Mini Christmas Dot Cake Cookies
Mini Christmas Dot Cake Cookies are bite-sized Christmas cookies that start with a yellow cake mix and are topped with frosting and colorful nonpareils for a festive finish. They are little treats of holiday fun! Their small size makes them perfect for holiday cookie trays and cookie exchanges.
When I was doing the recipe testing for these Christmas dot cookies, my oldest son announced that these were his favorite of all the cookies I made for the 2026 12 Days of Christmas cookies. These mini Christmas dot cake cookies were inspired by the viral dot cake cookie trend.
I also made these for him to take back to graduate school but used rainbow nonpareils instead of the Christmas colors.
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Recipe Snapshot
- Prep Time: About 10 minutes
- Difficulty: Easy
- Best For: Parties, Cookie Exchanges, Holiday Cookie Trays, Work Parties
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
- A yellow cake mix is a great shortcut for these easy mini Christmas cookies.
- Frosting and colorful nonpareils give these cookies their Christmas personality.
- Mini cookies are great for a dessert tray when guests want to sample several treats.
- They are a fun addition to cookie exchanges and make a fun hostess gift.
- Kids will have fun frosting and decorating the cookies.
Ingredients for Mini Christmas Dot Cake Cookies
Since these easy frosted Christmas cookies start with a cake mix, you won’t need too many additional ingredients.
- Yellow Cake Mix
- Vegetable Oil, can also use canola oil.
- Large Eggs
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- Milk
- Nonpareils – Use Christmas colors for the holidays or rainbow for other times of the year.
How do you store Christmas dot cookies?
Because they are frosted, they need to be stored in an airtight container. They will keep up to 4 days. While you can put a piece of parchment between layers of these dot cookies, but it’s not necessary since they won’t stick together.
What can you serve with mini dot cookies?
Because the cookies start with a cake mix, a cold glass of milk is always a great choice. If you’re adding these mini Christmas dot cake cookies to a holiday dessert table serve coffee, caramel hot chocolate, white hot chocolate, or a hot chocolate station with fun hot chocolate drops.
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
Yes, you can make them a couple of days in advance. Store them in an airtight container.
Can I use a different flavor cake mix for dot cake cookies?
Absolutely! A chocolate cake mix would make a delicious dot cake cookie!
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Mini Christmas Dot Cake Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 box 15.25oz yellow cake mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup Christmas nonpareils
Instructions
Make the Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, combine the cake mix, vegetable oil, and eggs until a dough forms.1 box 15.25oz yellow cake mix, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs
- Using a #100 cookie scoop, portion out the dough onto prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2" between each cookie.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned around the edges and set.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely. They must be completely cool before frosting.
Make the Frosting
- Beat the butter until smooth and light in color. Add the powdered sugar, pure vanilla extract, salt, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix until smooth, adding more milk a little at a time until you reach a spreadable consistency½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 1-2 tablespoons milk
- Using a knife or offset spreading tool, spread the frosting over the cooled cookies.
- Pour the nonpareils into a small bowl or shallow dish. Dip each frosted cookie into the nonpareils until the frosting is evenly coated.1 cup Christmas nonpareils
