These quick and easy gingerbread crinkle cookies with cake mix are soft, chewy, and full of ginger spice! They're simple to make with basic ingredients and perfect for holidays and making with the kiddos! If you like these, you should check these red velvet crinkle cookies out too!
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Christmas wouldn't be complete without some gingerbread cookies, am I right?! These cookies are just as delicious as my frosted gingerbread cookies and gingerbread cookie bars! Every holiday season, I make a batch (sometimes two) of these cookies because they put me right in the holiday spirit and my family thinks they're incredibly delicious!
The best thing about these cookies is how quick and easy it is to make them using a box cake mix. If you're looking for more holiday desserts with cake mix, try these chocolate chip cookie bars with cake mix, these spice cake mix cookies, these butter pecan cake mix cookies, easy apple cobbler with cake mix, moist carrot cake using cake mix, and peach cobbler with cake mix too!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Simple: These crinkly cookies come together in 3 simple steps so anyone can make them!
- Festive: They'll be outshining all the cookies at your cookie exchange with their big gingerbread flavor!
- Delicious: They deliver on taste with just a few simple ingredients! They're super gingery and have an incredibly soft texture that will have everyone going for seconds!
If you love crinkle cookies, you should also check out these chocolate crinkle cookies with cake mix, fudgy brownie crinkle cookies, and crinkly chocolate peppermint blossom cookies too!
Other Christmas cookies you may also enjoy are these classic shortbread cookies, thumbprint jam cookies, chocolate dipped shortbread with crushed candy cane, and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies!
Recipe Ingredients
- Spice Cake Mix Box: Spice cake mix is used as a substitute for the usual dry ingredients in cookies like baking soda, sugar, some spices, etc.
- Spices: Ground ginger and cinnamon give the cookies the perfect amount of spice!
- Molasses: The molasses provides the cookies with a rich flavor and chewy texture.
- Vegetable Oil: The oil adds moisture to the cookies. Vegetable oil is the recommended option as it is flavourless compared to other cooking oils.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla is to add some flavor.
- Eggs: Eggs make the cookies chewy and provide them with structure.
- Powdered Sugar: To make the cookies look pretty and festive (reminds me of snow in the winter)!
See the recipe card below for the ingredient measurements.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Mix: To a large bowl, whisk the cake mix, ginger, and cinnamon. Add the molasses, vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs and mix with an electric hand mixer until combined. Chill for 30 minutes (this will make the batter thicker, less sticky, and easier to work with).
3. Bake: Scoop 1-inch-sized balls of batter and drop them into a separate bowl of powdered sugar. Once coated, roll in your hand for a few seconds until the excess powder has fallen off (it's normal for cracks to occur while you do this). Place 1 inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes.
Storage and Leftovers
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Kitchen Equipment
- Mixing Bowls: You'll need one to make to the cookie dough and another for the powdered sugar which you will roll the cookies in.
- Whisk: For mixing the dry ingredients.
- Electric Hand Mixer: For mixing the cooking batter.
- Cookie Scoop: A cookie scoop is recommended because it'll help you scoop the cookie dough easier. Alternatively, you can use a spoon and slide the batter off using another spoon or your finger, but it may not be as easy to handle as the batter is quite sticky.
- Baking Sheets: For baking the cookies.
Helpful Tips
- Chill the dough. Chilling the dough will help it firm up, be less sticky, and ensure the cookies don't spread too much during baking.
- The cookie dough balls won't be perfect. Even after chilling, the dough won't be perfectly solid and that's fine! Once you drop dollops of dough into the powdered sugar and start rolling them into balls in your hand, they will shape themselves properly.
- Fully coat the cookie dough balls. Firmly pressing the powdered sugar into the cookie dough ball when rolling it will ensure there is a dry surface to the cookie, allowing the cookie to crack.
- Don't be afraid of cracks! It's a good thing if you see some cracks forming as you roll the cookie dough into balls. This means you're going to get even more of those beautiful cracks when they bake.
- Expect the cookie dough to deflate. Once you put the cookie dough balls on the baking sheets, you'll probably see them start to flatten, and that's totally normal!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it will be runny when you make it, but will firm up after chilling. It won't be completely solid, but enough that you can dollop into the powdered sugar before rolling.
Yes, it will be pretty sticky, but chilling it will reduce the stickiness.
Yes, you can freeze them for up to three months.
The cracks won't happen if the cookies aren't fully coated in the powdered sugar because the surface of the cookie needs to be dry so that when they bake, the cookies have to crack through the dry exterior (causing the cracks). A good sign that the cookies will crack during baking is when the cookie dough balls are coated in powdered sugar and start cracking as you roll them into balls.
When the cookie has doubled in size, flattened, and cracked on top - about 9-11 minutes.
This can happen if the dough is too warm, so it's recommended that it's chilled for at least 30 minutes.
📖 Recipe
Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies with Cake Mix
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These easy gingerbread crinkle cookies with cake mix are chewy, soft, and perfect for Christmas!
Ingredients
- Spice Cake Mix: 1 box
- Ground Ginger: 2 teaspoons
- Ground Cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
- Molasses: ¼ cup
- Vegetable Oil: ¼ cup
- Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon
- Eggs: 2
- Powdered Sugar: ½ cup
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix: To a large bowl, whisk the cake mix, ginger, and cinnamon. Add the molasses, vegetable oil, vanilla, and eggs and mix with an electric hand mixer until combined. Chill for 30 minutes (this will make the batter thicker, less sticky, and easier to work with).
- Bake: Scoop 1-inch-sized balls of batter and drop them into a separate bowl of powdered sugar. Once coated, roll in your hand for a few seconds until the excess powder has fallen off (it's normal for cracks to occur while you do this). Place 1 inch apart on the baking sheet and bake for 9-11 minutes.
Notes
Scroll up to the full blog post for recipe Tips, FAQ’s and storage information.
Nutrition facts are for informational purposes only. We are not responsible for any errors. We have tested the recipe for accuracy, but your results may vary. Please note that this is not medical or nutrition advice. Seek advice from a licensed professional if you need advice. We are not liable for any damages caused by your use of this content.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: dessert, cookies
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: american
Michelle says
Absolutely love these! Unfortunately my husband ate half! Makes the house smell like Christmas!!!
Andrea says
Yay! I'm so glad you both enjoyed them! One of my favourites during the holidays for sure 🙂 Appreciate your comment! Have a lovely Christmas!
Lois Hoover says
What can I use instead of molasses? I don't use it regularly therefore don't have it in my larder. Thank you, Lois
Andrea says
Hi Lois, you can try using dark corn syrup or honey, however the flavour will be different than it would be if you were to use molasses. Unfortunately molasses is a key ingredient in gingerbread recipes! It will be in your local grocery store baking isle if you decide to pick some up, especially this time of year! Hope this helps 🙂
Jenny says
Are there specific ingredients or baking time for high altitude!?
Thank you!
Andrea says
Hi Jenny! I personally haven't ever baked at a high altitude, but I appreciate this question as something I should be considering in future recipes! I recommend giving this recipe a try as written and seeing what happens (hopefully works out!) These cookies are incredibly moist and soft (more so than a regular cookie so that may keep it from drying out etc.) However, if you prefer to modify it ahead of trying the recipe, I recommend taking a look at this comprehensive guide to baking at high altitudes. There are 7 different tips for baking at high altitudes you may want to try. Hope this helps! Would love to hear if you made any modifications and how they turned out 🙂 Happy Holidays!
Kelly McGruder says
No matter how long I have chilled my dough; it is still way too sticky to form into the balls and the powdered sugar won’t help them to form as they are supposed to. I have followed the recipe as instructed but still can’t figure out how to make the dough more firm! Any suggestions?
Andrea says
Hi Kelly! Chilling the dough will help make the dough more firm, but some stickiness will still be present. The quicker you can get the dough balls coated in the powdered sugar after chilling, the easier they'll be to handle. I like using a cookie scoop to scoop the dough balls as well, because once scooped you can push the dough ball right into the powdered sugar with the cookie scoop handle. I usually pat my hands with some powdered sugar before I roll out the cookie dough balls as well. Hope this helps! They'll still bake great even if they're a bit on the sticky side, trust me on that!