Super Easy Easter Cake Mix Cookies

Last Updated on March 31, 2025

These Easter cake mix cookies only need a few ingredients and very little time to prepare so you can have Easter treats in about 30 minutes.

I love helping out with my kids’ classroom parties. The problem is, my kids usually forget to tell me until the last minute (or I forget to jot them down in my calendar) so I’m scrambling to whip up something that doesn’t look like I just threw it together (even though that’s exactly what I’m doing).

My go-to recipe for these last-minute classroom treat “emergencies” is cake mix cookies. They only require 3 ingredients and are easy to tailor to any theme, like these these super easy Easter cake mix cookies or strawberry cake mix cookies for Valentine’s Day or anniversaries.

Jump to:

• Why is Carrot Cake Associated with Easter?
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• ❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🔀 Substitutions
• 🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins
• 🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
• Tired of Ads?
• 🔪 How to Make Easter Cake Mix Cookies
• 👩‍🍳 Pro Tips
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🙏 Pairing
• SAVE THIS RECIPE!
• 📋 Recipe
• Pro Tips
• Recipe FAQs

Why is Carrot Cake Associated with Easter?

Since I made these cake mix cookies for Easter, I used carrot cake mix—but, why is carrot cake associated with Easter?

• The Easter Bunny is traditionally depicted as fond of carrots and some kids even leave out carrots for the Easter Bunny. So, it makes sense that carrot-based dishes, including carrot cake, are popular during Easter celebrations.
• Easter occurs in spring, a time when carrots are harvested. Incorporating fresh, seasonal produce like carrots into dishes aligns with the themes of renewal and rebirth associated with the season.
• During the Middle Ages, when sugar was scarce and expensive, carrots were used as a sweetener in desserts. This tradition continued into the period of Lent and Easter, a time of fasting and abstinence in the Christian calendar, because it allows for a sweet treat without relying on expensive sweeteners. 

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Besides needing only need a few ingredients and very little time to prepare, you’ll love these Easter treats because they’re:

• Easy to make: All you have to do is mix the ingredients, scoop out the dough, bake the cookies, then decorate.
• Fun to make: You and your kids will have so much fun making these cookies together. You can work on each step together, or make an assembly line and each person is assigned a task or everyone works their way down the line and gets to do each step (it depends on the age of your children).
• Always a hit at parties: If you bring these to a classroom party, the kids are going to love these cookies with the cute bunnies on top. In case your neighborhood has a party, you could let the kids have fun and frost their own cookies and put the bunny on top.

For more fun with Peeps, try these Easter pudding cups.

🥘 Ingredients

You only need a total of 5 ingredients to make this entire recipe. You probably already have some of them at home and the rest will be easy to find at the store.

• Cake mix: You will need a box of carrot cake mix. Any brand is fine.
• Canola oil or vegetable oil: Since both oils have a neutral flavor and similar baking properties, you can use whichever one you prefer. Any brand is fine.
• Eggs: The eggs help hold the ingredients together and give the cookies a light and tender texture.
• Whipped cream cheese frosting: This type of frosting is easier to spread on cookies and cream cheese is usually associated with carrot cake. Any brand is fine.
• Peeps: There are so many different flavors of Peeps available now, it doesn’t matter which flavor you use.

See recipe card for complete list of ingredients and quantities

🔀 Substitutions

If you don’t have the ingredients you need or if you have different dietary preferences, see if you have these instead:

Cake mix: If you need to, you can use a gluten-free cake mix.

Canola oil or vegetable oil: You can substitute melted butter in equal amounts for a richer flavor. If you want to make this healthier, you can use the same amount of Greek yogurt for softer cookies and added protein.

Eggs: For a vegan alternative, use flaxseed eggs. You can use 1/2 cup mashed banana or 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce for a healthier version.

Whipped cream cheese frosting: Regular cream cheese frosting will be slightly denser, but it will still work well. You can make your own frosting by mixing 4 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup heavy cream, and ¼ cup powdered sugar.

Peeps: If you don’t have Peeps, a regular marshmallow would work. Or, you could just leave off the Peeps.

🌈 Variations / Options / Add-Ins

These holiday cookies can easily be customized to fit your personal tastes.

• Cake Mix Flavor Variations: Use lemon cake mix paired with vanilla or lemon frosting for a bright and springy flavor and look. You could also use funfetti cake mix to look extra festive with the sprinkles baked in.
• Add-Ins for Extra Flavor: Add white chocolate chips for a creamy, sweet crunch or shredded coconut for a tropical twist, perfect for spring. You could also add chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts for crunch and a nutty flavor.
• Topping Options: Instead of Peeps, you could top the cookies with jelly beans, mini chocolate eggs or pastel M&Ms. Before adding the Peep, you could put Easter-themed pastel sprinkles on the frosting to make the cookies extra fun.

For a different themed Easter dessert, try these cute Easter Oreo chicks.

🥄 Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools

You only need a few kitchen tools to help you make this easy recipe. So, gather these tools and get ready to enjoy this tasty dessert.

• Mixing bowl: You’ll need a large bowl to combine all of the ingredients.
• Medium cookie scoop: Use this to scoop the cookie dough, so you’ll be sure they’re the right size for the decorations.
• Baking sheet: This is where you’ll bake the cookies.
• Wire cooling rack: The cookies will cool on this when they’re done baking.

🔪 How to Make Easter Cake Mix Cookies

Even though regular homemade cookies don’t take a ton of time, when you’re really short on time, these cake mix cookies will save you precious minutes.

Step 1: Preheat Oven

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Step 2: Combine Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, oil, and eggs. Mix well.

Step 3: Scoop out the Dough

Use a cookie scoop to place dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. I used the medium scoop because I needed the cookies to be large enough to hold the decorations I had planned for them.

You should get 24 cookies out of one box of cake mix if you scoop the right amount for each cookie.

Step 4: Bake The Cookies

The cookies need to bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the edges are set, but the center is slightly soft—also there will be a few cracks on the top which shows they’ve expanded properly.

Step 5: Cool the Cookies

Let them sit on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely (at least 15-20 minutes).

Step 6: Frost The Cookies

After they cool, you can frost them. I used whipped cream cheese frosting because it’s easy to spread and to me, carrot cake just screams for cream cheese frosting.

Step 7: Top With A Peep

Finally, to add the “wow” factor (for an elementary-school audience) and to go ahead and pile on the sugar so their teacher and parents will appreciate you, top each cookie with a peep.

Step 8: Serve and Enjoy

Load them up on a platter or in a storage container and voilà, you’ve made enough Easter-themed treats for an entire classroom full of kids in just about half an hour!

👩‍🍳 Pro Tips

Here are a few tips that you can use to make sure that your Easter Oreo Cake Mix Cookies turn out perfectly.

• You can cover the baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat which prevents sticking and ensures even baking—better than greasing the pan!
• Stir the dough just until combined to avoid dense cookies. Overmixing can make them tough.
• If your dough feels sticky, refrigerate it for 15-20 minutes before baking. This helps prevent spreading and makes the cookies thicker and chewier.
• Keep cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread to stay soft longer!

❓ Recipe FAQs

🙏 Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with Easter Cake Mix Cookies:

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📋 Recipe