The Easiest and Best Cookie Recipe: A Family Favorite

Let me start out by saying that I LOVE to bake.

I really like making cookies, especially simple recipes. I am sure you are looking at the title of this article and thinking, “Sure, she likes to bake but simple? Isn’t baking something complicated to begin with and time-consuming?”

I have a two-part argument for you on that one. First, absolutely not true. Baking can be simple, although I love complicated recipes. My grandmother is an accomplished baker and has some great recipes. Caramel applesauce cake? Amazing. Butterscotch peach pie? Even better. She makes the best cookies too.

As for myself, I have even made wedding cakes for a couple of friends. They weren’t wedding cakes worthy of Sugar Rush or another reality baking show, but they tasted good and were presentable.

Second (and this is the most important point) it doesn’t matter what you bake! Slice and bake cookies count as baking as much as a fancy macaron. (By the way, I think macarons are the most overpriced snack you can buy. Try this recipe to make them at home.)

If you are reading this article, there is a good chance you have kids, maybe even little ones. They like to help in the kitchen and simple recipes are best for that.

The easiest and best cookie recipe was handed down from my mom, a woman who hates to cook but loves chocolate chips.

You will never find her slaving over a hot stove for long. However, she makes these frequently. I think the recipe originally came from the St. Louis Post Dispatch or something similar.

So, let’s get started…because who wants to read a long article about the author’s thoughts and feelings when cooking. All you really want is the recipe at the bottom, right?

Best Cookie Recipe Ingredients

1 box cake mix (I like the ones that include “butter” in the name. They tend to make the best cookies. Any flavor is fine.)

2 eggs

½ cup oil

½ cup of chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, peanut butter chips, etc. (toffee pieces taste good but they tend to stick to the cookie sheet). Stick to about ½ cup total.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix the cake mix, eggs, and oil with a big spoon. Add your extra ingredients. Make sure to leave a few chocolate chips to the side so you have a little snack while you wait for the cookies to bake!

Plop the dough in small lumps on the cookie sheet. Mine are usually about the size of a silver dollar but you do you. Just adjust the baking time accordingly. The cookies do expand a little so leave a bit of room in between each.

Bake for 6-7 minutes, depending on your oven. These cookies do not look done when you take them out. You will make the rookie mistake of over baking them but that is okay. Just trust me the next time and pull them out after 6-7 minutes.

Let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes on the sheet before transferring them to a cooling rack or paper towel to cool. Cookies will be soft and fragile even after they have cooled.

Cookies can be left at room temperature but we like to keep ours in the freezer. They are still soft and chewy right out of the freezer. Plus, they are out of sight so you are less likely to eat the entire batch in one sitting!

Enjoy the easiest and best cookie recipe out there!

Looking for new recipe ideas? Check out some more recipes here.