Easy Cake Mix Cookies

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was wonderful.  Ours was on the quiet side, as we did not go anywhere, but it was also restful.  Now that the wonderful turkey holiday is over, it's time to concentrate on the winter holidays.  This time of year people love to give and receive food gifts.  One of the easiest food gifts to give is a platter of home made cookies and treats. 

To make a successful cookie platter, you will need different varieties of cookies, brownies, and little treats.  Here's a recipe that may not be the prettiest cookie but is sure to be a delicious one.  It yields over three dozen and has a good presence on the platter.  It comes from my mom and a clipped side of the Ducan Hines box from the 1970's.  My mom makes this cookie every year, in many different varieties.  Let your imagination run wild with this.  I will give the base dough recipe and you can change the cake mix flavor or mix-ins to suit your taste.

recipe (yield 3 1/2 dozen)

1 package white cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
1 cup mix-ins (chocolate chips, nuts, etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Mix all ingredients until well incorporated.  Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. (12 to a sheet, they will spread) Bake for 11 to 13 minutes. Top will be pale. Allow to cool one minute on cookie sheet and then finish cooling on baking rack.  Store in an airtight container for several weeks.

For the variation pictured, I used a chocolate cake mix and Andes Candies baking chips. My mom uses butterscotch chips with a yellow cake mix.