I went to the store fully ready to make those soft, zesty lemon cake mix cookies that show up on Pinterest like it’s their full-time job. But, of course, our grocery store said, “No lemons for you.” So I grabbed a box of white cake mix, channelled my inner baker, and made it work. Spoiler alert: they still taste amazing.

These are the easiest cookies you’ll ever make. We’re talking one bowl, no chill time, no stress. You mix, scoop, bake, glaze, and try not to eat them all before they cool.

Here’s how I did it (and how you can too):

Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 13

Servings: 20 cookies

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

for the cookies:

1 box white cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil (I used avocado oil)
1 tsp lemon extract
1 Tbsp lemon juice

for the glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp milk

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
In a bowl, mix together the cake mix, eggs, oil, lemon extract, and a little juice until it looks like cookie dough (sticky is normal).
Scoop into little dough balls. I used a cookie scoop but you can use a spoon and called it good.
Bake for 11-13 minutes until the edges are barely golden and the centers are set.
Let them cool (if you can wait).
Whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice and milk until it’s a drizzly glaze situation, then spoon or dip it over the cookies.
Eat one warm, eat one cold, freeze some, gift some, text your sister, feel proud.

Why I Love Them:

They’re soft, like melt-in-your-mouth soft.
You don’t need to cream butter or wash a million dishes.
The glaze makes them feel fancier than they actually are.
They’re bright and sweet without being overpowering.
They’re basically lemon-adjacent, which is perfect if your store is also a lemon desert.

I decided to pack some of these cookies up for my beautiful family friend that agreed to watch my toddler for the afternoon. She refuses to let me pay her so of course I made her these cookies to take home.
What better way to say “thank you” than cookies… I mean come on.

I had to make my own box this time, but I usually have cookie boxes on hand for these occasions. I’ll share all of my supplies below.

Everything I used:

These cookies are what I like to call “impressively easy.” They look cute… they taste even better, and people think you really tried. But we both know you made them in 20 minutes during nap time while listening to old Fleetwood Mac songs. That’s the kind of energy I’m bringing into my baking era.

**You can make cake mix cookies in literally any flavor. All you need is a box of cake mix (chocolate, strawberry, spice, funfetti, whatever you’re feeling), plus 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of oil. That’s it. Same easy formula, different cookies. I’ve made them with devil’s food cake mix and added chocolate chips. I’ve done spice cake with a cream cheese glaze. It’s a choose-your-own-cookie-adventure, and I fully support your creativity!

Let me know if you make them, and if your store actually carries lemon cake mix. Must be nice!
But really… I love hearing from you.