Christmas Crinkle Cool Whip Cookies
Christmas Crinkle Cool Whip Cookies are a blast to make with the kids! Everyone loves these easy Christmas cookies, just be ready to get a little messy!
Until last year I had never heard of making cookies with Cool Whip. It seemed like the strangest thing ever to me. I’ve made cake mix cookies before, but with Cool Whip? Nope. You guys, it totally works! These Cool Whip cookies are ridiculously easy to make and so festive!
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Amy from Amy’s Cooking Adventures sent me her awesome Colorful Crinkle Cookies recipe years and ago in the fall for a cookie exchange. They were so cute that I had to revamp them for Christmas.
These Christmas Crinkle Cool Whip Cookies were SO easy to make and oh my gosh do they taste good. I took them to my bagpipe’s band Christmas party and they were eaten faster than I could believe!
These cake mix cool whip cookies aren’t just great for Christmas!
Try these fun variations…
- 4th of July Crinkle Cookies – Instead of red and green, dye the batter red and blue. The powdered sugar acts as the white in red, white & blue!
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies – Use chocolate or devil’s food cake mix and substitute 1 tablespoon strong coffee for the vanilla.
- Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies – Use red velvet cake mix instead of white cake mix. Great for Valentine’s Day!
- Spiced Cake Mix Cookies – Use spiced cake mix and mix in 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon with the powdered sugar before dipping.
- Lemon Cake Mix Cookies – Use lemon cake mix, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and zest of 1/2 lemon.
- Strawberry Cool Whip Cookies – Use strawberry cake mix and substitute almond extract.
Once the batter is all mixed up it’s going to be pretty darn sticky, but once you coat those cute little red & green balls of batter in sugar you’re on your way.
My boys LOVED helping me with these cookies. They measured and poured ingredients in, added (a lot) of food coloring – it’ll happen – and had so much fun getting messy. Licking your fingers afterward is half the fun.
Warning: When I say 2-inches between cookies, I mean it. These cookies will spread out a fair amount and you don’t want them sticking together.
When they come out of the oven they will be soft. Like almost mushy soft, but will set up as they cool. So give them at least a full 5 minutes to cool on the pan, maybe even more.
If you can get your spatula under the cookie without it smushing up at all you’re good to move them to the cooling rack. I just didn’t want y’all freaking out of anything.
So grab a tub of Cool Whip, your favorite vanilla cake mix, and let’s get baking!
Can You Freeze These Cookies
You sure can! One of my amazing readers, Stephanie, was kind enough to report in about this.
Just FYI – These cookies freeze really well. I saw a couple of people asking the question, so thought I would share my experience. I’ve made these cookies for the past three years. I always bake them several weeks up to a month prior to Christmas and then freeze them flat in a tin. They’ve always thawed just fine and taste delicious. They are my soon-to-be brother-in-law’s favorite!
- Christmas Pinwheel Cookies
- 5-Ingredient Vanilla Almond Snowball Cookies
- Chocolate Peppermint Crunch Cookies
- Christmas Crinkle Cool Whip Cookies
- Ugly Christmas Sweater Sugar Cookies
- Hazelnut Nutella Linzer Cookies
- Apple Cider Cookies
- Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies
- Dark Chocolate & Hazelnut Cookies
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Shortbread
- Loaded Cookie Butter Snickerdoodles
- Chocolate Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Christmas Crinkle Cool Whip Cookies
Equipment
- Silicone Mat or Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 13.25 ounces vanilla cake mix (1 box)
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed (1 tub)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Red & green gel food coloring (liquid food color works too)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cake mix, egg, Cool Whip, and vanilla. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Divide the cookie dough evenly between two bowls (I use the mixing bowl as one of them). Add a couple of drops of red food coloring to one bowl and mix until combined. Add more food coloring as needed to reach your desired color. Repeat using the green food coloring and the other bowl of cookie dough.
- Put the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough directly into the bowl of sugar. Roll it around until it's completely coated. Place the ball onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough. Leave 2 inches between each cookie. (Seriously, the cookies spread A LOT. You'll need to work in batches.)
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are set. The center of the cookie will still be soft. That's okay.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
Can’t wait to try this!
I hope you enjoy them!
What is “Cool Whip”?
Hi Mary! Cool Whip is a whipped topping product that’s similar to a stabilized whipped cream and available in the frozen section of the grocery store. If it’s not available where you live, you could try to substitute this homemade version.
http://realhousemoms.com/homemade-cool-whip/
*Note: I’ve not tried this substitution so I’m not 100% sure how it’ll work out.
Can these cookies be frozen?
I haven’t tried, but I’m making them again this month and will let you know. 🙂
Can these be frozen
How do you not know what cool whip is?
By not being American??? 🙄
Our cookies keep coming out flat like paper.
They collapse after 7 minutes in-the oven. Any ideas?
Hi Julie! If I were to used a chocolate cake mix, would the ingredients and measurements be the same? Thank you!
Yes, the ingredients will stay the same. I checked a couple of other recipes online that use chocolate cake mix instead and they’re the same as this recipe, but without food coloring. 🙂
I used a white vanilla pudding cake mix and the cookies were delicious.
The recipe was not as messy as anticipated.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Pudding cake mix sounds great. I’ll have to try that next time. 🙂
Do you add the cake mix dry?
Yes ma’am.
Could I sub in red velvet instead of vanilla cake mix?
Sure!
What is cool whip? What is powdered sugar? What kind of cutter do you use? I’m so lost, please reply right away. I’m in the middle of the recipe
Hi Cathy,
Cool Whip is a brand of whipped topping. It’s sort of like a stabilized whipped cream but made with an oil base.
Powdered sugar is also called icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar. It’s a sugar in powder form.
I’m not sure what cutter you’re referring to. You don’t need to cut these cookies out of the dough.
Hope this helps!
How do you store them and how long do they keep?
Hi Tracy! You’ll want to keep these cookies in an airtight container (like Tupperware) and you can leave them at room temperature. I’d say they’d last 2 days, maybe 3 if you’re pushing it. We always eat them the same day, but these cookies to harden up more quickly than your everyday fare.
Put bread on top of cooked cookies, it’s a baker’s secret, they will stay soft and fresh for weeks
I love these cookies! I made them last year and they were a huge hit. Now people always ask me to make them. Thanks for the recipe.
Yay! Thank you so much for sharing Kristen! I’m glad you all loved them. 🙂
How long will these last? What would be the best storage for them. Room temperature or refrigerator?
Hi Noreen. These cookies are usually eaten within 24 hours at my house, but I’d guess 2-3 days. I would recommend storing them at room temperature in an airtight container, as the fridge might make them harden faster.
Is it just one 8oz tub of cool whip? Why does it say 3 cups?
Hi Samantha. One 8oz tub of Cool Whip is approx 3 cups. I like to include both measurements just in case.
What kind of food coloring do you use that the red doesn’t look pink??
Hi Angela! I use gel food coloring, like AmeriColor or Wilton. You don’t need as much as liquid food color and the coloring is better. Gel food color is available on Amazon or you can find it at Wal-Mart, Michael’s & Joann’s.
Can we freeze these cookies?
I haven’t tried it. You could try freezing 1 or 2 and see what happens, but to be on the safe side I’m going to say no.
Hi Patty! I tried freezing these cookies and it worked out great! I popped them in a Ziploc bag and then defrosted in the fridge until they were soft enough to eat.
I’m gonna try these today…but…..I found some cake mix at Wal-Mart that is already colored !!! they have red, green, blue, yellow…..I bought the red and green…..the thing is…they’re in a package that is only 1/2 the amount of the box…..so….I suppose..I’ll have to beat the egg and divide it in 1/2 also, huh ??
Cool! Is the package weight of the cake mix the same as a standard box of cake mix? If so, the other ingredients would stay the same. If not, you’d have to adjust accordingly.
I buy the already made red and green mixes. I use one egg and one cool whip per bag of mix. They always turn out great. You can add a little red heart on the green for grinch cookies also. ?
I make a of cookies with cake mix .But not with cool whip. Now I have to try this one. I know it will be great.
Can these be frozen?
Hi Danielle! I have not frozen these cookies before. I’m not sure how it would go with the Cool Whip. If you want to try, I would test freeze 1 or 2 cookies and see how they thaw out in the fridge. I’d love to know how it goes if you trying freezing them. 🙂
I froze my dough for a few hours and it helped with the stickiness!
Excellent to know! Thank you for the info!!
Love these cookies! You can use any flavor cake mix and they are delicious. We made five different flavors (Lemon, German Chocolate, Red Velvet, Strawberry, and Devil’s Food) to take to my husband’s class reunion. They were loved by all and could not believe the cookies only had 4 ingredients (cake mix, 2 eggs, Cool Whip and Powdered Sugar). Lemon was by far the favorite, followed closely by the Red Velvet!
How did you flavor the lemon!? Would love love to make those for thanks giving !!
Leah, you can change out the cake mix flavor to get different variations. 🙂
If you are using chocolate cake mix do you still use the vanilla
You can still add the vanilla, but I’d even say substitute the vanilla and 1 tablespoons strong coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor. 🙂
These colorful cookies would be so fun for a cookie exchange party. I love them!
Oh, I love making cookies and these look so festive 🙂 I haven’t made crinkle cookies before and this recipe looks great
Would it be a good idea to spray the cookie scoop with buttery Pam baking spray? So the dough slips out easily?
Hi Joan! If you want to you can, but I don’t. The mechanics of the scoop does a good enough job on its own I think.
About how many cookies does 1 batch make? Considering these for a cookie exchange.
Aoubt 27 cookies, as listed on the recipe card. 🙂
Can you use jello to flavor the cookies and color them?
I haven’t tried that, but the gelatin in the jello would definitely change these cookies…the texture potentially the baking time, etc. If you want to experiment with jello you can. Totally up to you.
I have seen variations of this recipe where they just use a white cake mix in the cookie and then add different flavored jello to the powdered sugar you are rolling them in.
Spice cake is a favorite in my house. Thinking about trying that out!
How many oz tub of cool whip
It’s an 8-ounce tub.
Helpful hint: Dust your spoon in the powdered sugerprior to dipping each cookie.
When my son was in college (1991-95) I would make these, usually lemon and he loved them. They stated fresh for mailing time and then eating time. They’re easy to make and look so pretty.
I just made the Christmas crinkle cookies according to your instructions. They came out extremely big, which I expected because of your instruction, but also extremely flat ?? Did I do something wrong? (I did pull one tray out to take a peek after 12 minutes and I noticed they went flat as soon as they hit the air. I stuck them back in for another two. But both trays were pretty flat )
I plan to make a new batch about half the size so I can get them out for Christmas gifts, so should I expect them to be so flat ? If so that’s fine.
i’ve seen crinkle cookies that are flat on the bottom but pretty poofy, concave on top.
Thanks and love your site!!
Hi Susan! These cookies are not puffy or concave. They do look that way a little upon coming out of the oven, but then they settle flat as they cool. Flat cookies sound like you made them right. 🙂 Hope this helps!
Sorry to belabor but I am making these again tomorrow in smaller size for xmas neighbors.
Another recipe calls for 2 eggs and oil. No cool whip. The pic attached shows they very puffy, convex.
The instructions say to refrigerate dough for 30 for fluffier cookies.
Do you agree these differences would yield puffier cookies ? I don’t see where to add a pic but it’s in suburban mom.
Thanks!!!
Hi Susan! The eggs and oil plus cake mix is a standard cake mix cookie recipe and will yield a puffier cookie. The Cool Whip in this recipe replaces the oil and egg and results in a flatter cookie. I’m not sure about the refrigeration since I get right to baking when I make regular cake mix cookies. It’s really your call. If you want puffier cookies, I’d go with the eggs and oil. 🙂
Fat free cool whip? Any concerns using that? Thanks!
Hi Miranda! I haven’t used Fat Free Cool Whip for this recipe, but it’s a 1 gram of sugar and 1.5 gram of fat difference so I’m going to go out on a limb and say you should be just fine.
Does using the red and green food coloring color peoples teeth when you eat them? Crazy question I know!
I haven’t run into anyone having colored teeth. 🙂
Just finished baking and won’t use this recipe again. Batter reminded me of trying to get gum off my shoe on a hot day. Taste was OK, but I’m not sure how to describe the texture. They are chewy, but more like gum chewy than cookie chewy. Cookies hardly spread at all. They baked into a mound and didn’t crinkle until I took them out of the oven and they fell. Strangest cookie I’ve ever made. For so few ingredients they were a lot of hassle.
Hi Jill. I’m sorry these cookies didn’t turn out as planned. The cookies should definitely have spread out quite a bit while baking, gotten that crinkle look, and only fallen a little bit while cooling. They do have a toothsome chew, but it shouldn’t have been gummy.
Is the cool whip supposed to be used straight from the freezer or defrosted?
Defrosted
I’d love to try this using Splenda. I’d use an organic or natural food coloring. Sugarfree cake mixes usually have Sorbitol so I’ll stick with a regular mix, probably lemon. I often have to alter ingredients but research first so texture doesn’t change. This sounds too simple!
Although these are messy, I found a couple if useful tips:
-I chilled the dough overnight making it a bit easier to handle
— I sprayed my hands with Pam fir less sticking
–i just shook the bowl of sugar– coated easily!
Can’t wait to try other flavors!
I find it curious that this is not the comment I
posted…far from it actually…..
Hi Cindy! The above comment is from another Cindy (different email address).
If you use a different flavor cake mix, such as strawberry or chocolate, would you still add in the vanilla or is that only for the white cake mix? Thank you
Hi Barbara! You can still add the vanilla. It brings a little depth of flavor. But you could always leave it out with a flavored mix if you prefer. 🙂
Going to try these and will refrigerate over night and see how they work cant wait to taste them!!
Can I use Chocolate Cake mix? My school colors are brown and white so I these would fir perfect if I could make them chocolate.
Hi Rachel! You can use chocolate cake mix!
What do they taste like? Can you put sprinkles in the mix?
Hi Ashley! They have a vanilla flavor. If you want to put sprinkles in the mix you, can but they might get lost in there unless you use contrasting colors. (Or leave the dough white and add the sprinkles in. Use jimmies, not nonpareils, their colors will bleed.) Hope this helps!!
Ok when you say beat do you mean by hand or with mixer? Just wanting to make sure
Hi Lisa! I beat these cookies with a hand mixer. By hand is like having arm day at the gym. 😉 There’s a step-by-step video in this post if you want to follow along.
Had these recently- fabulous. Ready to bake myself. 1232kcal PER cookie?????
Oh my goodness! No, there are not 1232 calories per cookie. It looks like there’s a hiccup in my nutrition calculator. Thank you for letting me know Diane! There are 104 calories per cookie. 🙂 Happy baking!
What a fantastic idea!! The title totally caught my eye. My kids are going to have so much fun with this!!
These look so good! I love that they can match any holiday! It is nice to have a cookie that can be whipped up quickly!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
Hi Vanessa! These cookies will keep for a few days in an airtight container.
Just made with 4 & 3 yr old grandbabies. They loved it! We didn’t find the dough was too sticky and they are delicious!
Has anyone tried almond extract instead of vanilla?? Just curious 🙂
Hi Kristen! You could totally swap for almond extract. 🙂
Just FYI – These cookies freeze really well. I saw a couple of people asking the question, so thought I would share my experience. I’ve made these cookies for the past three years. I always bake them several weeks up to a month prior to Christmas and then freeze them flat in a tin. They’ve always thawed just fine and taste delicious. They are my soon-to-be brother-in-law’s favorite!
Thank you so much for letting everyone know Stephanie!!
Has anyone tried swirling or combining the red and green? I wonder how that would work. I know the batter is super sticky but maybe they can roll together if frozen?
I have not tried this recipe yet…anxious to try tho. I have a question that I didn’t see addressed. Might you use peppermint extract (1/2 amount vanilla, 1/2 amount clear peppermint) in the green cookies?
Hi Margi! You can definitely swap out 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla for peppermint extract. Just be sure to add the extract AFTER dividing the dough into bowls… unless you want peppermint flavor in all the cookies.
Cool whip is what we, in Britain call Dream Topping. We buy it in sachets and add very old milk and stir to make a type of stabilised cream. It is quite delicious and very versatile.
My grandma was known in our family for making these anytime we had a family function. She typically made strawberry and lemon and would sometimes put some of each of the dough together to make them a strawberry lemonade cookie and they were delicious! At Christmas time, I make goodie trays for friends and family and I would always have requests for Red Velvet cookies every year!!! One of my favorites!!! These are super easy to make and taste great!
Ooooo that sounds yummy April. I’m going to have to try the strawberry and lemon and combo cookies. Thank you for sharing!