Description
Delightfully festive and easy to make, these Grinch Cookies are soft, minty, and beautifully green, perfect for holiday celebrations and cookie exchanges. Made with a white cake mix base, peppermint extract, and charming heart-shaped sprinkles, these cookies combine a fun, seasonal look with a delicious, light texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 15.25 ounces white cake mix (432 g box)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons peppermint extract (or mint extract)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Green gel food coloring (amount as needed for desired color)
Coating and Decoration
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (32 g)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Red heart-shaped sprinkles or cinnamon hearts
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. This prepares your baking surface to ensure even cooking and easy cookie removal.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: Using a hand-held or stand mixer, combine the white cake mix, softened butter, and eggs until the mixture is well blended and smooth, forming a thick dough.
- Add Flavor and Color: Stir in the peppermint (or mint) extract and vanilla extract. Then gradually add green gel food coloring until you achieve your desired shade of green. Mix on low speed just until the color and extracts are evenly combined; the dough will remain thick and sticky.
- Prepare Coating: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cornstarch. This mixture will help prevent the sticky dough from adhering to your hands and rolling surface.
- Shape and Coat Cookies: Using a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out dough balls. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar and cornstarch mixture to coat thoroughly. Place the coated balls about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet to allow room for spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops appear dry. Baking times may vary slightly depending on your oven.
- Add Decoration: Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, press one red heart-shaped sprinkle onto the top of each cookie to attach it before the cookie hardens.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This will help them set perfectly for serving or storing.
Notes
- These easy Grinch Cookies are perfect for holiday gatherings, guaranteed to charm both kids and adults with their festive look and minty flavor.
- For a stronger mint flavor, you can increase the peppermint extract slightly, but be careful not to overpower the sweetness.
- Ensure the butter is softened but not melted to achieve the best dough consistency.
- If you don’t have green gel food coloring, you can use liquid food coloring, but a little goes a long way to avoid a watery dough.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 93 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 105 mg
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
