Soft Strawberry Cake Mix Sandwich Cookies Recipe
Soft Strawberry Cake Mix Sandwich Cookies are delightfully light and fluffy cookies made with a simple strawberry cake mix base and rolled in sparkling sanding sugar for a fun texture. These tender cookies are paired with a rich, creamy almond buttercream that enhances the strawberry flavor, making each sandwich cookie irresistibly delicious and perfect for Valentine’s Day or any special occasion.
- Author: Maya
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies (12 sandwich cookies) 1x
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
- 1 15.25 oz Strawberry Cake Mix (Duncan Hines Strawberry Supreme recommended)
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups sanding sugar (for rolling)
Small Batch Almond Buttercream
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/8 cup heavy cream
- 6 cups powdered sugar
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Mix Cookie Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the strawberry cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil. Mix until all ingredients are just combined to form a soft cookie dough.
- Prepare Sugar for Rolling: Spread the sanding sugar evenly on a plate to coat the cookie dough balls.
- Scoop and Roll Cookies: Using a 1-inch cookie scoop, portion out the dough, roll each scoop into a ball, then roll the dough balls in the sanding sugar until fully coated. Arrange them on the prepared cookie sheet about 3 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes until the cookies are soft and set but not browned. Remove from oven and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Make Almond Buttercream: Meanwhile, in a clean stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment, whip the room temperature unsalted butter until light and fluffy. Add the pinch of salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and heavy cream. Mix to combine.
- Add Powdered Sugar: Gradually add the powdered sugar a little at a time, mixing on low speed to avoid sugar clouds. Once all sugar is incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high and whip for about 2 minutes until the buttercream is fluffy and smooth. Adjust the consistency with a little more heavy cream if the frosting is too thick.
- Assemble Sandwich Cookies: Fit a piping bag with a large round tip or simply snip the end of a plastic bag. Pipe a generous swirl of almond buttercream onto the flat underside of one cookie. Gently sandwich with another cookie on top to create a sandwich cookie.
- Storage: Store the assembled sandwich cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week to keep them fresh and maintain the texture.
Notes
- You can substitute the strawberry cake mix with other flavors like red velvet for a fun twist.
- Using a 1-inch scoop helps create uniform cookies, but if smaller or larger scoops are used, the yield will vary.
- No need for room temperature eggs in this recipe; cold eggs work fine.
- If you don’t have sanding sugar, use coarse sugar crystals to get a similar effect on cookie exterior.
- The almond extract is strong, so use the recommended amount to avoid overpowering the buttercream flavor.
- Butter should be softened but not melted for optimal buttercream consistency.
- Cookies must be completely cooled before assembling to prevent buttercream from melting.
Keywords: Strawberry cake mix cookies, sandwich cookies, almond buttercream, soft cookies, Valentine’s Day cookies, easy cookie recipe