We all like sweet treats and baking regularly with your kids is an experience they’ll remember forever! But, as busy moms, baking from scratch seems like a huge hassle.
Getting out all the ingredients, blocking out at least a couple of hours of time, and dealing with the mess can all be overwhelming! But, don’t throw in the towel, make everything a little easier with boxed cookie mixes.
No, you’re not failing as a housewife or do-it-all mom if you grab a pre-made box mix. Your kids won’t even know the difference. They’ll just know they’re getting quality time with mom or dad and they get to be creative.
Speaking of creativity, there are lots of ways to dress-up a boxed cookie mix to make the pastries more fun, tasty, and personalized. That way, you get the convenience of a pre-packaged mix, but your family can totally make the cookies your own!
So, today I am sharing my best pre-packaged cookie mix hacks that’ll give them that homemade flavor! Here are some ideas for your next baking activity:
How To Make Boxed Cookies Better
Use butter instead of margarine or oil.
Swapping butter for margarine or oil is a simple switch that’ll have a big impact on the flavor of your cookies! It’ll add moisture, layers, and super-rich flavor to your already-tasty cookies!
Just follow the instructions on the box but replace the margarine or oil the recipe calls for with an equal amount of unsalted butter. Just make sure the butter is softened (but not melted) before you add it to the mix!
Add powdered milk.
Sprinkling about 2 to 3 tablespoons of powdered milk per cup of cookie mix may seem kind of unconventional, but it is the best hack! The milk powder adds a rich, creamy taste to the dough and transforms cookies into velvety little delights that your whole family will love!
The powdered milk should be added to the dry ingredients. So, before you add butter, eggs, milk, water, or whatever other wet ingredients the directions call for, combine those few tablespoons of powdered milk with the dry mix!
Add brown sugar.
You can deepen the flavor profile of your cookies by swapping out a portion of the granulated white sugar for brown sugar. If you don’t want to mess with the measurements, simply sprinkle some brown sugar on top of the dough before you bake!
As it bakes, the brown sugar will caramelize and add more dimensions of sweetness. Yummy! They’ll definitely taste like grandma’s famous recipe after this.
Add vanilla extract.
We all know that vanilla extract is the true hero of baking. Not only will it give your cookies more flavor, but it’ll also make your home smell delicious while everything is baking! Don’t you just love being in a house with the aroma of baked goods in the air? We all do!
You don’t need much. Just add 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla to your wet ingredients and it’ll definitely help create that homemade taste.
Brown the butter.
Here’s a hack I bet you’ve never thought of! Take your boxed cookie mix to the next level by browning your butter to add nutty, caramelized richness to the flavor.
Just melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Then, continue to stir and cook the butter until it’s a golden-brown color. And before adding it to the mix, make sure it’s totally cooled down! Otherwise, it could cook your eggs and ruin your batch!
Include an extra egg yolk.
If you like a chewier texture in your cookies, toss in an extra egg yolk to your mix. Adding extra egg yolks works wonders to enhance the moisture content in a cookie, making it super soft and gooey.
As a family that loves a soft cookie, this is one of our favorite hacks! Plus, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to discuss some of the science behind baking with the kids, which is a big bonus for making cookies together!
Sprinkle sea salt on top.
To balance out the sweetness, a pinch of sea salt can go a long way. It complements the sweetness and gives your teeth and tummy a break from all the sugary flavors!
Once your dough is made, sprinkle a little sea salt on the top of each cookie dough ball. Let the oven do the rest!
Add baking chips.
We all love the texture and flavor combination of plain cookie dough and chocolate chips, don’t we? Of course! Well, no matter what kind of pre-packaged cookie mix you have in your cabinet, you can elevate it with some baking chips!
Try combinations like peanut butter cookies and chocolate chips, sugar cookies, and Funfetti chips, snickerdoodle and cinnamon chips, chocolate cookies and white or dark chocolate chips, oatmeal cookies and peanut butter chips, or salted caramel cookies and espresso chips!
There are so many combinations, and your kids will love customizing their combinations over and over again. Pre-packaged cookies will always be fun when you can add candy!
Add different flavors.
Baking chips aren’t the only place you can experiment with different flavors! Dig around in your pantry or explore the baking aisle and pick out different flavor add-ins that can change up your cookie mix.
You could use peppermint, lemon, or almond extract instead of vanilla, dump in plenty of rainbow sprinkles, or even mix in chopped nuts or dried fruit!
Let your kids be involved in the planning and let them experiment with different ingredients. It gives them a sense of independence and teaches them about cause and effect. (For example, when you add orange essence to peanut butter cookies, the result is not so tasty.)
Top with melted chocolate.
Dipping or drizzling your cookies in melted chocolate makes them irresistible to your little bakers, and it also adds another opportunity for sensory activity!
By tween mixing the dry ingredients, adding the wet, and then dipping the cooled cookies in melted chocolate, your kids will experience the full range of sensory experiences! Just like with baking chips, your children will also have fun picking out what kind of chocolate to use.
Stuff with peanut butter.
Now this is cool! Inject a surprise into your cookies by stuffing them with a big dollop of peanut butter. I have peanut butter fanatics in my house, so this is a big hit!
To add peanut butter, just form your cookie dough ball around a tablespoon of peanut butter. Just make sure there is no peanut butter peeking out before you put them in the oven.
(To make it easier, freeze balls of peanut butter beforehand. This is a must if you plan on having your kids help with rolling the dough!)
Roll dough balls in coconut.
Finally, if your family likes coconut, consider rolling your cookie dough balls in sweetened, shredded coconut before you make them. The added flavor is subtle, but just enough of a change to inspire your little bakers and make the baking experience more unique!
Then place them back on the baking sheet, and bake!
Take your boxed cookies to the next level with these tips!
If you’re a busy mom who loves to cook and bake with your kids, but you don’t always have time for homemade muffins and 3-tier cakes, use pre-made mixes! There are lots of ways to dress them up and get creative.
For more food prep hacks and family activity ideas, head over to the Mothercould blog and download the Mothercould in Your Pocket resource! There, I have tons of inexpensive experiences that everyone will enjoy.
Happy baking!
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