About 18 years ago my grandmother gave me a copy of 1001 Cookie Recipes and it's been the blame for many cookie cravings and an inspiration for many cookie baking sessions. My grandmother isn't with us anymore but her cook book collection and recipes were handed down so family members can continue cooking, baking and making memories for years to come. So it probably comes as no surprise that one of my favorite things to make for Christmas is a variety of cookies. They're fun to decorate, and great for dunking or just munching. My husband and our two boys enjoy cookies and just to bring the point home, we even named our cat Cookie. True story! I would like to share a really easy, fast and tasty cookie recipe that I adapted from the "suggested recipes" side panel of a boxed cake mix. Since the recipe starts with a cake mix, I decided to just call them...
CAKE MIX COOKIES
PREPARATION
350 degree Fahrenheit with the rack positioned in middle of the oven
Spray a large baking sheet with cooking oil or line with wax paper
INGREDIENTS
1 boxed cake mix (dry state) 510 g. or 18 ounces
HINT: the yellow cake mix is very versatile so I tend to keep one on hand for cookie emergencies. Just saying!
1/2 cup vegeatable oil
HINT: don't use olive oil or cookies will be :-P
2 large eggs
FIXINGS
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup medium shredded coconut
1/2 cup baking chips: chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, etc.
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit: cranberries, currants, raisins, etc.
HINT: do not add every fixing listed above or cookies will be overloaded and come out flat. I suggest limiting it to two choices. If you choose to ignore this advice then don't say I didn't warn you!
MIXING
In a large mixing bowl use a fork to combine the cake mix, eggs and cooking oil. There's no need to break out the mixer for this one. I'm all for less fuss and bother. I did say this was easy, right? Fold in the baking chips, dried fruit, nuts and/or coconut. Try not to eat the fixings. Save them for the batter. Oh nevermind, that last part was for my kids. If the dough seems a bit too thick like playdough, then add water one teaspoon at a time to get a drop cookie consistency.
HINT: For a festive look try topping the cookie dough drops with red and green smarties or maraschino cherries before baking. See my yummy photo above for a visual.
Drop the cookie dough in dollops on the prepared baking sheet. The cookies don't like to be crowded, they need their personal space to spread out so maybe limit it to 9 per sheet. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until they appear to be lightly brown around the edges. Do not overbake the cookies. Stay focussed and keep an eye on them because nobody wants to eat a puck. When the cookies are done, just take them out of the oven and leave them alone on the counter for 5 minutes. You can go make yourself some coffee or check your Twitter feed. Now you can use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool before eating or storing in airtight container. Enjoy!
YIELD
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