12 Days of Christmas Cookies
These Festive Almond Crinkle Cookies are incredibly soft and chewy. A warm vanilla almond flavor makes these cookies as delicious as they are easy!
My mom made these red and green crinkle cookies every year along with chocolate crackles! They were a nice break from the arduous, yet delicious, rolled cookies! {cough, cough. Gingerbread}
Made with just four ingredients, they were by far the easiest cookies on the list!
I added ½ teaspoon of almond extract to really pop the flavor! I’ve also tried ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, which is delightful, and I plan to try peppermint next year!
The texture of the cookies is easily customizable as well. The longer you bake them, the cakier they become. They are made with cake mix after all!
My mom and I like ours just shy of doughy, but my husband prefers them closer to cake. Just know that the longer you bake them, the faster they dry out. They are best within 5 days but the cakey ones should really be eaten within 3.
Each bite of these delightfully chewy cookies will deliver bright almond flavor – just try not to breathe or powdered sugar will get everywhere!
An easy, colorful addition to your Christmas cookie platter or gift box!
I know I said these were the easiest cookies ever, and they absolutely are, but things can go awry with even the simplest recipes. (Pie crust comes to mind!)
A few notes to make your Almond Crinkle Cookies successful:
- There are different size cake mix boxes out there. I know this because I accidentally bought a small one and my dough was super oily and I had to throw it out. Tear. Make sure you pick up a 16.5 ounce box. I used Duncan Hines.
- I prefer the liquid food coloring to the gel food coloring in this recipe. The liquid disperses better in the batter. To get the right color with the gel, you had to use so much I could taste it. Blech! It was also difficult to incorporate, so I ended up over-mixing my batter. Again, another batch wasted.
- When I say generously roll your dough in powdered sugar, I do mean GENEROUSLY! As in powdered sugar is caked on the ball and there is powdered sugar all over your hands, the counter and the cookie sheet.
- The cook time will drastically alter the texture of your cookie. If you do not want dry, cakey cookies, then watch them!
These Festive Almond Crinkle Cookies are for the tenth day of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! You won’t want to miss the No Bake Gingersnap Brandy Balls, Chocolate Pecan Tassies, Molasses Sugar Cookies, Old Fashioned Gingersnaps, Peanut Butter Blossoms, Old Fashioned Oat Lace Cookies, Raspberry Linzer Cookies, Holiday Bark or Cherry Pecan Cookies!
These Festive Almond Crinkle Cookies are incredibly soft and chewy and impossibly easy! A warm vanilla almond flavor makes these cookies as delicious as they are easy!
Ingredients
- 1 box white cake mix [16.5 oz]
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Food Coloring if desired (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350° and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place about ½ cup powdered sugar in a bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil and extract until few lumps remain.
- If you are going to add food coloring, do so now; mix to combine. I divided my dough in half and then colored half green and half red.
- Roll dough into balls, approximately 1.5 inches across, and then roll in powdered sugar until they are generously coated. Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. The dough is very soft and will not stay in ball form, which is fine.
- Bake in preheated oven for 7-11 minutes. 7 for very soft, underbaked cookies and 10-11 for cakier, lighter cookies.
- Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tis the Season for festive desserts!
No Bake Gingersnap Brandy Balls
Grandma’s Molasses Sugar Cookies
Spiced Apple Cider Cranberry Cupcakes
Soft Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
18 Comments
Annie+@+ciaochowbambina
December 18, 2014 at 9:41 amMy grandmother’s holiday cookies were always these colors..you’ve taken me back. These look delicious! Thank you.
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
December 18, 2014 at 1:02 pmI love these pretty red and green cookies, Lindsey! Almond extract is my favorite to add in cookies. I actually use that instead of vanilla in sugar cookies and it makes them so good! Love how easy these are to whip up, too. Pinned!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter
December 18, 2014 at 3:46 pmThese cookies are so much fun! How awesome that your mom made them every year too – I really love the red and green color you added! So so pretty!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen
December 18, 2014 at 8:01 pmWoohoo! Only 2 more days to go! 🙂 Congrats on making it to Day 10. These are such great looking cookies! I love the colors. They remind me of Butter Mints. Remember those?
Lindsey
December 21, 2014 at 7:18 pmThanks!!! I love butter mints! I could eat them by the handful!!!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom
December 19, 2014 at 12:56 amI have never baked cookies from white cake mix!!! But I’m going to have to go pick some up so I can make these cookies!! These seriously look so good .. and so festive!! love! and thanks for all the tips above!! so helpful!
Lindsey
December 21, 2014 at 7:19 pmThanks, Alice! Sometimes I find the easiest recipes have the most pitfalls!
marcie
December 19, 2014 at 11:45 amThese are so pretty and colorful, and I love the sound of the almond flavor! A very nice change from chocolate crinkles indeed!
Lindsey
December 21, 2014 at 7:21 pmThanks, Marcie! It is nice to break it up…plus then you feel justified having a red, a green AND a chocolate!
David @ Spiced
December 19, 2014 at 1:33 pmGosh…I need more cookie posts from you, Lindsey! How about you plan a “Baker’s Dozen of post-Christmas Cookies” series. I could get into that for real. Also, your cupcakes called, and they are lonely. They don’t feel the love anymore. I even caught one of them crying. shame, shame…
😉
Lindsey
December 21, 2014 at 7:24 pmYou seriously make me laugh like nobody’s business! HI-larious! I was just thinking the other day that I miss making cupcakes! I came up with 2 fabulous ones for Christmas but there was no time! Sadness.
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
December 21, 2014 at 2:30 pmoooooh la la such pretty cookies!!!!
Lindsey
December 21, 2014 at 7:33 pmThanks, Kayle!
21 Festive & Easy Christmas Cookies
December 1, 2015 at 9:00 am[…] Festive Almond Crinkle Cookies, American Heritage Cooking […]
Kaitlyn
December 11, 2018 at 11:42 pmDoes it have to be canola oil?
Lindsey
December 12, 2018 at 6:51 pmNo but I use vegetable oil in order not to add flavor.
Jill
December 9, 2019 at 11:10 amThe flavor is great! I used the almond for the green and peppermint for the pink…. But I’m having trouble getting the color bright for the pink. Looks more mauve following the 12 red, 4 blue suggestion by McCormick. Any suggestions? Delicious- Thank you!!!
Lindsey
February 10, 2020 at 5:45 pmJust keep adding red 🙂