Lizzy T
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Lemon Cool Whip Cookies
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4 ingredients make up these delightfully easy Lemon Cool Whip Cookies. Make these cookies to fit any occasion by switching the flavor of cake mix!
Cake mix recipes are so fun. One of my favorites? Strawberries and Cream Cookies. One of your favorites? Buckeye Brownie Cookies. (Which is actually made with a brownie mix, but it’s the same idea.) Take a box mix and make it into something special by thinking outside the box (literally) and adding your own ingredients.
Cake Mix Cookie Recipe
About a month ago, we were visiting my 90+ year old Grandma and she handed us her recipe box. I love looking through recipes. And seeing a stack of recipe cards either typed out (with a typewriter!) or written in my Grandma’s handwriting makes them pretty special.
One of the first recipes I came across were a cookie called Lemon Whippersnappers. They used Cool Whip and a cake mix which caught eye. I’m not sure where this recipe originated, but I have my grandma’s copy and that is pretty special.
Is Cool Whip and whipped cream the same thing?
Although both cool whip and whipped cream try to achieve the same thing in recipes, they are not the same product and can’t always be used interchangeably. If you are going for lower fat, use Cool Whip. If you are looking for more natural product, use whipping cream.
Both are light and fluffy and perfect for dolloping on top of shortcakes and ice cream, but Cool Whip is what we are using in this recipe. I have not tried these cookies with homemade whipped cream.
What is in Cool Whip cookies?
This recipe has just 4 ingredients:
- A box of lemon cake mix
- 1 egg
- 2 cups of thawed Cool Whip
- ½ cup powdered sugar
And the powdered sugar is just for rolling the cookie dough in, so really, these are just a 3-ingredient cookie.
How to Make Cool Whip Cookies
This recipe is a one-bowl recipe. Simply mix up the cake mix, egg and cool whip. The dough should be easy to mix up but the cookies will be very sticky.
Drop the cookie dough by teaspoons into powdered sugar and roll the dough to coat the cookies. If you have trouble with the dough sticking to your hands, spray your hands with cooking spray first. This trick should help!
As the cookies bake, they spread slightly which give them the “crinkle cookies” look because of the cracked powdered sugar.
**Pro Tip: The hardest thing about making these cookies was that they wanted to stick to the pan just a little. We used a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat and didn’t have any problems with not getting them off the pan, but if you don’t have one of those handy kitchen tools, use parchment paper or spray the pan with cooking spray.**
Cool Whip Cookie Variations
And is your mind spinning with the flavor possibilities here? Carrot cake for the Easter…red velvet for Christmas time…chocolate for any other time of the year. Choose your favorite flavor of cake and bake away.
Enjoy these easy-to-make cookies this summer!
Do Cool Whip cookies have to be refrigerated?
We store our cookies at room temperature in an airtight container.
Can you freeze Cool Whip Cookies?
Yes! These cookies freeze well. If you are freezing them in layers, place parchment paper between the layers so the cookies don’t stick when you defrost them.
Allow the cookies to defrost completely before you unwrap them. This keeps the moisture in the cookies.
Lemon Cool Whip Cookies
4 ingredients make up these delightfully simple Lemon Cool Whip Cookies. Make these cookies to fit any occasion by switching the flavor of cake mix!
Servings 20
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix (15.25 ounces or a traditional 9×13 box cake mix)
- 2 cups frozen whipped topping (thawed)
- 1 large egg
To roll the cookies:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, combine the cake mix, Cool Whip and egg. Stir until well mixed.
- Place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Drop the cookie dough by teaspoons into the powdered sugar and roll the dough to coat.
- Place the balls 1 ½ inches apart on a baking sheet that has been covered with a non-stick baking mat or sprayed with cooking spray.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Remove them from the oven when they are set, but before they get too brown.
- Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet to a cooling rack and allow them to cool. Makes about 20 cookies (2 1/2″ in diameter)
Video
Notes
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 20 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.*
Nutrition
Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 24mg | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Cool whip lemon cookies Added 1 teaspoon each of lemon and vanilla extracts.
I had this recipe once and misplaced it. I’m so Happy that you posted it. because I really Love these cookies! I remember I begged a co worker for the recipe for the Fabulous cookies she would bring to work and she always said it was a Secret Family Recipe. When she was quitting she pulled me aside and gave me the recipe…..and I was like “That’s it?” These are so Yummy!
We’ve done this with green added and called them “Grinch Cookies” for Christmas. 🙂
I’m making these with strawberry and lemon cake mixes together for summer strawberry lemonade cookies!
I made these last year for our Christmas cookie day and they were a HUGE hit! The only thing I do differently is add lemon zest to give it that extra lemon kick. I’m am making them again this year. Tried and true so why give up a good thing?
Just finished baking the cookies. The cookies turn out great. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Such a simple, fresh summer recipe. Its wonderful to keep things simple in the summer.
Stopping by from Spoonful of Foodies to say hello! I love that you got a chance to look through your gran’s recipe box – imagine having the time to type using the typewriter! I would have to have shares in Tippex to cope with all my typos!
I made butter pecan cake mix with butterscotch chips. Amazing!!
I make these with a strawberry cake mix and and mini chocolate chips. Gone before I know it.
These look wonderful. I was wondering if you could use various cake mixes, like strawberry, vanilla, coconut etc. It was change the whole taste of the cookie. Im doing a Xmass Bazaar and would like to do a red one. Worth the try, Ill keep you posted on the outcome.
These cookies are go-to for my family and I. They are so fast and easy, red velvet being our favorite. Have not tried the lemon yet but you can bet we will real soon.
I just made these and was hugely disappointed – followed the recipe using 2 cups of cool whip, definitely not enough. The dough was very stiff and dry. The cookies did not spread at all and didn’t taste good either
These are delicious! I did the lemon ones, and I added a little ginger to the cake mix and it was amazing. I also bought a devil’s food cake mix and added a little orange zest. Yummy 😋
Hi! I’ve always loved making cookies very similar to these-with cake mix and cool whip- and they always turn out great! But my problem is they always flatten as soon as I take them out of the oven. I don’t know if it was the recipes I’ve been using or if this one is different, but do you have any tips to keep the cookies tall and fluffy?