These cake batter chocolate chip cookies are a cross between soft-baked chocolate chip cookies and funfetti cake. For over a decade, this has remained one of the most popular cookie recipes on my website, and after baking a batch, you’ll taste why. If you love chocolate chip cookies and sneaking a taste of cake batter, you will love these fun cookies!
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
Since 2012, this recipe for cake batter chocolate chip cookies has consistently been one of my most popular cookie recipes.
It was my very first recipe to “go viral,” which led to an appearance on Good Morning America and in People magazine. It even caught the eye of a cookbook publisher… which led to my first published cookbook, Sally’s Baking Addiction. (And they’re on the book cover, too!)
They’re like chocolate chip cookies and confetti cake in one irresistible treat.
What Makes Them a Fan Favorite?
- Soft-baked chewy centers with crispy edges
- Sweet, buttery cake batter flavor
- Loaded with both chocolate and white chocolate morsels
- Customize the sprinkle colors to fit a party or holiday theme
- Freeze wonderfully, both before and after baking
- Make fantastic cookie ice cream sandwiches
- A birthday party in cookie form!
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Just skim through some of the comments and reviews fans of these cake batter chocolate chip cookies have left over the years:
One reader, Kim, commented: “Still one of my favorite recipes after over a decade! ★★★★★“
One reader, Katie, commented: “Love making this recipe for birthdays and holidays with themed sprinkles!! Always a hit. People are always surprised how AMAZING they are, much more than a basic chocolate chip cookie!! ★★★★★”
One reader, Geri, commented: “Everyone needs to try these at least once and after that, you’ll know one time isn’t enough. I love them with regular vanilla cake mix but we use the butter flavor cake mix sometimes too. Very chewy and soft cookies with fun flavor, kids and adults alike can’t get enough of them. ★★★★★”
Cake Batter Cookie Dough Ingredients:
The cookie dough is made from your standard cookie ingredients: flour, leavener, salt, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. What makes these cookies stand out in the crowded arena of cookie recipes is the add-ins:
- Cake Mix: My team and I prefer baking from scratch, but adding dry cake mix is the SECRET to this recipe. I usually reach for vanilla cake mix, but any flavor you love works. You won’t need the whole box of cake mix, so use the leftovers another time to make a batch of cake batter rice krispie treats!
- Chocolate Chips & White Morsels: I love to use a mix of both in these cookies. Semi-sweet chocolate chips make them taste like classic chocolate chip cookies, while white chocolate morsels taste like frosting—adding to the flavor that’s reminiscent of birthday cake.
- Sprinkles: Use your favorite color 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!
And if you’d like to try Oreos as an add-in, see my similar recipe for cake batter Oreo cookies.
Best Sprinkles to Use
I’ve been baking sprinkles into cookie doughs and cake batters for years and have learned exactly which sprinkles work, and which don’t. Happy to share my best advice:
- Do not use nonpareils (the little balls) in dough/batter. They will bleed their color as you fold them in, resulting in a less-than-appetizing-color baked good.
- Rainbow sprinkles (aka “jimmies”) sold in the U.S. are intensely colored, but sprinkles sold in other countries may lose their color when baked. “Sugar strands” may be the same shape as jimmies, but they dissolve in wet batter/dough. For best results, try to use American-style rainbow sprinkles. I also really like Canadian-brand Sweetapolita sprinkles.
- Confetti quins (the little discs) are also great to use in sprinkle cookies and cakes. They rarely bleed their color in batter.
- Be careful using naturally colored sprinkles. They are wonderful as decoration, but—depending on the brand—can lose their color in doughs and batters.
Overview: How to Make Them
The cookie dough does need to chill, so if you’re in a rush, try these giant chocolate chip cookies instead (no dough chilling!).
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. If you skip it, your cookies will spread into a flat, 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 you’re interested, I wrote a post all about how to prevent cookies from spreading. It’s 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!
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.
By the way, if you can’t get enough cake batter flavor, try these cake batter blondies. Or give someone special a delicious start to their special day with birthday cake cinnamon rolls or birthday cake pancakes.
You can even sandwich ice cream between two cookies to make a birthday cookie ice cream sandwich. Enjoy right away or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to eat.
Print
Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 28-32 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 the flavor of cake batter, you will love these soft & chewy cookies!
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/3 cup (167g) 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 use 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup semi-sweet)
- 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 3 minutes. (Here’s a helpful tutorial if you need guidance on how to cream butter and sugar.) 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 around 1.5 Tablespoons (about 35g) 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 refrigerated when working in batches.
- Bake the cookies for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. The centers will still appear very soft, but the cookies will continue to set as they cool. While the cookies are still warm, I like to press a few more chocolate chips into the tops of the cookies. This is optional and only for looks.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. See step 3. Baked cookies freeze well up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well up to 3 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I just realized I misread the instructions. The dough has been chilling in the fridge since last night, and I did not roll at the 2 hour mark. I was planning to roll it this evening, almost 24 hours later. Is it an issue that I wait this long to roll the cookie dough?
Thank you
Hi Ruth, your dough is fine! You may want to let it sit at room temperature for 20 or so minutes before rolling if it is quite solid.
My very favorite cookie, and I make lots of cookies. I use white chocolate and dark chocolate chips, and press a few additional dark chips into cookie immediately after removing from oven.
Hello! I was planning to make these but I have to use gluten free flour/cake mix. I saw the note about not using gluten free cake mix and was curious why you don’t recommend it?
Hi Ashley, results will vary with gluten free substitutes, but feel free to give it a try!
Hi Ashley, I’ve made these with gluten free cake mix and flour many times and they turned out great. Nobody even noticed the difference!
Hi Ashley, I’ve made these with gluten free cake mix and flour many times and they turned out great. Nobody even noticed the difference!
Probably my favorite cookie recipe by sally. I have easily made this recipe a dozen times now and turn out perfect every time. I started making one batch with yellow cake mix and another with devil’s food and doing half and half cookies. Everyone i share them with absolutely loves them! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Can’t believe I waited this long to make these, they are SO GOOD!! No notes. I cut up a white chocolate baking bar instead of using chips, and it’s divine. I recommend popping the dough balls in the fridge after rolling/ before baking for 10 more mins, they came out perfect!
THESE!! This recipe is perfection! It is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have made these over and over using different coloured sprinkles depending on the holiday (green and red for xmas, blue,green,yellow and red for a sesame street theme etc.) They always turn out amazingly. I recently got an oven thermometer and it has made my baking turn out every single time. Sally’s recipes are always my first choice. Especially these delicious cookies!!!
These look amazing. Will be great if you could make some recommendations to make this from scratch. Find Box mixes very sweet, so avoid using those. If a Box Mix needs to be used for this recipe, can I leave out the additional sugar? Will that mess up the cookie dough? Thanks for your time, in advance.
Hi Neha, we would use a different recipe that doesn’t use cake mix if you would like to avoid that. You may enjoy these sugar cookies with sprinkles instead. We do not recommend leaving out the additional sugar in the cookies, as it will impact the taste, texture, and spread of the cookies.
I want to make these for a pot luck with a lot of people. I’m planning on making 2 batches. There will be small kids there and I’m wondering if I could make smaller cookies (like 1-2 bites/half the size stated here). How long would those take to cook?
Hi Teresa, you can definitely make smaller cookies. We’re unsure of the exact bake time needed so keep an eye on them in the oven and look for lightly browned edges.
My cookies were DELICIOUS and perfectly soft and chewy when they were first cooled but then make too hard and crunchy. What could I have done wrong or should I do differently?
Hi Jessica, it sounds like the cookies may have just been a bit overbaked. For next time, try reducing your bake time by a minute or so, and they should stay chewier. Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to measure your flour so that it isn’t overmeasured, which can also dry out cookies. Hope this helps for next time!
They are now our favorite cookie recipe. I get requests to make them all the time. I add a 1/2 tsp of almond extract to amp up the birthday cake flavor. I would give 6 stars if I could. They freeze very well, so I can make a few at a time.
These were so yummy! Should these stay soft for a few days? Mine only stayed soft for about a day. I made the batter at night, chilled then rolled them after 2 hours, then chilled them overnight and baked for about 12 minutes. I’m wondering if my batter was too dry for some reason? It didn’t seem sticky as the recipe said. I don’t have a stand mixer and the lowest setting on my hand mixer is still kind of fast. Maybe it was over mixed? Regardless they were great, just hoping to improve my own knowledge and skills for next time! Thank you!
Hi Alessia, so glad you loved them! A dry cookie dough is usually caused by too much flour in the dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Hi Trina,
Thank you so much for the tip! I used measuring cups the first time but used a food scale the second time and they came out perfect! 🙂
Do you think I could “dunk” them in sprinkles before putting them in the oven? They would all be covered in sprinkles, almost no cookie dough visible before baking. It’s for a birthday and I want them to look extra special. Will it work?
Hi Liza, I can’t imagine why not! Though when they bake and expand/spread, some of the cookie will be exposed.
Sally, you are the bomb digity! These were the absolute best cookies I’ve ever made and had! Thank you for this awesome recipe. One bite had me dancing in my kitchen. Will definitely be trying these with macadamia nuts and butterscotch chips.
I just made these for my nephew’s birthday and everyone absolutely loved them! I made a giant one specially for the birthday boy and he was thrilled…thanks for the recipe Sally!
Would a different kind of cake mix work? Pistachio or lemon?
Hi Carey, yes! Any flavor cake mix should be great. Let us know how they turn out.
Would it be okay to double the recipe or is this one of the ones I should do in separate batches?
Hi Amber, It is OK to multiply cookie recipes usually. If you have a smaller mixer, it can be overwhelmed by a large amount of dough. Separate batches always works!
I fell in love with this at a friend’s house. But nine dit not come out perfect… I can just cry.
Hi Edelweiss, we’re so sorry to hear that. Can you let us know a bit more about what happened with your batch, and we can help troubleshoot? Thank you!
Can these be tweaked to make into a bar cookie? If so how would you do that? Thank you!
Hi Michele, we recommend an 11×7-inch baking pan. A 9-inch square pan could work, but the bars will be pretty thick. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, so keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness. Enjoy!
I’ve made these 4 times already and each time they’ve been a major hit. People can’t get enough of them. After making them for my nephew’s birthday this year, I had to promise him that I would make these every year from now on. But my family gobbled them up for Thanksgiving and my friends in Montreal ate TWO batches for Christmas, so they’re not just for birthdays. Best cookies EVER!!!
These cookies are sooooo good! I don’t do a lot of baking, but these were a knockout recipe as a beginner. I made a plate of them for a potluck, and they were gone within half an hour. Definitely a recipe I’m going to turn to again and again.
Can I use cake flour instead of cake mix?
Hi Winnie, This recipe really needs a cake box mix. Here’s our sprinkle sugar cookies recipe you may like instead, if you want to avoid cake mix.
These look yummy… Is the cake mix necessary? Do you have a recipe for a cake mix that can be used? I literally started baking from scratch because there are a lot of things that are NOT food in packaged cake mixes…
Hi Mel, we would use a different recipe that doesn’t use cake mix if you would like to avoid that. You may enjoy these sugar cookies with sprinkles instead – let us know if you try them!
Hello, this recipe looks delicious. My son wants to make a giant cookie for his dad’s birthday using this recipe. Are there any changes you would make as far as ratios and of course bake times to make a giant cookie?
Hi Elle! Are you thinking you would bake it like a cookie pizza? Or maybe bars? This Funfetti Sugar Cookie Cake may be just what you’re looking for.
Hi! I was wondering if I could use a funfetti cake mix and leave out the sprinkles. Thanks
Hi Sam, absolutely. Enjoy!
Cookies tasted great but dough was so dry I had difficulty incorporating the chips and sprinkles. After refrigerating for two hours, dough was so had it was difficult to use the cookie scoop. I double checked the recipe several times and am sure I followed directions and ingredients correctly. I would love to keep this on my cookie list so help would be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Karen! It shouldn’t be a dry dough. How are you measuring your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or weight measure) to measure. Otherwise, too much flour can lead to a more crumbly, dry texture.
I’ve made these cookies twice before and plan to again next week, and they are delicious! My granddaughters loved them! But I have a question I’d like to ask, not out of any practical necessity, just out of curiosity. I’ve made several of your cookie recipes which require the dough to be chilled before baking, but this is the only one that I’ve seen which specifies that if the dough is chilled longer than two hours, it should still be rolled into balls at the two hour mark. Is there some particular reason for that?
Hi Janice, we’re so glad the cookies were a hit! We recommend rolling the cookies at the two hour mark so that the dough does not become too hard to scoop and roll, if continuing on to chill for longer before baking.
Hey!! Is there a substitute for cake mix? Could I make my own? These look so good!
Hi Sarah! Unfortunately homemade cake mix won’t provide the same exact flavor. Try these regular chocolate chip cookies and replace half of the chips/chunks with white chocolate chips add some sprinkles.
I just made this recipe! Wow they are really good
Thinking to make this for an upcoming bday party treat and using color coordinating sprinkles.
I flash freezed my cookie towers for 40 minutes before baking and they turned out exactly like the photos! <3
I love these cookies so much- can this recipe be made into a giant heart shape cookie/cake?
Question! I have your cookbook, but was comparing the cake batter choc chip cookie recipe on your website vs the cookbook and noticed there were some changes! Does your website have the updated recipe? Thanks!
Hi Ivy, yes, a couple slight adjustments to ensure the cookies do not over-spread.
These cookies aren’t as good as it look, I put them in the fridge like she said and they were hard as a rock
Hi Ally! Was the dough hard after chilling? This is normal, but it could be extra stiff if there was too much flour in the dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Just made these. So delicious!! Any recommendations on what to do with the left over cake mix?
Hi Sam, you could make these cookies twice and it will use almost all of the cake mix. Or check out our other recipes that use cake mix!
I am making this recipe for the second time!
I bake for my chemo nurses each week and these were SUCH a hit that I am making them again for the people at my dog’s doggy daycare.
They are easy, festive and unique !
Disregard my previous question. I see the answer in the recipe. Thank you!