These cake batter chocolate chip cookies are a cross between soft-baked chocolate chip cookies and sprinkle filled cake. This is the most popular cookie recipe on Sally’s Baking Addiction and after baking a batch, you’ll taste why. If you like chocolate chip cookies and you like sneaking a taste of cake batter, you will love these fun cookies!
Today’s recipe for cake batter chocolate chip cookies is the most popular cookie recipe on my website. I’ve made them more times than any other cookie and even have the recipe memorized by now. They’re so well loved that they’re on the cover of my first cookbook, Sally’s Baking Addiction, and were featured on Good Morning America and in People magazine. They’re like chocolate chip cookies and vanilla cake in one!
Why You’ll Love These Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft-baked and chewy texture
- Crispy edges
- Colorful with lots of sprinkles
- Loaded with chocolate and white chocolate chips
- Sweet cake batter flavor
- Freezer-friendly
- A party in cookie form!
Overview: How to Make Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
The first few times I made this recipe, the cookies kept overspreading. They were thin, delicate, and tasted greasy. I worked to develop an even better, thicker version—and absolutely loved the result. Let’s review the process:
- Sift the dry ingredients together.
- Cream the wet ingredients together.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Then add the chocolate chips and sprinkles.
- Chill the cookie dough. This step is imperative. By skipping it, your cookies will spread into a greasy mess. Chilling the dough for at least 2 hours firms up the butter, allows the flour to absorb the wet ingredients, and helps prevent the cookies from overspreading. If interested, I wrote a post all about how to prevent cookies from spreading. Helpful to read before making ANY batch of cookies.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls. Use about 1.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. Shape your cookie dough balls to be taller than they are wide—see my tall cookie trick below.
- Bake. Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly browned. The centers will still appear very soft, but they’ll continue to set as the cookies cool. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few extra chocolate chips into the tops. This is just for looks!
Add Ins
- Cake Mix: These cookies are chocolate chip cookies and birthday cake in one. That’s why, for the dry ingredients, we’ll use *some* all-purpose flour and *some* cake mix. I usually reach for vanilla cake mix, but any flavor you love works. It’s important to only use some of the box. Some readers have had trouble with this recipe because they’ve used the entire box of cake mix. You only want to use 1 and 1/4 cup of dry cake mix.
- Chocolate Chips: The first few times I made this recipe, I used 1 and 1/2 cups of chocolate chips but that weighed down the cookie dough. I recommend using 1 total cup of chocolate chips, which is the perfect amount to keep the cookies thick. I love to use a mix of white chocolate chips and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chocolate chips make them taste like regular chocolate chip cookies, while white chocolate chips taste like frosting—a true mix of cookies and cake.
- Sprinkles: Use your favorite sprinkles here! I used rainbow sprinkles today, but love switching them up for different holidays. You can customize these cookies with a mix of specific colors or holiday sprinkles. Have fun with them! 🙂
My Tall Cookie Trick
Before I leave you with the recipe, here’s one final tip. Use my favorite tall cookie trick to reduce excess spreading. Roll your dough balls to be taller rather than wider. This doesn’t necessarily mean using more dough per cookie– we’ll simply shape the cookie dough ball to be nice and tall, with a firm solid bottom to ensure the cookie doesn’t topple over as it bakes. This one trick gives us perfectly thick and chewy cookies every time.
You can even sandwich ice cream between them for a birthday cake-style cookie ice cream sandwich. Enjoy right away or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to eat.
By the way, if you can’t get enough cake batter flavor, you’ll want to try my birthday cake cinnamon rolls next!
PrintCake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 24-30 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These cake batter chocolate chip cookies are a cross between delicious, soft-baked chocolate chip cookies and sprinkle filled funfetti cake. If you like chocolate chip cookies and you like cake batter, you will love these soft & chewy cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/4 cup (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/4 cup (190g) yellow or vanilla boxed cake mix (not the whole box and you just need the DRY mix)*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (180g) chocolate chips (I used 1/2 cup of white and 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips)
- 1/2 cup (80g) sprinkles
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift flour, cake mix, salt, and baking soda together. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and both sugars together on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the egg and mix on high until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and beat on high until combined. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low-medium speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and sprinkles. Mix on low until the add-ins are evenly combined.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, or up to 3-4 days. This step is imperative. The dough is fairly sticky, so chilling the dough is required in order to avoid the cookies from spreading too much. If you chill longer than 2 hours, make sure you roll the cookie dough into balls after the 2 hour mark. Place dough balls on a plate, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. You may also freeze the balls at this point for up to 3 months. (Then bake as directed adding 1 minute to the bake time without thawing.)
- Once dough has been chilled, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats (always recommended for cookies).
- Scoop rounded balls of the cold dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, use about 1.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough per cookie. A medium cookie scoop is helpful for this. Shape your cookie dough balls to be “taller” than they are wide, as pictured above. Make sure to keep dough chilled when working in batches.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until edges are lightly browned. The centers will still appear very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. You can press a few more chips into the tops of the cookies at this point (the chips will stick because the cookies are still warm).
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Allow to come to room temperature and continue with step 4. Baked cookies freeze well—up to three months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well—up to three months. Bake frozen cookie dough balls for an extra minute, no need to thaw. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Medium Cookie Scoop | Cooling Rack
- Cake Mix: You can use funfetti cake mix and leave out the sprinkles called for in this recipe. I usually use vanilla cake mix. Remember, you only need 1 and 1/4 cups of dry mix. Not the whole box. Gluten free cake mix is not recommended.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
PS: Making Christmas cookies? Try them with red and green sprinkles!
I made the cookie dough last night, I forgot to roll into balls after 2hrs. now it’s all crumbled. Do I have to let them get to room temperature and roll and chill again?
Hi Rhoda! Yes, let the dough come to room temperature then roll into balls. I would chill the balls for 1 hour, then bake. This will help reduce the likelihood of over-spreading.
Just made these as a test run (??? or maybe because i just wanted a cookie?) for a birthday party cookie. Fantastic! The 3 year olds and the parents will love and now I’m just going to continue to eat these…. 🙂 <3
How do you stop the colour from running when adding the sprinkles? I mixed the sprinkles but the dough has just gone the colour of the sprinkles
Hi Ruth, Sometimes it just depends on the brand of sprinkles! I find that that “jimmy” shaped sprinkles are the best and don’t bleed their colors as much – but if yours already are then I would suggest trying a different brand.
Wondering if I can add chopped walnuts in there or would it mess with it?
You could definitely add chopped walnuts- try 3/4 cup of chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts!
I’m wondering if these can be made in bar form? I was hoping to bake them in a 9×13 and cut them into small squares. Would this work?
Hi Kim! The cookie bars will be pretty thin in a 9×13 inch pan– I recommend an 11×7 inch pan instead.
Where do you buy sprinkles? In particular, the holiday colors like red, white, and blue for July 4th? Or Christmas colors, etc? Thank you!
Hi Carrie! Usually major grocery stores have a seasonal section– I find them there. Amazon always has them too! 🙂
These cookies taste AMAZING but I’m having trouble with them spreading out too thin. The only way I could manage the cookies was to bake the dough balls straight from the freezer and even so, I had to keep a very close eye on them. Could my oven be too hot? Anyone else having this happen?
Hi Sarah! I know that can be so frustrating! Add 1-2 extra Tablespoons of flour next time 🙂 Here are my top 10 tips to prevent cookie spreading: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/tips-for-cookie-spreading/
Sally, is there a reason gluten free cake mix is inadvisable? Wondering how to make this recipe gf…
I just made these gluten free last night, and they came out great! I used Bob’s Red Mill cup for cup all purpose baking flour and Pamela’s gluten free vanilla cake mix.
DELICIOUS!! Â These baked so beautifully!! Â I used 1/2 cup Valentine sprinkles as it’s February right now. Â Sally, thank you for another yummy recipe I know I will make again and again!
Hello, made these cookies for Christmas, followed recipe exactly, and they came out perfectly delicious!!!  I used a cookie scoop to make sure they were all the same size, and they looked and tasted awesome!  This cookie will be made every Christmas from now on.  Thanks for the recipe. ☺Â
These cookies came out perfectly! They are definitely going to become a birthday staple around our house. Thank you so much for this recipe! Â
These were delicious! My daughter will be bringing these to share with her class for her birthday. A fun, colorful alternative to cupcakes! Thank you, I’ve made several of your recipes and they always turn out great!
When you say cake mix, do you put just the powder from the box or do you add the water, eggs and oil to make the mix?
Just the dry mix.
Could you use other flavors of cake mix to reflect the season with the same results? I don’t have white or yellow cake mix on hand but I do have Red Velvet and I just wonder what that would be like for a batch of Christmas cookies. Thanks in advance!
absolutely! any flavor is great.
Hi Sally!
I was going to make these for a cookie exchange this holiday season, and I was wondering if I could use M&M’s in place of the chocolate chips?
Thanks in Advance!
definitely!
What changes would I need to make to turn this into a cookie cake?
Bake in a 9-inch cake or pie pan. About 30 minutes, give or take. Enjoy!
These are by far the BEST cookies ever! I have been baking for years and I will always refrigerate my dough now – I am a huge believer. Thank you so much for posting this!
These Cake Batter cookies were by far my favorite cookies ever! I just wanted to say thank you so much for the delicious recipe! I will be trying out more of your recipes for sure and keeping this one for the future! 🙂
I had to try the Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies…they looked way too delicious to pass up! I am not normally much of a baker, but it looked like a really simple recipe so I gave it a try. These were the best darn cookies EVER!!! I normally don’t like homemade chocolate chip cookies (flat as a pancake, hard and crunchy if you’re not careful, and not tasty enough for me). I will be making chocolate chip cookies in the future…only with this recipe!! AMAZING!! The whole family loved them!
Can I use self rising flour?
Hi Janet! No, you cannot.
I saw in the comments you mentioned that any cake mix can be used….. what about Funfetti? Just curious how that would work, seeing that sprinkles are already in the mix… what do you think?
Hi Kate – yes, funfetti cake mix may certainly be used! I’ve done it before and I’ve added a few more sprinkles to the dough as well. Enjoy!
what is your thought on the use of mini choc chips vs regular size choc chips in cookies? I always have mini’s on hand in the freezer for our pancakes when we have sleepover friends but I can’t seem to keep the regular ones in stock at the house. Do they make a difference in thickness of cookie? use same amount? or tweek the recipe? the 11yr old is wanting to make these for his birthday next month.
Hi there – mini chocolate chips in these cookies, or any cookies is a great substitution for the regular size. No need to tweak anything – just use the same amount. It will have no effect on the cookie’s thickness. Hope you all enjoy!
Hi Sally! This was the first recipe of yours that I stumbled upon, and now I am addicted to your blog! I love your writing, your photography, EVERYTHING! As a full-time college student, I cannot wait for school to be out for the summer so that I can get to trying out all of your delicious recipes!!! 🙂 Keep up the amazing work!
My husband’s words: “This….might be new very favorite cookie…..” 🙂 That means a lot. We love these. Thanks
Question: can you freeze this dough and for how long if so?
You may roll the cookies into balls and freeze them for up to two months. Let them thaw for only a couple minutes and bake. Thanks Keri!
Does it matter if the butter is salted?
It may be salted or unsalted. I’ve never experienced a difference with either. Thanks Alyssa!
Should I sift before or after measuring the flour and cake mix? Thanks
Hi Lindsay! Measure the flour and cake mix, then sift them together. Thank you!
I just made these cookies and they were awesome! Thanks for the recipe and the great baking tips. The tall stacked cookie dough ball idea literally changed the way I bake!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made ’em today for my sister’s birthday, and they were a huge hit 🙂 (And super festive with all those sprinkles!)
I made these last night – best choc chip cookie recipe ever!