Easy Cut Out Sugar Cookies {With Cake Mix}

Best, buttery, easy cut out sugar cookies recipe with cake mix, homemade with simple ingredients. Rich, buttery, soft yet firm and holds its shape.

This recipe is great, if you are fond of doctored cake mix desserts.These cookies taste just as good as they look. Now, these cookies do expand a little during baking, but not so much that they lose their shape. You may also like this Easy Sugar Cookie Recipe (Soft and Chewy) and these Easy Chocolate Sugar Cookies (Cut Out).

How to make easy cut out sugar cookies recipe with cake mix?

1. Mix wet ingredients- This includes egg and butter.
2. Mix in dry ingredients- The includes cake mix powder.
3. Cover- And chill.
4. Roll out dough- And cut out shapes.
5. Bake- Until golden brown.
6. Cool- Until room temperature.
7. Decorate- With royal icing or glace icing.

What is the difference between cut out sugar cookies and drop sugar cookies?

It's all in the name! Drop cookies are a simple easy cookie that you simply scoop and drop on the cookie sheet. They are made with a thinner batter that is more wet and sticky. On the other hand, cut out cookies have a more dough-like texture that can be rolled out and cut out with cookie cutters to create fun shapes before baking. These are also ones that you can decorate for holidays once cooled.

How to decorate sugar cookies? (Cookie toppings)

Decorate with frosting that stays soft at room temperature:

• Best Sugar Cookie Frosting
• Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
• Lemon Frosting (Lemon Buttercream)
• Marshmallow Frosting
• Easy Orange Frosting (Buttercream Icing)
• Blackberry Buttercream Frosting
• Maraschino Cherry Frosting
• Brown Sugar Frosting

Decorate with icing that dries hard:

• Royal icing
• Glace icing
• Powdered Sugar Glaze

Decorate with sprinkles and fondant decorations:

• Homemade Sprinkles
• Fondant Flowers
• Fondant Daisies
• Fondant Bows
• Fondant Roses (Ribbon Roses)
• Royal Icing Flowers
• Stencils
• Colorful Sanding sugar

Decorate with chocolate:

• Chocolate Ganache Frosting (2 Ingredients)
• Melted chocolate drizzle
• Chocolate ganache

Cookie Add-ins or Mix-ins

Sprinkles- to make a Funfetti version

Finely chopped nuts- Roughly chopped are really hard to cut into shapes with cutters

Mini chocolate chips- Regular sized chips are just too large.

Finely chopped dried fruits- Such as apples, berries, cranberries, mangoes, apricots

Zests- From fresh lemons, limes, or oranges

Extracts- Such as mint, peppermint, maple, almond, lemon, caramel

Coconut- Finely shredded is best.

How to roll out sugar cookies?

I like to take portions of the dough to roll out, because many recipes make a lot of cookie dough and rolling out that much dough can be a challenge, let alone finding the space for it. The dough you are not currently using should be kept in the fridge to keep it firm. Once you've portioned it out, use a rolling pin to roll out to about a quarter inch. Be sure that it is an even thickness all the way across.

How thick to roll out cookies?

Typically, you roll out the dough to ¼" thick. However, if you want a thicker and often softer cookie you can double that up to ½". Please note that baking time will be longer for thicker cookies.

Why did my sugar cookies spread and lose their shape?

It is likely that the dough wasn't firm enough. Maybe the flour wasn't measured correctly and was lacking, depleting it's firmness. It also could be that the wet ingredients were too plentiful, making the dough too sticky and thin. One of the most common reasons for this is that the dough was not chilled!

Why are my sugar cookies hard?

Perhaps it is due to over-baking or the inaccurate measurement of ingredients. Here's a trick to soften them again: Put a slice of bread in a cookie jar with the cookies overnight. By morning, the slice of bread would be hard, having transferred its moisture to the cookies and they will be soft again.

How long to bake cut out sugar cookies?

This varies based on the thickness and size of the cookie. Here's a rule of thumb: Your cookies are ready to be removed from oven when they are firm along the edges and tops are golden brown and they are slightly soft in the center. Residual heat from baking pan continues baking them to perfection at room temperature. 

Tips and techniques for best cut out cookies

Chill dough- Cover and chill dough in refrigerator for 1-2 hours so that it's not sticky and easier to handle.

Cut cookies close together- Be sure that you use your space well when cutting out the cookies. Get to the very edge of the dough and place the next cutout as close as possible to the previous to get the most cookies out of one roll of dough.

Use minimal handling- Although this can be difficult since you are handling the dough quite a bit, be sure not to constantly have the dough in your hands, because the heat from your hands will warm/ soften the dough.

Keep cookies soft- By putting a slice of bread in the cookie jar. The cookies draw moisture from the bread to stay soft and yummy longer.

Measure ingredients correctly- Instead of just eyeballing it. This can really make or break the cookies!

Watch the timer- And keep an eye on the color of the cookies. The edges should be golden brown. They won't be as tasty if they are overcooked or even undercooked.

Roll dough between two sheets of wax paper- Or parchment paper to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin or countertop. Using flour can make the dough harder as you work with it and will leave a powdery base on the cookie even after baking.

Sift cake mix- For the best dough texture and a lighter, fluffier cookie.

Don't over-mix dough- Because the cookies will be more dense and tough.

Leave space- Between each cookie on the tray so that there is enough space for them to expand during baking.

Cool on tray- Be sure to let the cookies cool on the pan before taking them off, because this allows them to bake a little more and also will give firmness to the cookie so that you can easily take it off the pan without breaking it.

Storage for buttery sugar cookies

Room Temperature- These can stay in a cookie jar for up to 3 days and still taste delish!

Fridge- Keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Freezer- Once cooled, these can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Then thaw to room temperature to enjoy.

More classic cookie recipe

• Pistachio Cookies (Cut Out)
• Easy Funfetti Cookies (Cut Out)
• Crackle Cookies (Crinkle Sugar Cookies)
• Coconut Sugar Cookies
• Peppermint Stuffed Chocolate Sugar Cookies
• Crispy Rainbow Sugar Cookies

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