Quickest cookies ever

OK, so a batch of chocolate chip cookies doesn’t really take a long time, but sometimes you just don’t feel like getting out all of those ingredients (or in my case, putting them all away when you’re done), or maybe you’re out of something, or maybe you have a small helper and all that measuring can make a real mess. Whatever your reason for not baking your go-to batch of cookies, here’s a recipe that is super-easy and super-delicious and super-flexible, and definitely worth trying.

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5-ingredient cake mix cookies

1 box cake mix
1 stick butter, softened
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
2 c mix-in (or combination of mix-ins)

Combine all five ingredients in a bowl until well-mixed. The batter will be very stiff. Drop by spoonful (whatever size you prefer) on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 10-12 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, remove to cooling rack, and continue cooling.

The number of combinations you can come up with is endless. Here are some suggestions.

cake mix flavor	+	mix-ins	=	voilá
chocolate fudge	+	Andes mint chips	=	chocolate-mint cookies
yellow or chocolate	+	butterscotch chips, Heath bits, and walnuts	=	Heath bar cookies
chocolate	+	peanut butter chips	=	chocolate-peanut butter cookies
carrot cake	+	raisins and coconut	=	carrot cake cookies
white or chocolate	+	M&Ms	=	M&M cookies
chocolate	+	chocolate chips	=	double chocolate cookies
spice	+	chopped dates and chopped walnuts	=	hermits (substitute molasses for vanilla)
butter	+	chopped pecans	=	butter pecan cookies
chocolate	+	white chocolate chips	=	reverse chocolate chip cookies
“funfetti”	+	sprinkles or mini M&Ms or both	=	Child's Delight
chocolate	+	mini-marshmallow, mini chocolate chips, and chopped nuts	=	Rocky Road cookies
chocolate	+	Raisinettes and peanuts	=	Chunky cookies
yellow or spice	+	mini-marshmallows and mini chocolate chips	=	S’more cookies