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It’s no secret that making gingerbread is a time-consuming process, but gingerbread cake mix cookies give you all the delicious flavor of soft, spiced cookies with much less time and effort.

Gingerbread cookies are my favorite during the holidays but I don’t love the time and effort that goes into making traditional gingerbread. With this recipe, I get the same delicious holiday cookie with just half the effort of a typical batch!

Making gingerbread cookies with cake mix is an easy way to get in holiday baking without a lot of fuss or extra time spent in the kitchen. This recipe combines spice cake mix with just a few ingredients to produce delicious gingerbread cookies perfect for enjoying all holiday season long.

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Ingredients for Cake Mix Gingerbread Cookies

You only need a few ingredients to make this delicious holiday cookie recipe. You can make them without or without the vanilla glaze depending on if you want to decorate the cookies after baking.

Ingredients for Gingerbread Cake Mix Cookies

Cake Mix – My top preference for these gingerbread cake mix cookies is a Duncan Hines brand 15.25 ounce Perfectly Moist spice cake mix. Pillsbury and Walmart’s Great Value brand also have 15.25 ounce spice cake mixes that work well.
- I have also tested this recipe with the Betty Crocker 13.25 ounce spice cake mix, and it turns out great. If you choose to use this specific cake mix, the dough will be just slightly more dense and it will yield 22 cookies, rather than 24, depending on how thick you roll the dough.
All Purpose Flour
Ground Ginger
Eggs
Vegetable Oil
Molasses – Use unsulphured molasses, NOT black strap molasses. I used Grandma’s molasses.
Powdered Sugar
Milk
Vanilla Extract

How to Make Gingerbread Cake Mix Cookies

The full list of ingredients, including measurements, and step by step instructions can be found below in the printable recipe card. Here is a quick overview of the easy steps to make these yummy cake mix gingerbread cookies.

Mix the dough. Combine the dry ingredients and then add the remaining dough ingredients. Mix well.
Chill the dough. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. An hour or more is better if you have the time.
Roll out the dough. Aim for a 1/4 inch thick oval.
Bake the cookies. Place cut out cookies onto prepared pan and bake.

Here are a few notes to help you get the best results with this gingerbread cake mix cookie recipe.

To easily measure the molasses, spray the inside of your measuring cup with cooking spray before pouring the molasses into it. The molasses should slide right out into your mixing bowl.
My gingerbread man cookie cutter is 4 inches x 3.75 inches. Your dough may yield more or less than 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cutter.
If you feel like your kitchen is too warm, you can cut your cookie cutouts and place them onto your parchment-lined baking sheet, then pop it into the fridge and chill for another 15-30 minutes before baking.
These cookies will overbake easily, so be sure to keep an eye on them around the 7-8 minute mark if your oven temperature runs high.

You can store gingerbread cake mix cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
I don’t recommend using this dough for gingerbread houses. It’s too soft and chewy to hold up against the weight of heavily frosted joints and lots of candy decorations.
If desired, you can skip the glaze and decorate your cookies with cookie frosting (I recommend Betty Crocker brand pre-packaged cookie icing) or buttercream frosting and candies.

Gingerbread Cake Mix Cookies

A spice cake mix with just a few added ingredients yields two dozen decadent, chewy gingerbread cookies. Glaze them with a simple vanilla glaze or decorate as desired – nobody will guess that they were made with just half the effort of a typical batch!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Refrigeration Time: 30

Total Time: 55

Servings: cookies

Ingredients

15.25 ounce box spice cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons ground ginger
2 large eggs room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup molasses

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar sifted
2-3 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Pour the cake mix into a large mixing bowl, and whisk the flour and ginger into the mix until thoroughly incorporated.
15.25 ounce box spice cake mix, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons ground ginger
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, and molasses. Add to the dry ingredients, and stir together until a thick dough forms.
2 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil, ¼ cup molasses
Divide the dough in half and form into two discs. Wrap the discs in parchment or plastic wrap and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
On a floured surface, roll the dough into a ¼-inch thick oval
Use a cookie cutter to cut out your desired shapes, then gently use a spatula to transfer them to parchment-lined baking sheets, at least 1 inch apart.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are just golden brown.
Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Repeat the process with your other disc of dough, then serve.

For the glaze:

Whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Continue adding milk by the teaspoon until you have a smooth, medium-consistency glaze.
1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoons milk, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dip the cookies into the glaze or drizzle it over them with a spoon.
Allow any excess glaze to drip off, then place the cookies back onto the wire cooling rack to rest until the glaze is set before serving.

Notes

My top preference is a Duncan Hines brand 15.25 ounce Perfectly Moist spice cake mix. Pillsbury and Walmart’s Great Value brand also have 15.25 ounce spice cake mixes. I have also tested this recipe with the Betty Crocker 13.25 ounce spice cake mix, and it turns out great. If you choose to use this specific cake mix, the dough will be just slightly more dense (not enough to really notice a difference) and it will yield 22 cookies, rather than 24, depending on how thick you roll the dough.
Use unsulphured molasses, NOT black strap molasses. I used Grandma’s molasses.
I highly recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of chill time in the fridge before rolling and cutting the dough to minimize spreading, but if you can stretch it to 60 minutes or even overnight, that’s better.
My gingerbread man cookie cutter is 4 inches x 3.75 inches. Your dough may yield more or less than 24 cookies, depending on the size of your cutter.
If you feel like your kitchen is too warm, you can cut your cookie cutouts and place them onto your parchment-lined baking sheet, then pop it into the fridge and chill for another 15-30 minutes before baking.
These cookies will overbake easily, so be sure to keep an eye on them around the 7-8 minute mark if your oven temperature runs high.
I don’t recommend using this dough for gingerbread houses. It’s too soft and chewy to hold up against the weight of heavily frosted joints and lots of candy decorations.

Nutrition

Did you try this recipe? Please leave a comment below, snap a photo and tag it #MySuburbanKitchen on Instagram, or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Gingerbread Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients for Cake Mix Gingerbread Cookies

How to Make Gingerbread Cake Mix Cookies