Last Updated on November 30, 2022 by Kathryn Donangelo
This Grinch Cookie Recipe is one to keep this holiday season! Made with cake mix and heart sprinkles to make these cookies look like the Grinch! Both kids and adults will love these easy and chewy cookies.
PIN these adorable Grinch Cookies to try later!
Grinch Cookie Recipe
Grinch Christmas Cookies couldn’t be any easier to make. Made with a box of cake mix and topped with heart sprinkles that are inspired by the classic movie, How The Grinch Stole Christmas! These are truly so much fun to make and kids can even help assemble the cookies.
These easy Grinch Cookies are so perfect to add to cookie platters, family movie night, holiday parties, or any time you’re in the mood to do some holiday baking! Other easy Christmas cookies and treats to make are my Rice Krispie Treats, Snickerdoodles, Melted Snowman Cookies, Gingerbread Men Cookies, and Reindeer Cookies.
Christmas time is here (almost) and that means we’re about to be around lots of Christmas cookies. These cookies are unforgettable because they’ll remind you of the Grinch movie, they are bright-colored, and they taste like cake in a cookie form.
Ingredients
- Cake mix: White or vanilla cake mix works best. You can use any of your favorite brands.
- Eggs: Helps bind the cookie dough together.
- Oil: Any neutral oil will work such as canola or vegetable oil.
- Green gel food coloring: Make sure to use the gel. Start off using a few drops and add more if you want a darker shade of green. I used about 10 drops to get the perfect shade of grinch-green. If you want a bright green color, use the neon colored food gel.
- Powdered sugar: Used to coat the cookie dough balls and adds a “snowy” look.
- Red heart sprinkles: This will symbolize the Grinch’s small heart. See below on a list of alternatives you can use if you are not able to find heart sprinkles. You could usually find heart shaped sprinkles at any grocery store or Amazon.
How To Make This Grinch Cookie Recipe
Mix ingredients together: In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, oil, and until combined. You can do this by hand, with an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer. Add drops of food gel until your desired shade of green (I usually use 10-15 drops). Mix again until cookie dough is combined.
Chill: Refrigerate dough for 20 minutes.
Prep oven: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
Roll in powdered sugar: Place the powdered sugar in a shallow small bowl or dish. Use a small cookie scoop (equivalent to 2 tablespoons) and roll cookie dough into powdered sugar until evenly coated.
Top with hearts and bake: Place on prepared baking sheet and gently place a heart sprinkle in the center of the top of each cookie and bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are set and no longer doughy or too soft. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling wire rack.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy: Made in one bowl and all you need is a wooden spoon to mix these! No fancy kitchen gadgets are required in this recipe.
Crowd pleaser: Chewy, delicious and light. Everyone will absolutely love these cookies plus, they taste like cake in a cookie form.
Fun holiday treat: Kids and adults will both love these cookies. They are perfect for classroom parties, a holiday cookie exchange, and treat bags for gifts.
Get the kids involved: Let the kids roll the cookie dough in powdered sugar and add the heart sprinkle to the center. They will love love this!
Grinch Cookie Recipe Variations
Cake Mix: Vanilla or white cake mix work best because you can easily change the color. Yellow can work too if you add more green gel. You can use any flavor but I always recommend vanilla or white if you want these Grinch Cookies to be green.
Heart Sprinkles: You can usually find heart sprinkles during Valentine’s Day but Amazon usually has them year round. Other alternatives to use are red M&Ms, jumbo heart sprinkles (sometimes these are easier to find), red candy hearts, any red sprinkles, and chocolate hearts.
Holiday-Theme: Instead of using green food coloring to make green cookies, add pink food coloring gel for Valentine’s day. You can decorate these cookies for any occasion by changing the gel color. If you want to ditch the Grinch theme idea, add Christmas sprinkles on top.
Gluten-Free Cookies: Use gluten-free cake mix to make these cookies gluten-free.
Leftovers & Storage
To-store: Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container or large ziplock bag. They will stay fresh for 7 days. They will still be ok to eat after 7 days but they may start to get crumbly and stale.
To-freeze: Allow the baked cookies to cool completely. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes to flash freeze or harden. Once hard, place the cookies in a large freezer bag or stack in an airtight container. Store for up to 3 months- when ready to serve, remove from the freezer to thaw until softened.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Reindeer Cookies
- Melted Snowman Cookies
- Christmas Tree Brownies
- Christmas Shortbread Bars
- Chewy Sugar Cookies
- Santa’s Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Graham Crackers
- Oreo Cookie Truffles
- Toffee Chip Cookies
- The Best Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
More Cake Mix Cookie Recipes
- Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
- Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Spice Cookies
- Cake Mix Bars
- Chocolate Dipped Cookies
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Grinch Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box white or vanilla cake mix
- 2 whole eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 10-15 drops green food gel
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, eggs, oil, and until combined. You can do this by hand, with an electric hand mixer, or stand mixer. Add drops of food gel until your desired shade of green (I usually use 10-15 drops). Mix again until cookie dough is combined.
- Refrigerate dough for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl or dish. Use a mini ice cream scoop (equivalent to 2 tablespoons) and roll cookie dough into powdered sugar until evenly coated.
- Place on prepared cookie sheet and gently press a heart sprinkle in the center of each cookie and bake for 9-10 minutes or until the cookies are set and no longer doughy or too soft. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Welcome to #ChristmasCookies Week! That time of year when we soften the butter, fire up the oven, and make cookie trays for family, friends, and neighbors. This year more than 20 top-notch bloggers are sharing their very favorite creations for all to make and enjoy. Join us for a week’s worth of Christmas cookie deliciousness.
- Almond Paste Squares by Shockingly Delicious
- Cherry Vanilla Pinwheels by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Cherry Wink Cookies by An Affair from the Heart
- Chewy Frosted Christmas Blondie Cookie Bar by Red Cottage Chronicles
- Chocolate Blossom Cookies by Palatable Pastime
- Chocolate Mint-Filled Cookies by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies by Art of Natural Living
- Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies by Hostess At Heart
- Eggnog Snickerdoodle Cookies by Best Cookie Recipes
- Elf Style Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies by Cheese Curd in Paradise
- Gingerdoodles by Magical Ingredients
- Gingerbread Magic Cookie Bars by Family Around the Table
- Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Spritz by Frugal & Fit
- Grinch Cookie Recipe by Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
- Nut-Free Snowball Cookies by Faith, Hope, Love, and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles by Christmas Tree Lane
- Raspberry Pistachio Thumbprints by Sweet Beginnings
- Rosewater Pistachio Snowball Cookies by The Spiffy Cookie
- Sourdough Ginger Cookies by That Recipe
- Toffee Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Whipped Shortbread Cookies by Blogghetti
I love cake mix cookie recipes and yours is too cute!
You nailed the green color, and that little red heart is adorable! Who knew it symbolized the grinch!
Thank you, Karen! It took a lot of tries with the green food gel coloring 😉
Such a fun cookie and perfect to make and enjoy while watching the Grinch movie too.
Oh my gosh these are so fun!! The grands will love helping making these.
Well I think my heart grew three sizes when I saw this cookie! ADORABLE! I know some kiddos that will love making these with me.
Thank you so much, Dorothy! I hope they all love making them as much as I did!
Those hearts are just 2 sizes too small but I’ll bet the flavor of those cookies will cause any heart to melt.
These are so perfect for the holidays and so easy to make!
My first grandchild is due December 18 and I look forward to the day where we watch or read How the Grinch Stole Christmas while eating these adorable cookies.
Congratulations on your first grand baby! That’s so sweet!
Such an adorable holiday cookie! These would melt even the Grinch’s heart!!!
My favorite holiday movie in cookie form, so fun!
It’s one of mine too!
Wouldn’t be Christmas without the grinch!
Watching the Grinch movie during holidays is a tradition we have, and these cookies are perfect to make and enjoy during the holidays. These are so cute!
It’s hard for me to find gel food colouring in Australia; could I sun with the liquid?
Hi Ebony, you can try ordering the food gel on Amazon or Etsy. I hope you are able to find it and try these cookies!
Very easy to make and taste soooo good
Hello. I just want to say that these cookies inspired me to make my own & i went ahead and made these cookies today and i must say that i followed every step correctly and my cookies did not come out looking like yours at all, what so ever. I’m not sure what i did wrong but I’m a bit sad since i wanted to serve these tomorrow at my Christmas party. Is there anyway that you can possibly tell me where i went wrong? Thank you in advance.
Just tried to make these and the dough was like taffy. Followed the instructions to the T. Tossed before even trying to bake. Any thoughts?
Hi Janelle, it could have been your dough was chilled for too long in the refrigerator? I’m sorry to hear this! Your dough should have been soft enough to scoop and shape after it’s been chilled. If it gets too hard, I would let it sit until it’s soft enough.