Have a package of muffin mix, but really want cookies instead? No Problem! With this 4-ingredient recipe for Muffin Mix Cookies, it's easy to take any flavor or brand of muffin mix and turn it into a batch of delicious homemade cookies!
Sometimes you want a batch of fresh baked cookies and you want it fast. Like, really, really fast. Maybe you're out of many of the traditional cookie ingredients. and maybe you have a couple packages of muffin mix you don't know what to do with.
Whatever the case, these muffin mix cookies are the perfect solution!
The easy-to-make homemade cookies only need four ingredients. You can make them with any brand or flavor (from chocolate chip to mixed berry to blueberry to banana nut!) of muffin mix you have on hand. And the recipe results in a perfectly sweet and soft cookie.
Can You Make Cookies with Muffin Mix?
Yes! While muffin mix is a bit different than a mix you'd buy to make cookies (or traditional cookie ingredients), you can easily turn it into a delicious cookie batter.
Instead of adding milk or water to the muffin mix like the package generally states, you'll simply be combining the mix with butter, egg, and vanilla extract. This will result in a stiffer dough rather than a runny batter.
While there is generally more leavener in muffins than in cookies, it won't harm your cookies in any way and, if anything, results in a softer, fluffier cookie.
Since muffins generally aren't as sweet as cookies, I was initially worried I'd need to add sugar to this recipe, but it definitely isn't needed... These cookies with muffin mix are as sweet as can be!
I've also made pancakes with muffin mix and cookies with pancake mix. No matter what kind of mix you have in your house, it's likely you can make all kinds of different baked goods with it!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
The most obvious reason you'll love these cookies is that they're so easy to make with just four ingredients.
You'll also love it if you like soft, sweet cookies that have lots of flavor. You can make these with absolutely any flavor of muffin mix, which means you have tons of options for instantly adding easy flavor with no extra ingredients required.
Sizes of Muffin Mix
The problem with most muffin mix cookies recipes is that they assume we all have the same size package of muffin mix... But the mixes come in all kinds of sizes depending on the brand and package!
My recipe is easy to adjust based on the size of your mix package. In fact, all you have to do is adjust the amount of butter being used. Here are the three sizes I tested and am accounting for:
- 6.5 oz. bags (Betty Crocker) - two bags required for full recipe
- 14.75 oz. box (Betty Crocker)
- 18.25 oz. box (Krusteaz)
After doing extensive recipe testing, I found that simply adding an extra tablespoon of butter as you go up in package size results in a delicious cookie. I kept all other ingredient amounts the same.
This isn't a perfect ratio and each size and brand package will result in a slightly different cookie, but all are still wonderfully soft and tasty.
Here's how much butter I used for each:
- Two 6.5 oz. bags (total 13 oz.): 1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter
- 14.75 oz. box: 9 tablespoon butter
- 18.25 oz. box: 10 tablespoon butter
Ingredients
As long as you have a package or two of muffin mix in your kitchen, it's likely you have everything you need to make these cookies... No trip to the store required! Here's what you'll need:
- Butter
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Muffin mix
How to Make Muffin Mix Cookies
Making these cookies is SO easy!
Simply cream the butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. I do this in my stand mixer, but you can also use a hand mixer. If you have neither, you can do it in a bowl with a wooden spoon (here's a helpful guide... But you won't be adding sugar).
Mix the egg and vanilla extract into the butter. Your mixture might look a little bit runny, but that's OK.
Now, add in the muffin mix and mix until just combined, taking care not to over-mix.
Here's the batter for my chocolate chip muffin mix cookies.
Scoop about 2 tablespoon of cookie dough (I use a #40 cookie scoop) onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.
And bake for 11-13 minutes, until cookies are just turning golden around the edges, but are still soft.
Let cool in the pan for a couple minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely.
I made two different kinds of chocolate chip muffin mix cookies and a couple batches of mixed berry muffin mix cookies.
Don't ask me which were my favorites because I can't decide!
As you can see, all three of my different muffin mix cookies look slightly different, which is due to many factors, including the fact that all brands of muffin mix vary in terms of what's in each of them.
What If I Only Have One 6.5 Oz. Bag?
Those 6.5 oz. bags of muffin mix are one of the most popular mixes here in the U.S. And chances are you only have one bag in your pantry. You can still make these cookies, you'll just want to cut the other ingredients in half.
That means you should add 4 tablespoon or butter and about ¾ teaspoon of vanilla extract. To cut your egg in half, lightly whisk it in a small bowl and just add half the whisked egg to the butter mixture.
Note that you'll likely only get 7-8 cookies with just one bag of mix.
What If I Have a Size Package of Muffin Mix Not Listed?
I tested this recipe on the size packages of muffin mix I found in my local grocery store. But I'm sure there are tons of other sizes of packages. You can still make these cookies with no problem!
I recommend you use your best judgement for how much butter to use based on the package sizes I tried. If you have a package that's a bit smaller or a bit larger, keep the butter amount the same. If your package is 3-4 oz. larger, consider adding another tablespoon of butter. If your package is 20 oz. or larger, consider another egg and more vanilla, too.
A little too much or not quite enough butter shouldn't ruin your cookies and since all brands of muffin mixes are a little bit different in terms of ingredients anyway, results will vary.
And everyone likes they're cookies different, so definitely experiment a bit to find what you like best! I find this recipe to be pretty foolproof... Too much butter might make your cookies a bit flatter and not enough egg might make them fatter, but they should still be soft and yummy as long as you don't over-bake them.
How Many Cookies Does This Recipe Make?
It totally depends on the size muffin mix package you're using! And, of course, the size of the cookies you're making. When using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, with the smallest package, I got about 15 cookies and with the largest, I got 20.
Can I Add Other Mix-Ins to These Cookies?
Sure! One of my favorite things about muffin mix cookies is that you can get so many flavors of muffin mix and don't have to include any more add-ins. But you certainly can if you want to! Here are a few options:
- Chocolate chips
- Coconut
- Nuts
- Berries
- M&Ms
- Pretzel pieces
More Cookie Recipes
If you're looking for recipes for cookies that use more traditional ingredients (i.e. flour, sugar, and baking powder as opposed to a package of mix), I've got plenty of favorites for you. Here are some of the best:
- Bite-Size Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Healthy Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Buttered Popcorn Cookies
- Tartine's Deluxe Double-Chocolate Cookies
- Molasses Ginger Cookies
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cookies
- Coconut Sugar Cookies
- Grapefruit Crinkle Cookies
- Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies
- Glazed Lemon Cookies
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies (from Simply Stacie)
I absolutely love making homemade cookies from scratch, but nothing is easier than a batch of cookies made with muffin mix!
I hope this recipe helps you put that package of muffin mix to good use... You know, for something other than muffins!
Because c'mon, isn't a cookie always more delicious than a muffin??
📖 Recipe
Muffin Mix Cookies
Ingredients
- 8-10 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature (see notes for amount)
- 1-2 packages muffin mix (see notes for sizes)
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes (if you don't have a mixer, you can use a bowl and wooden spoon/spatula).
- Mix egg and vanilla extract into the butter (don't worry if your mixture looks a little runny).
- Add the muffin mix to the butter mixture and mix until just combined, taking care not to over-mix.
- Scoop about 2 tablespoon of cookie dough (I use a #40 cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until cookies are just turning golden around the edges, but are still soft. Let cookies cool in the pan for a couple minutes before moving to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- If you have (2) 6.5 oz. bags (13 oz. total): 8 tablespoon butter (1 stick)
- If you have a 14.75 oz. box: 9 tablespoon butter
- If you have a 18.25 oz. box: 10 tablespoon butter
- If you only have one 6.5 oz bag, simply cut the recipe in half. Use 4 tablespoon butter and divide the egg in half by lightly whisking it in a bowl and only adding half of it to butter mixture.
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Shannon Beasley says
These came out great with the two small bags of Betty Crocker.
Kara says
These were perfect. I had a box of Krusteaz Chocolate Chip muffin mix that worked just right with your ratio. I think I like these better than their cookie actual mix!
Kimberly says
Could I make this dough and freeze it like regular cookie dough? Looks delicious!
Sues says
Hi Kimberly- You should definitely be able to treat this cookie dough like regular cookie dough and freeze it for later use!
Jaime says
My box calls for 1/3 cup of oil and not one recipe or comment says ANYTHING on whether or not to use oil when making these muffins into cookies 🤔🤔
Sues says
Hi Jamie! I would add oil if I were making muffins, but for turning muffin mix into cookies, you'll want to use butter instead.
Lori says
I used a kruteaz mix with friut that's added to the mix. (Cranberry/orange) I thought it may make my dough a little thinner but the opposite happened. My dough was very thick. I made up my cookies anyway and they are alittle spongy. I may add a drop of oil next time to thin them out alittle. My nix size was17.1 oz but I still used the 10 tbs of butter. Not sure what I did or did not do.. Thanks for your help
Aunt B says
In a 900 gm pkg of choc. chip muffin mix I used 1/2 cup of butter and one egg. It was still a bit stiff, so I added the vanilla and one more egg! Perfect, thank you or your post and encouragement to experiment!
Erin says
I used King Arthur baking company's gluten free pumpkin bread or muffin mix... 12 Oz box -used 8tbsp dairy free butter, and the vanilla, 2 eggs (too dry without the 2nd) I also added some chopped pecans... oh 😋 yum!
Jen W says
Great recipe! I used Betty Crocker chocolate chip muffin mix and substituted avocado oil in place of butter (just didn't have any at the time) and the resulting chocolate chip cookies were excellent! Will definitely make these again. :]
Jeff says
I used the KRUSTEAZ chocolate chip muffin box - followed the directions. CHILLED THE DOUGH for several hours. They were outstanding cookies. I dumped about 1/3 cup of extra chips into the mix - man, oh, man, that was a great cookie. I got about 24 decent size cookies from the mix. Need to find muffin mix on sale for it to be really cost effective, but the cookie was a winner.
Dolly Pitre says
I made 3 batches of these tonight for a band bake sale tomorrow. Banana Nut, Wild Blueberry & Mixed Berry. I made them almost 4 inches around to sell individually. They were delicious! Thanks for the great idea!
Pam says
This recipe was so easy and they look delicious. They are cooling on the rack. I wonder if I could put ice cream between two and freeze them?
Sues says
Hi Pam- That sounds delicious! These are a softer cookie, so they may get a little soggy (I usually like to make ice cream cookie sandwiches with crispier cookies), but I think they'd still be tasty!
Sherry says
How much vanilla extract do you use with two pouches of muffin mix from Betty Crocker? 1 1/2 tsps. sounds like a lot for that amount, no?
Thank you very much. I LOVE This recipe!
Sherry
Sues says
Hi Sherry- I like a lot of vanilla flavor, so 1 1/2 teaspoons is perfect for me. However, if you like less, you can leave some out with no problem!
Linda says
I added 2 bananas and 1/2 C peanut butter a tsp vanilla and a touch of water to 2 pkgs. Betty Crocker chocolate chip muffins they turned out awesome every one at work raved about them
Ash says
First of all, thank you for this recipe!
I had two 7 oz. bags of “that’s smart!” Apple cinnamon muffin mixes in my lazy susan. I decided to experiment and mix up two mini batches. (My mixing bowl had veggies in it in the fridge and I was too lazy to find something larger than a cereal bowl ha)
I ended up liking my second batch better, it had 1 whole large egg, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, 4 tbsps butter, and 1 tsp. brown sugar with a dash of extra cinnamon for good measure. I have a 2 tbsp. scoop and using the flat side of a knife to scrap off extra dough measured 9 cookies exactly! Oh, 11 minutes was a bit too long for my oven though unfortunately, or maybe the extra egg? I had to do 8 minutes 🙂 thanks again, very much, I’m going to use this recipe with so many of my muffin and quick bread mixes!!
Lynn says
What if you don’t have vanilla extract other wise im going to try them
Sues says
Hi Lynn- They should still be delicious without vanilla extract! It just adds a little more flavor dimension. If you have almond extract, you could also add that. But they should still be great!
Nancy Trammell-Lane says
I used chocolate chip and strawberry cheesecake muffin mix and added 1/4 cup each of chocolate chips and butterscotch chips. Shredded my butter to soften it up added one egg and mixed by hand. Quick, easy and tasty!! Thanks so much for recipe ideas
Carteir says
Yummy!!!
Karina Martinez says
Can I use normal butter if I don’t have unsalted butter?
Sues says
Hi Karina- You definitely can! The cookies will just be a little saltier, but it should be totally fine.
Maureen says
I used an Apple Muffin mix and made 8 good sized cookies stuffed with a caramel candy. They look and smell amazing 🤩!! Topped with a swirl of Cream Cheese frosting and topped with crushed freeze dried apples.
Christina says
Great instructions, so simple! I used one package of Bakers Corner Pumpkin Quick Bread & Muffin Mix (ALDIs) and added 1 half cup each of walnuts and cranberries. Thanks!
Christina says
Forgot the rating!