In my opinion, the best part of Valentine's Day is the treats that go along with it. If you're looking for something super simple to make for a Valentine's Day dessert then these Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies are the perfect thing. They only have 4 ingredients, and they are ready quickly.
You don't have to make these just for Valentine's Day though, you can make them year round and swap in any chocolate you want in the center, like a Hershey's kiss or a peanut butter cup!
Ingredients:
Red velvet cake mix: I used a (15.25-ounce) box Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Red Velvet Cake Mix. Other brands may have slightly larger or smaller box sizes, and in my experience they will all work with this recipe.
Oil: Canola oil is the best to use, or vegetable oil. You could swap in pretty much any other oil though.
Eggs: Two large eggs
Heart shapes chocolates: For Valentine's Day you definitely want to use heart shaped chocolates, because they make the cookies look so cute. I used Hershey's milk chocolate hearts. You can use anything you find at the store.
Directions for Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies:
These are just so simple. You start by mixing together the cake mix, oil and eggs in a bowl until everything is well incorporated. Then you just drop the dough onto cookie sheets, and then bake them. Once they are done and cooled for a few minutes, you press the chocolate heart candies into the cookies, let them cool completely, then eat them. Thats it!
Tips:
Storing: These cookies will stay fresh if stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. I don't recommend freezing the fully baked cookies, but you can freeze the cookie dough and bake it from frozen, just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.
Refrigerating the dough: You can definitely bake these cookies right after you drop them onto the baking sheets, but I refrigerate the dough on the baking sheets for at least 15 minutes because it gives the cookies a uniform shape when they bake and keeps them from spreading too much.
Other Cake Mixes/Chocolates: You can absolutely use a different flavor of cake mix and different chocolates for this recipe to make other types of cookies. Feel free to experiment!
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, then set aside.
In a large bowl combine the cake mix, oil and eggs until well mixed. Use a cookie scoop to drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets, leaving each cookie at least 2 inches apart. Refrigerate cookies on the baking sheets for 15-30 minutes.
Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then lightly press one chocolate heart into the center of each cookie. Remove cookies from the baking sheets and allow to cool completely.