These simple 4 ingredients cookies are tasty, tender, and perfect in every way! You're never going to want to make peanut butter cookies without the cake mix again.

Peanut butter cookies made with cake mix are a delightful twist on the classic peanut butter cookie. This easy recipe combines the convenience of a cake mix with the nutty goodness of peanut butter to create soft, chewy, and incredibly flavorful cookies.
It's a perfect solution when you're short on time but craving a homemade treat that tastes like it took hours to prepare.
Whether you're making them for a special occasion or as a quick treat for your family, these peanut butter cookies made with cake mix are a simple yet scrumptious way to satisfy your cookie cravings.
Feeling festive? These peanut butter cookies are incredibly similar to my Cake Mix Peanut Butter Blossoms and can easily be turned into a holiday cookie!
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- They're quick and easy! You're going to love how simple and easy these yellow cake mix peanut butter cookies are to come together. It can be made and prepped in just minutes!
- Perfect for parties. Not only that, but this one recipe makes a few dozen cookies, so if you're looking to make a large batch for a cookie exchange, gifts, or party- this recipe can really save you stress, effort, and time.
- Kids can help! My 9 year old daughter's favorite types of cookies to make are cake mix based. They're so easy to stir together that she can whip up a batch with just a little supervision.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Boxed Yellow Cake Mix- Truthfully, you can use any flavor cake mix here, but for a stronger peanut butter flavor, using yellow cake mix would work best (plus it gives us a golden peanut butter cookie color).
Peanut Butter- You can use creamy or crunchy depending on what you have on hand but note that the natural peanut butter won't work nearly as well as simpler brands like Jif and Skippy.
Vegetable Oil- Adding in oils will give your cookies the necessary fats to stay moist. Melted butter could be used instead if desired.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
📖 Variations
Making peanut butter cookies using a cake mix can be entirely customizable. For example, if you just swap out the yellow cake mix for another variety, you can find yourself with unique combinations.
You can get creative with this recipe by adding chocolate chips, chopped peanuts, or even a sprinkle of sea salt on top for an extra layer of texture and taste.
You can even sprinkle sugar on the top before baking for a caramelized top. Yum!
🔪 Instructions
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Step 2: Add the cake mix, eggs, oil, and peanut butter to a large mixing bowl.
Step 3: Stir together until well mixed. It should appear as a thick dough.
Step 4: Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon-sized balls.
Step 5: Place them on your baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
Step 6: Create a crosshatch design over the top with the back of a fork. Do this by placing the back of fork prongs over the dough in one direction, pressing just until lines appear.
Step 7: Then rotate the fork to go in the opposite direction. You will have several squares in the center.
Step 8: Once your cookies have all been pressed, place the cookie sheet into your preheated oven.
Step 9: Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies start to turn light brown.
Step 10: Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
🍴 Recipe Tips
A traditional look
You'll make the dough by simply mixing the ingredients together and then roll them into balls. A cross-hatch top isn't necessary, but peanut butter cookies almost always have a crosshatch on top for appearances, making them unique and distinguishable from a distance.
You create the crosshatch by simply using the back of a fork. Press the prongs down on the ball of dough to flatten and leave marks. Lift the fork, rotate it about 90 degrees, and press down to create lines in the opposite direction. Lift, and you're done.
If you don't want to do crosshatch with a fork, you can cut a small square of wax or parchment paper and lay it over a cookie dough ball. Press down on the dough ball with the bottom of a glass mug and repeat until all cookies have been flattened. Don't flatten them too much. You still want them ¼ inch thick at a minimum!
💭 FAQs
If properly stored in an airtight container, these cookies can last for about 3-5 days at room temperature.
Yes, these cookies freeze very well. Simply place them in an airtight container or Ziploc baggie in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter before eating.
Yes, you can use crunchy peanut butter or creamy peanut butter, whichever you prefer. I do not recommend natural oil peanut butter or alternative nut butts, though, as they have different consistencies and may not turn out as well.
❤️ More Delicious Cookies Recipes
If you tried these Peanut Butter Cookies (with Cake Mix), please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Peanut Butter Cookies (with Cake Mix)
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25oz) Yellow cake mix ($1.00)
- 1 cup Creamy peanut butter ($0.83)
- 2 large Eggs ($0.16)
- ½ cup Vegetable oil ($0.24)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Add the cake mix, eggs, oil, and peanut butter to a large mixing bowl.
- Stir together until well mixed. It should appear as a thick dough.
- Roll the dough into 1 tablespoon-sized balls.
- Place them on your baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
- Create a crosshatch design over the top with the back of a fork. Do this by placing the back of fork prongs over the dough in one direction, pressing just until lines appear.
- Then rotate the fork to go in the opposite direction. You will have several squares in the center.
- Once your cookies have all been pressed, place the cookie sheet into your preheated oven.
- Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cookies start to turn light brown.
- Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
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