Celebrate the Grinch’s small heart growing 3 sizes with this easy Grinch cookie recipe. These green crinkle cookies look just like a Grinch!
He’s a mean one… Mr. Grinch! But this Grinch cookie recipe is anything but mean. It’s simple and delicious. These green crinkle cookies look just like the green Grinch. Complete with his now large red heart.
I love creating fun snacks on a theme. And since The Grinch is on repeat in our house during the holidays I had to make Grinch cookies. These cookies are incredibly easy to make and my kids love them. Perfect for watching The Grinch, or any of our favorite Christmas movies.
**This post contains affiliate links. I earn a commission from these links that supports this blog. Thank you!**
What are Grinch Cookies?
Grinch cookies are green crinkle cookies with heart-shaped candy. They are meant to look like the furry green Grinch with his heart growing as he learns the true magic of Christmas. These fun cookies are made with a boxed vanilla cake mix. That means that are so easy to make but guaranteed to be delicious.
What You Need to Make This Grinch Cookie Recipe
Grinch Cookie Ingredients
- Box of vanilla cake mix
- Eggs
- Vegetable oil
- Green food coloring
- Granulated sugar
- Powdered sugar
- Heart sprinkles
Supplies
How to Make This Grinch Cookie Recipe
Start with a box of vanilla cake mix. Empty it into a large mixing bowl. Then add 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil. This is less oil and fewer eggs than the recipe on the box. And it skips the water completely. Those differences give the cake mix a more dough-like texture for making these cookies.
Mix the cake mix, eggs, and oil using a rubber spatula until a dough forms. Then add about 1/4 teaspoon of green food coloring. This amount of food coloring makes the cookies bright green. If you use too much, the cookies would turn a darker shade of green.
What Type of Food Coloring is Best?
For this recipe, I used green gel food coloring. When baking, gel food coloring is best. It gives the cookies, or cake, the necessary pigmentation without adding additional moisture. Too much moisture in a dough changes the consistency and may impact the way the dough rises or bakes.
Once the dough is thoroughly green, cover the mixing bowl with saran wrap. Chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Chilling the dough allows the fat to solidify. This keeps the cookies from spreading as they bake.
After the dough is chilled, pour granulated sugar onto a plate. Pour powdered sugar onto a second plate.
Use a 1″ cookie scoop to scoop out the dough. Use your hands to roll the dough into a ball. Then roll the ball of dough in the granulated sugar. Then in the powdered sugar. Place each ball of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake in a 350-degree oven for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and add a single heart sprinkle to the upper right side of each cookie.
Where Do I Find Heart Sprinkles for My Grinch Cookies?
If it’s not Valentine’s Day, it may be difficult to find heart-shaped sprinkles at the grocery store or Target. However, most craft stores have a supply of unique sprinkles and other cake/cookie decorating accessories all year round. I purchased my heart sprinkles at my local Michael’s in October!
This Grinch cookie recipe is the perfect easy treat to make for an after-school treat in December. Or for a fun Grinch movie night! Maybe even leave them Santa!
More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Carrot Cake Cookies
Grinch Cookies (Green Crinkle Cookies)
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 rubber spatula
- 1 silicone baking mat
- 1 cookie sheet
Ingredients
- 1 box vanilla cake mix
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp green gel food coloring
- granulated sugar
- powdered sugar
- red heart sprinkles
Instructions
- Empty a box of vanilla cake mix into a large mixing bowl.
- Add 2 eggs and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil.
- Mix the cake mix, eggs, and oil using a rubber spatula until a dough forms.
- Add about 1/4 teaspoon of green food coloring to turn the dough bright green. Mix.
- After the dough is thoroughly green, cover the mixing bowl with saran wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- After the dough is chilled, pour granulated sugar onto a plate. Pour powdered sugar onto a second plate.
- Use a 1" cookie scoop to scoop out the dough. Use your hands to roll the dough into a ball.
- Roll the ball of dough in the granulated sugar. Then in the powdered sugar.
- Place each ball of dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake in a 350-degree oven for 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add a single heart sprinkle to the upper right side of each cookie.
These grinch cookies look adorable and so easy to make! These would be really fun for kiddos too!
Make Life Marvelous