Valentine's Cookies

Before we get too far removed from Valentine's Day/month, I figured it best to bring you the recipe for the cookies you may have seen on the Facebook page around that timeframe. Despite my sad little cameraphone's picture quality, I'm sure you noticed that the cookies appeared pink. You weren't crazy because in fact, they were a couple batches worth of pink cookies. I didn't even dye them with food coloring, but they were inherently pink from the get-go. Why? Because of the strawberry cake mix that was used to create them. This was actually only my second foray into cake mix cookies, the first being cake batter cookies, which didn't use an entire box at once. For these pink treats, you used a whole box worth of cake mix to create the dough, which meant it packed some extra flavor into it. You definitely have to be a strawberry fan to enjoy these! However, as expected, they were a big hit at the office and despite admittedly making too many, the majority of them disappeared and I only had to bring a few home to Will. The second batch had that kind of addictive chewiness that made you keep coming back for more, even if the strawberry flavor wasn't your thing. It was very hard to have them on my desk all day! So for all you strawberry-loving folks out there, give these a shot!


Baking Notes: I doubled the original recipe (link below) but did it as two separate batches. After working with the dough, I definitely recommend if you need lots, keeping your batches separate because a little too much or not enough of any of the ingredients can mess up the consistency of the cookies! My first batch was not nearly as chewy as my second and I think it's because I didn't have exactly 1/3 cup of canola oil. Measure carefully! Oh and I didn't use as many chocolate chips per batch as Sally did - they just didn't want to stick to the dough.



Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies (from Sally's Baking Addiction; makes 2 1/2 dozen)
1 box strawberry cake mix
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or grease it with a little Crisco. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil and vanilla by hand. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and vigorously stir to form a dough, until all the pockets of dry cake mix are gone (crucial!). Gently mix in the chocolate chips.


Drop rounded balls of dough onto the baking sheet, making sure they are taller than they are wider. Bake for 10 minutes, but not until the cookies get brown. Allow to cool for 3 minutes, pressing down gently with your fingers if they aren't sinking much. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving!

Recipe: Sally's Baking Addiction: Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ready to head out the door!