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These strawberry kiss cookies are soft, bright pink cookies with plenty of strawberry flavor and a strawberry kiss pressed into the center. They start with strawberry cake mix, cream cheese and butter, so the dough comes together with just six ingredients. I love how the pink cookies and matching kisses look together, especially for Christmas, Valentine’s Day or a baby shower. They only need 8 to 10 minutes in the oven, too.
Why You’ll Love It
These strawberry kiss cookies have a soft texture, plenty of strawberry flavor and that fun pop of pink from the cookie to the candy on top. They’re also made with just six ingredients.
Just six ingredients: Strawberry cake mix does most of the work here, along with butter, cream cheese, an egg, powdered sugar and the strawberry kisses.
Soft texture: Cream cheese keeps the cookies soft, while the powdered sugar coating gives them that crackled finish.
Strawberry from top to bottom: Both the cookie dough and the candy in the center bring strawberry flavor.
Made for pink-cookie occasions: The color makes these especially fun for Valentine’s Day, baby showers or any time you want something pink.
You might also like to make chocolate peppermint meringue cookies, gingersnap icebox cookies, or these Italian pistachio cookies.
Strawberry Kiss Cookies Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Unsalted butter: Let it come to room temperature so it blends smoothly with the cream cheese.
Strawberry cake mix: A 15¼-ounce box forms the base of the cookie dough and gives the cookies their pink color and strawberry flavor.
Powdered sugar: Used to coat the dough balls before baking and create the crackled finish.
Cream cheese: Use full-fat block cream cheese at room temperature rather than whipped cream cheese from a tub.
Egg: Helps bind the cookie dough.
Strawberry kisses: The pink strawberry ice cream cone kisses go into the cookies immediately after they come out of the oven.
How to Make Strawberry Kiss Cookies
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Make the dough: Beat the butter, egg and cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the strawberry cake mix, then chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Prepare the oven and pans: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape the cookies: Scoop the chilled dough into 1-Tablespoon portions, roll into balls and coat each one in powdered sugar.
Bake: Arrange the cookies at least 1½ inches apart and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set.
Add the kisses: Immediately press a chilled strawberry kiss into the center of each warm cookie.
Cool: Leave the cookies on the baking sheets until completely cool so the softened kisses have time to firm back up.
Substitutions and Variations
Change the cake mix: Another brand of strawberry cake mix should work, although the color and strawberry flavor can vary between brands.
Try another kiss: Milk chocolate kisses give you a chocolate-strawberry combination if you can’t find the pink strawberry kisses.
Add an extract: A small amount of vanilla or coconut extract can be added to the dough.
Decorate them: Add a little pink or red sanding sugar for Valentine’s Day.
Serving Suggestions
As a sweet treat: Enjoy a couple of these easy strawberry cookies with iced gingerbread latte or Italian cream soda.
For dessert: After a delicious meal, perhaps something like rasta pasta or one of these steak recipes, serve up a platter of these strawberry cake mix cookies.
As part of a cookie tray: Pair your strawberry kiss cookies with some other favorites such as peppermint kiss cookies, waffle cookies or vanilla cookies.
How to Store
Store: Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Freeze the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Let frozen cookies thaw at room temperature before serving.
Top Tips
Chill sticky dough a little longer: One reader found the dough was still quite sticky after 30 minutes. If yours is difficult to roll, give it another 15 to 30 minutes in the refrigerator rather than adding extra cake mix or flour.
Don’t overbake: I take these out once the edges are set, even if the centers still look quite soft. They’ll continue to set on the hot baking sheet.
Chill the kisses, too: Keep the strawberry kisses refrigerated while the dough chills. They’ll hold their shape better when pressed into the warm cookies.
Use a cookie scoop: A 1-Tablespoon scoop keeps the cookies close to the same size so they bake at the same rate.
Leave them on the pan: The kisses become very soft when they’re pressed into the hot cookies. Let everything cool completely before moving the cookies.
Strawberry Kiss Cookies FAQs
This is a soft cookie dough because it contains both butter and cream cheese. Chill it for the full 30 minutes before shaping. If it’s still too sticky to roll comfortably, refrigerate it for another 15 to 30 minutes. A cookie scoop also makes the dough easier to portion with less handling.
Use full-fat block cream cheese for this recipe. Whipped cream cheese has a different consistency and can make an already-soft cookie dough even harder to shape.
Strawberry Kiss Cookies Recipe
Strawberry Kiss Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Scoop 1-Tablespoon
Ingredients
- ½ Cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 Box strawberry cake mix, 15¼ Ounces
- ½ Cup powdered sugar
- 8 Ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 36 strawberry ice cream cone kisses, unwrapped
Instructions
- Beat the butter, egg and cream cheese together in a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer until creamy and smooth.
- Beat in the cake mix until combined and there are no globs of dry ingredients visible.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a 1-Tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the chilled dough, then gently roll each portion into a ball. If the dough is too sticky to handle, chill it for another 15 to 30 minutes.
- Now roll each dough ball in the powdered sugar and arrange on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1½ inches or more between each one.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookie edges have set.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately press a strawberry ice cream cone kiss on top of each one.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets and then serve or store them.
Notes
Don’t overbake: I take these out once the edges are set, even if the centers still look quite soft. They’ll continue to set on the hot baking sheet.
Chill the kisses, too: Keep the strawberry kisses refrigerated while the dough chills. They’ll hold their shape better when pressed into the warm cookies.
Use a cookie scoop: A 1-Tablespoon scoop keeps the cookies close to the same size so they bake at the same rate.
Leave them on the pan: The kisses become very soft when they’re pressed into the hot cookies. Let everything cool completely before moving the cookies.
Nutrition
These strawberry kiss cookies are such a fun use for the pink strawberry kisses, and I love that the strawberry flavor is in both the cookie and the candy on top. The cream cheese keeps the cookies soft, while the powdered sugar gives them that pretty crackled finish. Just be sure to give the dough extra chilling time if it feels too sticky to roll.
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Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I let the dough chill for 30 minutes but it was really sticky & so hard to roll in a ball. They were delicious though & my family liked them. Not sure if I’d make them again because of how messy it was. Maybe error on my part. Thanks for sharing your recipe😊
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
These cookies are so fun to make! Perfect for Valentine’s Day—I’ll bake them again.
These are so cute and taste amazing! The strawberry flavor is perfect, and they’re great for holiday baking.