What can I do to fix this? I have the mixture in the fridge right now, help!
Hi Laura, what you could try is increasing the other ingredients as well, so that they’re the same ratio as if using the entire bag of cake mix. it may take some time to come together if the batter is cold from being in the refrigerator.
This is by far the best cookie recipe out there, no exaggeration. I love making desserts for friends (mini cheesecakes, pies, air-fryer treats, etc.) but for whatever reason, I suck at making cookies haha. But these are the one exception! They ALWAYS come out perfect and are super addicting. I love that you provide measurements in grams, too — everything seems to come out so much better.
Another favorite recipe: your strawberry cheesecake truffles! So fun and easy. I made some for a crowd of 50+ people just last night and people were obsessed. Anywho, thank you for creating some ah-maaazing go-to recipes!!
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, Kim!