Valentine's Crinkle Cookies

These Valentine’s Crinkle Cookies are super easy to make and only take a few simple ingredients. They have the most beautiful pink shade and pillowy soft texture that will make them perfect Valentine’s Day cookies.

pink crinkle cookies with red heart in center next to glass of milk

Table of Contents

Valentine’s Day Crinkle Cookies

These cake mix cookies are an absolute must make homemade treat for Valentine’s Day. Slightly crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, they’re a great way to make the people you love feel special. Afterall, freshly baked, soft and chewy cookies beat a store-bought box of chocolates any day!

You may want to double the recipe because I should also mention these cookies are highly addictive! They are always such a HUGH hit, so they won’t last long.

What are Crinkle Cookies?

Crinkle cookie recipes start with box cake mix. Varying ingredients are added to make them moist and chewy. The dough is formed into one-inch balls then rolled around in either icing sugar or powdered sugar that gives them a cracked or crinkled appearance once they are baked. It’s a simple recipe but they truly make delicious cookies without a lot of trouble or a ton of ingredients.

We have a great time making different types of cake mix cookies all throughout the year for different holidays. These Grinch Cookies and Ooey Gooey Cookies were a favorite with everyone this Christmas. And last Easter these Strawberry Crinkle Cookies were a huge hit!

What’s Needed for these Valentine’s Day Cookies?

ingredients in white bowls on white marble counter: white cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, powdered sugar, food coloring, red and pink heart sprinkles

White Cake Mix- This recipe calls for using a white mix because once you add the food coloring it gives the cookies a beautiful pink color.
Vegetable Oil- The vegetable oil helps make the cookies be a very moist and tender cookie.
Eggs – Eggs play an important role in this recipe. They act as a binder to hold the cookies together. They would be quite crumbly without the eggs.
Confectioner’s Sugar- This is the preferred sugar to give them the perfect crinkle appearance.
Food coloring- Gel food coloring is preferred. If you have pink food color, you can certainly use it, but using just a little red coloring works great.
Large heart sprinkles- (We used these Wilton sprinkles.)

How to Make Valentine’s Cookies with Cake Mix

four photos of the process: ingredients in mixing bowl; spatula mixing pink batter; batter rolled in powdered sugar on parchment lined baking sheet; red sprinkle in the middle of each cookie ball

Preheat oven to 350
Line cookie sheet with silpat liner or parchment paper, set aside
In the bowl of a stand mixer combine cake mix, oil, eggs and food coloring.
Chill dough for 10-20 minutes so that it’s thick enough to roll into 1-inch balls
Roll the small balls in confectioner’s sugar and place on baking sheet.
Press a heart into the center of the ball. Try to place it right into the center of the ball of dough so when it bakes it will stay in the middle of the cookie.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just golden.
Cool 3 minutes on the baking sheet and move to a cooling rack to complete cooling.

Can I use a Cookie Cutter with Crinkle Cookies?

To make heart shapes out of your crinkle cookies, take your cookie cutter, dip it in powdered sugar, then gently press into each cooled cookie. Make sure you dip the cutter back into the sugar each time. This will keep the cookie cutter from becoming sticky.

You will have scraps of cookies left over. Don’t throw them away! Use them to make red velvet truffles or crumble them up to use as a colorful topping for ice cream.

Tips for Making the Best Crinkle Cookies

Allow the cookies to come to room temperature before storing in an airtight container. If they are still warm, it will cause moisture to form inside the container.
Use a cookie scoop to get even sized dough balls. This also helps ensure they all bake evenly.
This makes a really soft dough so make sure to chill dough for at least 10-20 minutes. This keeps the cookies from flattening out too much.
If the powdered sugar soaks in too much after the first time you roll them, place cookie balls back in the sugar and roll them a second time. You really want a good coating on the dough to give a nice crackle look.

pink crinkle cookies on counter with red and pink sprinkles and red and white straws

Add-in and Variations for Valentine’s Day Crinkle Cookies

Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies: You can use a box of red velvet cake mix to make these cookies. They will be more chocolatey cookies and since the mix is already tinted red, no food coloring will be required.

Sprinkle Crinkle Cookies: For another variation, you can use the same white cake mix but roll the dough balls around in pink or red sprinkles.

Chocolate Drizzle: Add a little extra touch of decadence to the cookies by melting a bag of white chocolate chips in the microwave. Using a spoon, using a back-and-forth pattern add a white chocolate drizzle over the top of each cookie.

M&M’s: Around Valentine’s Day every year, there are pink and red M&Ms in the stores. If you can’t find the large heart sprinkles used in the recipe, you can use a M&M instead.

Want More Valentine’s Day Recipes?