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Easy Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

These Lemon Cake Mix Cookies have light and bright flavors and are super delicious and easy to make!

Made with only 4 easy ingredients of lemon cake mix, Cool Whip, an egg and powdered sugar, this unique cookie recipe can be ready in just 15 minutes.

Bright cookies with a tart lemon flavor, fluffy from cool whip and coated with a sweet layer of powdered sugar made from lemon cake mix cooling on a wire rack.

If you enjoy this recipe you may also like our Lemon Delight and Strawberry Lemonade Pie.

Lemon Cake Mix Cookies Recipe

Part cake and part cookie, the chewy lemon-flavored cake mix cookies hit the spot when you are craving a warm cookie with bright flavors.

When you need a treat that only takes 5 minutes to whip up and a few minutes to bake I love these cake mix cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies with a Chocolate Kiss or 5 Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars.

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Perfect to treat your family to a quick dessert, after school snack or baking something special for surprise guests, these lemon cookies with Cool Whip and cake mix are memorable.

The hardest part of this recipe is remembering to defrost the Cool Whip. This step is important so that it easily mixes with the other two ingredients, cake mix and an egg. Stated another way, this lemon cake box cookies recipe is really easy!

Bright yellow lemon cake mix cookies broken in half and stacked on each other with a light layer of powdered sugar on top on a blue napkin.

Also called Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Cool Whip Cookies and Lemon Whippersnaps, a friend from church gave me this recipe in a big binder of her best recipes. Also in that binder is Crock Pot Peanut Clusters, Best Sour Cream Cookies, and Chocolate Hermits.

Ingredients Needed

  • Box of Lemon Cake Mix
  • Cool Whip – also known as whipped topping
  • An Egg
  • Powdered Sugar
ingredients to make lemon cake cookies are a box of lemon supreme cake mix, powdered sugar, an egg and Cool Whip on a wooden counter top.

How to Make Lemon Cake Cookies From A Mix

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease baking sheet or my preference is to use a non-stick mat
  2. In a mixing bowl combine egg, cake mix and whipped topping. Mix well.
  3. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl and drop dough by teaspoon into powdered sugar and coat well.
  4. Using the palm of your hand roll into a ball shape and place on baking sheet.
  5. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Fluffy lemon cake cookies made with Cool Whip and coated with a light layer of white powdered sugar creating a crinkle cookie look on baking rack resting on a pastel napkin.

Tips for Making Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

  • Defrost Cool Whip or frozen whipped topping in the refrigerator at least 4 hours before making the recipe
  • Defrosting whipped topping on the counter or in the microwave is unpredictable and may negatively affect the texture of the cookies
  • Adding a couple tablespoons of fresh lemon juice is optional and creates and even more lemony flavor
  • The dough is tacky so sometimes we use two forks to roll the dough around in the powdered sugar and then shape with our hands
  • Lemon cake mix can be substituted for any flavor of cake mix
  • Cookie dough becomes easier to work with after being coated with confectioners sugar
  • Be sure not to over bake the cookies!

Step By Step Instructions

In a mixing bowl add cake mix, egg and defrosted Cool Whip.

Cool whip added to a mixing bowl with an egg and box of lemon cake mix.

Mix well. The batter will be an even color of yellow.

Sticky lemon cake cookie dough recipe mixed together in a silver mixing bowl.

Use a cookie scoop to drop into a bowl of confectioners sugar.

Lemon cookie dough made with cool whip being rolled in a bowl of powdered sugar on a wooden counter top.

Roll the dough around in the powdery sugar until coated and then using clean hands roll the balls to make them more round.

Arrange evenly spaced on a baking sheet.

Balls of crinkle cookies coated in powdered sugar and made with lemon cake mix on a baking sheet.

We love how pretty the powdered sugar creates a white coating. The cookies crack as they bake just like crinkle cookies.

Overhead view of lemon cookies made from cake mix on a wire rack on a pastel napkin.

These cookies taste great warm or at room temperature.

They are best stored in an airtight bag or container in the refrigerator for up to 4 or 5 days.

Strawberry Lemon Cookie Variation

We love an idea we saw on Tiktok to make this recipe as well as the same recipe with a strawberry cake mix. Measure out equal size balls of dough and roll together and bake to get a cookie that partially yellow and partially pink.

This will take patience and finesse since the dough is especially stick, but does make a very pretty cookie.

Strawberry Lemon cookies can be drizzled a simple icing mixture of powdered sugar and milk can be drizzled over top to finish off the cookies.

OTHER EASY COOKIE RECIPE IDEAS

Close up look at lemon cake mix cookies with light and bright flavors.

Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

Servings 24 cookies
Author: Jennifer
These Lemon Cake Mix Cookies have light and bright flavors and are super delicious and easy to make!
Made with only 4 easy ingredients of lemon cake mix, Cool Whip, an egg and powdered sugar, this unique cookie recipe can be ready in just 15 minutes.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box Lemon Cake Mix about 17 ounces
  • 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and grease baking sheet or cover with a non-stick mat
  • Combine egg, cake mix and Cool Whip in a mixing bowl.
    1 box Lemon Cake Mix, 1 egg, 8 ounces Cool Whip
  • Stir until well mixed.
  • Drop by teaspoon into powdered sugar and coat well. Using the palm of your hand roll into a ball shape.
    1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Notes

  • Defrost Cool Whip or frozen whipped topping in the refrigerator at least 4 hours before making the recipe
  • Defrosting whipped topping on the counter or in the microwave is unpredictable and may negatively affect the texture of the cookies
  • Lemon cake mix can be substituted for any flavor of cake mix
  • Cookie dough becomes easier to work with after being coated with confectioners sugar
  • Be sure not to over bake the cookies!

Nutrition

Calories: 106kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 166mgPotassium: 23mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 26IUCalcium: 57mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“Plowing Through Life” is not a dietitian or nutrition professional. Any nutritional information shared is an estimate and can vary greatly depending on specific products are used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator of your choice.

Tried this recipe?Mention @PlowingThroughLife or tag #PlowingThroughLife!

Recipe originally shared on February 5, 2020 with pictures updated on March 8, 2024.

Lemon cake mix cookie broken in half and stacked up

2 Comments

  1. Laura Oas says:

    What size cool whip and should they be refrigerated after they’ve been baked?

    1. Jennifer @ Plowing Through Life says:

      Great question! An 8 ounce container of cool whip (I made better notes in the recipe card) and you can refrigerate to increase shelf life, but you don’t have to. Hope you enjoy!

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