Dr Pepper cookies are cake mix cookies: a two-ingredient dough of chocolate cake mix and about 3/4 cup of Dr Pepper, scooped by the tablespoon and baked at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes, then drizzled with a glaze of powdered sugar and more Dr Pepper. The soda replaces the eggs, oil and water the box usually asks for, so I would expect soft, cakey cookies rather than crisp ones.
This is the standard two-ingredient method, written up from A Few Shortcuts' Dr Pepper cookies with a few adaptations of mine noted in the card, rather than a batch I have taken through my own kitchen yet. Adjust the soda until the dough looks like cookie dough.
Can you make cookies with soda?
Yes. Stirring soda into a boxed cake mix instead of the eggs, oil and water is a well-known shortcut, and A Few Shortcuts' version uses chocolate cake mix with 6 to 8 ounces of Dr Pepper. The soda supplies the liquid and some sugar the mix needs, and Dr Pepper brings its own cherry and vanilla notes, which I would expect to sit well with chocolate.
How do you keep cake mix cookie dough from sticking?
It is a soft, sticky dough. Chilling it for 30 minutes and using a cookie scoop should make it easier to handle, and parchment keeps the cookies from sticking to the sheet. If it is still too soft to hold a shape, chill it longer, and add the soda more slowly next time.
Dr Pepper cake from a cake mix
If you would rather make a cake, my Dr Pepper chocolate cake covers putting Dr Pepper in a cake mix. For other Dr Pepper bakes there are Dr Pepper cupcakes, a Dr Pepper bundt cake and Dr Pepper brownies, and everything else is in the Dr Pepper recipes.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make Dr Pepper cookies?
Mix a box of chocolate cake mix with about 3/4 cup of Dr Pepper into a thick dough, chill it for 30 minutes, scoop tablespoons onto a lined sheet, and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool, then glaze with powdered sugar whisked with Dr Pepper.
How much Dr Pepper do you put in cake mix cookies?
Start with 3/4 cup (6 fl oz) and add up to 1/4 cup more, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough has the consistency of cookie dough. That matches the 6 to 8 oz range in A Few Shortcuts' recipe.
Can you eat the dough?
No. Cake mix contains raw flour, and the FDA advises against eating raw dough or batter because flour can carry bacteria such as E. coli. Bake it first.
Can you make them with Diet Dr Pepper?
You can try it. I have not tested the swap, so I cannot say how the texture changes; start with the same amount and adjust until the dough looks right.
