I attempted to lure Spring into our house today through pastel colored frosting.  Lame, you say?  Maybe.  But these cookies are just too cute not to make. I found them in Parents magazine and have to confess that anything with seven ingredients or less tends to catch my eye.  Four ingredients for the actual cookie.  Four!

I used my cookie dough scoop on the first two dozen, not rolling into balls, and they turned out fine.  My last batch I did roll into balls and would recommend for uniformity.  It just depends how fussy you’d like to be.  I also did not have buttermilk and just used plain whole milk. However, you could use a buttermilk substitute if you feel inclined.  I baked the cookies for 8 minutes because I like mine on the chewy side. I used whipped frosting and would not recommend it. The plain old regular kind is best. The whipped was just too wet and and did not provide a strong sandwich middle.

The cookie by itself is delightful. If you don’t feel like doing the whole frosting bit or have tiny wee ones and don’t care for the mess, the cookie alone is a quick and easy treat. These are great for Easter or for a baby shower, with all pink or all blue frosting if the baby’s gender is known. To my fellow yellow-cake-with-chocolate- frosting lovers, you could substitute chocolate frosting for the vanilla and even omit the sprinkles.

We just might put a few of these cookies out on the deck as a bribe to Mother Nature…

Cake Mix Cookies

• 1 box (18.25 oz) yellow cake mix
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• Colored sprinkles
• 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting (use plain, not whipped version!)
• Yellow, red, blue food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside

Combine the cake mix, egg, oil and buttermilk in a large bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Shape 1-inch mounds of batter into balls and flatten slightly.  Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.  Top with sprinkles.

Bake until cookies are golden and firm, 8-10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

Divide the frosting among three bowls.  Use a few drops of food coloring to tint frosting the desired shades of pink, blue, and yellow.  Sandwich the cookies together with frosting.  Makes about 30 cookies or 15 cookie sandwiches.