Customize your cookies

Easy and so very good. That’s the best way to describe these yummy cookies that start with a cake mix.

Last week, my daughter was involved with something at school almost every night, and I wanted to make some goodies she could share with her friends. Cookies were a good choice because they travel well.

I have several options in my recipes file when it comes to cookies, but I decided to be creative and do something different. Or at least sort of different!

I’ve made cake mix cookies before, but there are so many variations that it’s like making a new recipe each time.

I thought Anna and her friends would enjoy chocolate and peanut butter cookies, and I had a bag of Halloween-themed chocolate morsels. Rather than choose between the two, I made two batches of cookies — one with a yellow cake mix and the seasonal chips, and the other with a favorite combination of chocolate and peanut butter.

The hands-down favorite recipe was made with a box of Swiss chocolate cake mix, 2 eggs, a stick of butter and some chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.

All you do is mix the ingredients, scoop them up with a small cookie scoop and bake. In 30 minutes, I had more than 50 delicious cookies that were so very good, especially hot from the oven!

The thing about this recipe is you can vary it so many ways. I chose Swiss chocolate cake mix because it just sounded good! I also love the milk chocolate mix, and I almost bought a chocolate fudge mix that I had never seen before. For the chips, I went with 1 cup of peanut butter chips and 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Next time, I might do all peanut butter, but maybe not because last week’s cookies were very good.

This basic recipe is also changeable. Some recipes use oil instead of butter, for instance. Others use a combination of the two. I’ve made the version with canola oil; it was good, but not as good as the butter recipe! No surprise there, right?

If you want something sweet this week, go to the grocery store, scan the cake mix aisle and dream up a delicious combination of cookies!

If you try them, leave a message and let me know what combination you chose.


Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies

• 1 box Swiss chocolate cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 cup peanut butter morsels
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels

With an electric mixer, cream butter. Add in eggs then cake mix and mix until blended. Stir in chips to combine.

Using a small cookie scoop, drop batter onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies depending on size of scoop.

*Note: You can vary this recipe by changing the cake mix or the stir-ins.