I live in Florida, and it’s hard to tell by the trees or the weather that it’s Fall. The feel-like temperature is over 100 ºF today, and palm trees don’t change their color. The one universal sign of Autumn that I can count on is Pumpkin Spice! Sure, it has its limits – I don’t want pumpkin spice toothpaste or soda, but I love the taste and smell. It’s so comforting. These cake-bite cookies are a super easy and quick way to treat yourself to this glorious seasonal flavor.
The secret ingredient
This recipe is a delicious cross between a cookie and a cake, and they couldn’t be easier to make. The secret ingredient is a box of spice cake mix. Mix the cake mix with a can of pumpkin puree and spices. No eggs or oil are needed! Stir in the chips and nuts and scoop with a rounded spoon or cookie scoop.
Substitution hacks
If you don’t have spice cake mix, yellow care mix, or gingerbread cake mix will also work. To switch things up, replace the chocolate chips with white chocolate or butterscotch chips. No walnuts, substitute pecans. If nut allergies are a concern, omit the nuts entirely.
If you don’t have Pumpkin Pie Spice mix, it is definitely worth getting. Anytime you have a recipe that calls for cinnamon, with nutmeg, ginger, cloves, or allspice – pumpkin pie spice is your all-in-one solution. In this recipe, you can sub out the pumpkin pie spice for a quarter teaspoon cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg or ginger.
No flat cookies
These cookies don’t spread or flatten out, which is why I call the “bites”. They bake in the exact shape as you scoop them, so don’t worry about over-crowding them on the pan. If there is any downside to this recipe, it’s the longer than usual baking time. They take about 20 minutes because of their cakey consistency. I think it balances out as they take less than a couple of minutes to mix, and no chilling time is needed.
This recipe is a great baking project for kids, and these bites will become a Fall family favorite! Serve these beautiful bites with hot coffee, cold milk, or hot cocoa!
Enjoy.
Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake Bites
Course: Dessert, SnacksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy65
cookies5
minutes20
minutesEnjoy a bite of pure pumpkin spice bliss paired with chocolate chips and crunchy walnuts. These cakey cookies are made with a box of cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree. No eggs. No butter. Ready for the oven in less than 5 minutes!
Ingredients
1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin
½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chocolate morsels (chips)
Directions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheet/pans with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the cake mix and pumpkin until well blended. Drop by rounded spoonfuls (or a cookie scoop) onto the prepared baking/sheet pan. The cookies don’t spread while baking.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Spice Cake mix substitute: yellow cake mix, gingerbread cake mix
- Chocolate chip substitute: white chocolate morsels, butterscotch morsels
- Walnuts: Substitute pecans. Omit if food allergies are an issue.
- Pumpkin pie spice: substitute a quarter teaspoon cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg or ginger.
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