Easy Cake Mix Cut Out Sugar Cookies with No Chill Royal Icing
Unlock the secret to effortlessly delicious and beautifully decorated sugar cookies with our ultimate guide to **Cake Mix Cut Out Sugar Cookies**! Forget the long hours of chilling dough and complex recipes. We’ve simplified the process by leveraging a convenient cake mix, transforming it into tender, flavorful cut-out cookies with just a few pantry staples: butter, shortening, an egg, and a touch of vanilla. This truly is an **easy sugar cookie recipe** that requires absolutely **no chilling**, making it perfect for spontaneous baking sessions or when you need a batch of gorgeous cookies in a hurry.
Imagine whipping up dozens of perfect sugar cookies without the usual fuss. This recipe starts with a simple box of cake mix, transforming it into a versatile dough that’s ready to roll and cut almost instantly. Whether you’re celebrating a holiday, preparing for a party, or simply craving a sweet treat, these cookies are a game-changer. We’ll show you how to use a variety of cookie cutters to create fun shapes and then top them with a simple yet elegant **royal icing** that sets beautifully firm, providing a smooth canvas for all your decorating desires. Get ready to bake some delicious, impressive treats with minimal effort and maximum enjoyment!
Why Choose Cake Mix for Your Sugar Cookies?
Using a cake mix as the base for your sugar cookies offers a fantastic shortcut without compromising on flavor or texture. It provides a consistent foundation of dry ingredients, ensuring reliable results every time. This method significantly reduces prep time, eliminating the need to measure multiple flours, leavening agents, and sugars. It’s an excellent way to introduce beginner bakers to the joy of cookie decorating or to streamline the process for experienced bakers. Plus, it’s incredibly versatile, allowing you to easily experiment with different cake mix flavors.
Essential Recipe Notes for Perfect Cookies
- The Shortening and Butter Blend: This combination is crucial for achieving the ideal balance of flavor and texture. Shortening contributes to a wonderfully tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb, while butter infuses the cookies with a rich, classic flavor. You can use either plain shortening or butter-flavored shortening, depending on what you have available and your preference. This blend also helps the cookies hold their shape better during baking, preventing excessive spreading.
- No Chilling Required: One of the biggest advantages of this recipe is that the dough is stable enough to be rolled out and cut immediately after mixing. This saves valuable time and makes the baking process much faster and more convenient. You can go from mixing bowl to oven in under an hour!
- Flavor Exploration with Extracts: While classic vanilla extract provides a universally loved flavor, don’t hesitate to experiment! Swapping vanilla for almond extract will give your cookies a sophisticated, nutty undertone. Lemon extract offers a bright, zesty burst, perfect for spring or summer themes. Other options include orange, peppermint (great for holidays!), or even a blend of different extracts to create unique flavor profiles.
- Achieving Consistent Thickness: For cookies that bake evenly and have a uniform texture, strive for an even ⅛-inch thickness when rolling out the dough. Using a ruler or rolling pin guides can be very helpful here. Slightly thicker cookies tend to remain softer, while thinner ones will bake up crispier.
Cake Mix Sugar Cookie Ingredients: A Simple List
Gathering your ingredients is the first step to baking these delightful cookies. Here’s what you’ll need to transform a humble cake mix into culinary magic:
- White Cake Mix: You’ll need one standard 13.75-ounce box of white cake mix. This provides the primary dry ingredients and a lovely, mild base flavor.
- Shortening: Use ½ cup of shortening. This fat is key for tenderness and preventing spread, ensuring your cut-out shapes stay crisp.
- Butter: For an added layer of richness and that undeniable buttery taste, incorporate ⅓ cup of unsalted butter. Ensure it’s softened to room temperature for easier blending.
- All-Purpose Flour: Adding 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour helps to modify the cake mix structure, giving the cookies a more traditional sugar cookie texture and improved stability for cutting.
- Vanilla Extract: A teaspoon of vanilla extract enhances all the other flavors in the dough, providing that comforting, classic cookie aroma and taste.
- Large Egg: One large egg acts as a binder, holding all the ingredients together and contributing to the cookie’s structure and moisture.
Perfect Royal Icing Ingredients
No cut-out sugar cookie is complete without a beautiful, firm-setting royal icing. This icing not only looks stunning but also helps preserve the cookies and allows for intricate decorations.
- Powdered Sugar: You’ll need 4 cups of powdered sugar (approximately 1 pound). This finely milled sugar creates a smooth, sweet icing that sets firm. Sifting it beforehand is highly recommended to prevent lumps.
- Meringue Powder: Use 5 tablespoons of meringue powder. This ingredient is essential for royal icing, as it provides stability, helps the icing set hard, and eliminates the need for raw egg whites. Alternatively, you can use 4 fresh egg whites, but ensure they are pasteurized for safety.
- Water: Approximately ¼ cup of water will be needed, but you’ll adjust this to achieve the perfect consistency for outlining and flooding your cookies.
Expert Tips for Crafting Flawless Cake Mix Cut Out Cookies
While the full, detailed instructions are provided in the recipe card below, here are some key tips and techniques to help you achieve bakery-quality results with your cake mix sugar cookies:
- Utilize an Electric Mixer for Best Results: An electric mixer (either stand or hand-held) is highly recommended for this recipe. It ensures that the butter, shortening, and dry ingredients are thoroughly and evenly incorporated, creating a light and airy dough. This thorough mixing helps to cream the fats and sugar, leading to a tender cookie with a smooth texture that’s easier to roll out and less prone to crumbling.
- Mastering Dough Thickness with a Ruler: Consistent dough thickness is paramount for uniformly baked cookies. Aim for exactly ⅛ inch. Using a ruler or a rolling pin with adjustable guides can be incredibly helpful. If you find yourself in doubt, it’s always better to err on the side of making the dough slightly thicker. Thinner cookies tend to bake up crispier and are more susceptible to burning around the edges, whereas a slightly thicker cookie will retain a softer, chewier texture.
- Perfecting Royal Icing Consistency: Achieving the right consistency for royal icing is key to successful decorating. When preparing the initial thicker icing for borders, blend or mix the ingredients for the full 5 minutes as directed. This extended mixing time is vital for incorporating air and creating a smooth, fluffy consistency that holds its shape for piping crisp outlines. For the flood icing, gradually add water, blending until it reaches a consistency where it smooths itself out within 10-15 seconds after being drizzled.
- Preventing Stickiness During Rolling: Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin to prevent the dough from sticking. Avoid adding too much flour, as this can make the cookies dry and tough. A thin, even dusting is all you need.
- Proper Baking Sheet Preparation: While the recipe suggests an ungreased cookie sheet, you can line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. This not only prevents sticking but also promotes even baking and makes cleanup a breeze.
How Long Do Iced Sugar Cookies Stay Fresh?
These delightful cake mix sugar cookies are undoubtedly best enjoyed fresh, but they are also quite resilient! When stored properly in an airtight container at room temperature, they will maintain their deliciousness and soft texture for up to 1 week. To extend their shelf life even further, consider refrigerating them, where they can last for up to 2 weeks. Always ensure the container is tightly sealed to prevent them from drying out or absorbing external odors.
Effortless Cake Mix Sugar Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
For the Cake Mix Sugar Cookies:
- 13.75 oz white Cake Mix (standard box)
- ½ cup shortening (plain or butter-flavored)
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
For the Royal Icing:
- 4 cups powdered sugar (approximately 1 lb, sifted)
- 5 TBSP Meringue Powder (or 4 pasteurized egg whites)
- ¼ cup water (plus extra for thinning)
Instructions
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1. Preheat Oven: Begin by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C). This ensures the oven is at the correct temperature for even baking. Prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone mats if desired, though an ungreased sheet also works.
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2. Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a large mixing bowl, combine about half of the white cake mix, the softened shortening, butter, all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, and the large egg. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat these ingredients until they are thoroughly combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once smooth, gradually stir in the remaining cake mix until a cohesive dough forms. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
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3. Roll and Cut Cookies: Divide the dough into 4 equal portions to make it easier to work with. Lightly dust a clean, flat surface with a bit of flour. Take one portion of dough and roll it out using a rolling pin until it is uniformly ⅛ inch thick. Using your favorite cookie cutters, cut the dough into desired shapes. Carefully transfer the cut-out cookies to your prepared (or ungreased) cookie sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for slight expansion during baking. Repeat with the remaining dough, gathering and re-rolling scraps as necessary.
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4. Bake the Cookies: Place the cookie sheets in the preheated oven and bake for 5-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on them; the cookies are done when the edges are lightly golden brown. Baking times may vary slightly depending on your oven and cookie thickness. Once baked, remove from the oven and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. It’s crucial for cookies to be completely cool before icing.
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5. Prepare the Royal Icing (Thicker Consistency): In a blender or using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the 4 cups of powdered sugar, 5 tablespoons of meringue powder, and ¼ cup of water. Blend on high speed for approximately 5 minutes. This prolonged mixing creates a thicker consistency, ideal for piping borders on your cookies. This “dam” of thicker icing will help contain the thinner “flood” icing. Transfer about ⅓ of this thick icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. If you prefer a single-color cookie, you can use this thicker icing for both border and flood.
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6. Thin the Royal Icing (Flooding Consistency) and Decorate: To the remaining ⅔ of the icing in the blender (or mixer), add an additional 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of water, or until the icing reaches a “flooding” consistency. This means it should be thin enough to spread easily but thick enough to stay within your piped borders. Blend until smooth. Divide this thinned icing into separate bowls and add food coloring to achieve your desired colors. Use the thick icing in the piping bag to outline each fully cooled cookie. Allow the outline to set for a few minutes, then fill (flood) the outlined area with the thinner, colored icing. Use a small offset spatula or a toothpick to gently spread the icing to the edges. Top with sprinkles or edible glitter if desired while the icing is still wet. Allow the decorated cookies to dry completely for at least 6-8 hours, or overnight, until the royal icing is hard to the touch. Enjoy your beautifully decorated, homemade cookies!
Notes
Freezing Instructions: To freeze these royal iced cookies, first arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer until the royal icing has completely hardened (this prevents smudging). Once frozen, transfer the cookies to an airtight freezer-safe container, placing layers of parchment paper between them to prevent sticking. When stored correctly, they can last for approximately 3 months in the freezer. Thaw them at room temperature for several hours before serving to ensure optimal taste and texture.
Nutrition Information (per cookie)
Freezing Frosted Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
Yes, absolutely! Freezing these delightful cookies, even with their royal icing, is a fantastic way to prepare ahead or store leftovers. The key to successful freezing is to ensure the royal icing has completely hardened before packing. Simply place your decorated cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze them until the icing is rock solid. This pre-freezing step prevents the icing from smudging or sticking together. Once firm, transfer the cookies to an airtight freezer-safe container, using layers of parchment paper between them for added protection. Properly stored, they can last wonderfully in the freezer for about 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, simply thaw them at room temperature. This gradual thawing helps maintain the cookie’s texture and prevents any condensation issues with the icing.
Can I Experiment with Different Cake Mix Flavors for These Cookies?
Absolutely, and this is where the fun truly begins! Using different flavors of cake mix is one of the best ways to personalize this **easy sugar cookie recipe**. Imagine soft **chocolate sugar cookies** made with a chocolate cake mix, zesty **lemon sugar cookies** from a lemon cake mix, or festive **funfetti cookies** using a funfetti cake mix. Each flavor will impart its unique twist, allowing for endless creativity and variety. Consider pairing your cake mix choice with a complementary extract in the dough (e.g., almond extract with a yellow cake mix for a wedding cake flavor, or orange extract with a spice cake mix). This versatility makes the recipe perfect for any occasion or season.
Ensuring Your Royal Icing Sets Perfectly Hard
Achieving that perfectly hard, smooth royal icing is simpler than you might think with these steps. First and foremost, **sift your powdered sugar**! This crucial step removes any lumps, ensuring a smooth, flawless icing consistency. When mixing, ensure your icing reaches a consistency that holds stiff peaks for outlining but is still flowable enough for flooding. If it’s too thick, add a tiny bit more water; if too thin, add more powdered sugar. Once your cookies are decorated, the drying environment is key. Allow the decorated cookies to air dry in a cool, dry place, ideally on a drying rack for optimal air circulation. For optimal hardness, they will need at least 6-8 hours, but for intricate designs or humid conditions, **overnight drying is highly recommended** to ensure they harden completely and become stackable.
Explore More Easy Sugar Cookie Recipes:
If you love the simplicity and deliciousness of these cake mix sugar cookies, you’ll definitely want to try some of our other fantastic **easy sugar cookie recipes** that are perfect for any occasion:
- These Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies are incredibly tender and rich, made with basic kitchen ingredients but tasting like they came straight from a gourmet bakery! Their tangy cream cheese flavor adds a delightful twist to the classic sugar cookie.
- Our recipe for Frosted Lemon Cookies offers an incredible burst of citrus flavor and boasts the most delightful soft texture. These cookies are generously topped with a bright, zesty lemon buttercream frosting that you will absolutely adore.
- Whip up a batch of our classic Butter Sugar Cookies that are truly perfect for any celebration or just a simple treat. They are topped with a simple yet elegant icing, and every single bite is pure heavenly bliss!
- For a slightly different but equally delicious flavor profile, try these Frosted Brown Sugar Cookies. They are wonderfully soft, delightfully chewy, and oh so delicious! The rich, caramelized brown sugar flavor is absolutely amazing and pairs perfectly with a creamy frosting.
- Blueberry Sugar Cookies are a wonderful, unique treat to serve to family and friends! These feature a lovely vanilla cookie dough base, crowned with a vibrant and flavorful blueberry frosting on top, creating a beautiful and tasty combination.
These **Cake Mix Sugar Cookies** represent the ultimate shortcut to deliciousness, created with straightforward ingredients like a butter and shortening blend, a single egg, and fragrant vanilla extract. It’s the quintessential **easy sugar cookie recipe** that removes the hassle of chilling, allowing you to quickly enjoy beautifully decorated, homemade treats. They are perfect for holidays, parties, or just a fun baking day with the family!
