Not sure about the right ingredients to make a cake from scratch? A cake mix will save the day.
Cake mixes are easy and fast, and the result usually turns out fine, even if you aren’t an expert chef.
But are they versatile? Can you make gingerbread cookies from a cake mix?
Let’s find the answer together.
Can You Make Gingerbread Cookies From Cake Mix?
You can use a cake mix to make gingerbread cookies, but you might have to tweak the ingredients.
A spiced cake mix will make soft and crumbly cookies, but you must add some eggs and butter or oil.
You can also use a plain cake mix and add some spices that make the cookies taste warm and spicy.
It’s a good solution if you’re a beginner chef or unsure about measuring ingredients. Some recipes will require more ingredients, but most of the time, you can prepare a fresh batch of cookies if you’re in a hurry.
But, in some cases, using a cake mix might not be the best idea.
Although cookie dough and cake batter have much in common, several differences set them apart.
These differences can represent a problem if you don’t pick the right cake mix.
Here are some differences between ready-made cake batter and the dough used to make cookies.
Amount of Liquid
The amount of liquid in a cake batter makes the cake mix moist and soft. It also acts as a binding agent that brings the solid ingredients together.
Thanks to the thin consistency, the cake batter will be full of bubbles that keep it fluffy.
In cookies, the fats represent the binding agents. They’re thicker than liquids, so they make the dough thicker.
Cookie dough won’t pour the way cake batter does. It doesn’t spread much, and the fats don’t evaporate, making the cookies crispy instead of fluffy.
Leaven
Baking powder, baking soda, and yeast are all leaven substances that cause the dough to expand. Cookie dough has a smaller amount of leaven than cake batter.
Cookies won’t rise as much as cake, so the dough will be more dense.
Flour
You can use any type of flour to make a cake, but cake flour is usually lighter, giving the batter a fluffy and airy consistency.
Cookies tend to be denser and thicker, so you can use all-purpose flour.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Cake Mix to Prepare Cookies?
The cake mix doesn’t yield the same texture or consistency you expect in a cake dough. But it has some benefits.
Pros Of Using Cake Mix to Prepare Cookies
There are several advantages to using a cake mix to make warm and tasty cookies.
- A cake mix is already measured, and you only have to add a few ingredients to get it ready.
- It’s an excellent way to have tasty cookies in no time and with the least amount of preparation.
- These recipes are tried and tested several times, so you won’t have hard or flat cookies.
- Several flavors are available, so you can try them to bake flavorful cookies every time.
Cons of Using Cake Mix to Prepare Cookies
With all these pros, there are some disadvantages to using cake mix for your cookies.
- Despite adding some ingredients, the cookies will always have the box mix taste.
- Cake mixes are full of preservatives and additives.
- They lack the original taste of homemade cookies, although you can overcome this problem with some tweaking.
- Some mixes might not yield the best cookies because cake mixes tend to be soft and moist compared to the hard dough used to make cookies.
Tips for Using Cake Mix to Make Gingerbread Cookies
A lot of people enjoy making cookie dough from scratch. Nothing beats the homemade taste of original cookies made from scratch.
Preparing the cookie dough in your kitchen gives you total control over how your cookies will look or taste, and you can add and remove ingredients based on your preferences.
But if you’re in a hurry, nothing can save the day like a ready-made cake mix.
Here are some tips to help you make the most delicious cookies in no time.
Choose a high-quality mix by paying attention to the ingredients.
Avoid using a mix that is packed with chemical preservatives and additives.
If you can’t find a ginger-flavored cake mix, add your cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg to a plain cake mix to give your cookies the original warm taste.
Follow the instructions when mixing the dough.
Check the dough’s consistency and add a little bit of all-purpose flour if it’s too thin. Only one or two tablespoons of flour will prevent the dough from spreading.
Avoid adding too much flour because your dough will get too hard, and you’ll have to balance the ingredients. For example, remember to add a pinch of sugar and some ginger and cinnamon to avoid having bland cookies.
Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet so your cookies don’t get stuck together.
Is There a Gingerbread Cookie Mix?
With a little bit of research, you can find a ready-made gingerbread cookie mix that you can use if you don’t want to make the dough from scratch.
This ready-made mix comes with all the earthy spices that give the cookies their distinctive taste. The ratio of the ingredients keeps the dough at the right consistency, so you just have to add the butter, eggs, and a little bit of water.
Final Thoughts
You can use a store-bought cake mix to make gingerbread cookies.
A ready-made mix will save time and effort and deliver good results if you aren’t sure about your baking skills.
The resulting dough might be too thin, resembling the texture of cake batter, which tends to be runny.
But you can add flour to thicken the dough to prevent the cookies from spreading too thin.
You can also find ready-made gingerbread cookie mix that you can use instead of mixing and preparing the dough from scratch.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.