Tie Dye Cookies are so festive for any holiday! Personally, I love to make these cookies for Valentine’s Day because the pink and purple colors turn out so cute in these cookies.

A few tie dye cookies stacked on the counter with pink sprinkles in the background and text on the photo that reads "Valentine's Cake Mix Tie Dye Cookies."

Tie Dye Sugar Cookies Recipe

Not only are these cookies extremely cute, but they’re surprisingly simple to make! They’re actually made with cake mix instead of the usual dry ingredients in cookies. If you’re looking for an upgrade from the traditional heart shaped sugar cookies for Valentine’s Day, tie dye cookies are your new best friend!

Three clear bowls on the counter - one with plain cookie dough, one with pink cookie dough, and one with purple cookie dough.

Ingredients for Valentine Cookies

Salted Butter (softened) – I use salted butter in all my recipes, but if you only have unsalted, just add a pinch of salt to the dough.
Granulated Sugar
Egg Whites – Only using egg whites in this recipe keeps the dough extra vibrant and white, instead of yellowing it with the egg yolks.
Vanilla – I also use clear vanilla for this recipe to again avoid changing the color of the base cookie dough.
Boxed White Cake Mix – Any brand works, just make sure it’s white.
All Purpose Flour – Even though we’re using the cake mix, adding just a bit of flour helps to thicken the cookies slightly so they hold their shape.
Food Coloring – You can use any colors you would like, but for these photos I used pink and purple food coloring. I prefer gel food coloring so that we’re not adding additional liquid to the recipe (too much liquid would make the cookies spread too thin).

A ball of cookie dough with pink, purple, and regular dough tie dyed together.

How to Make Valentine’s Tie Dye Cookies

Begin by preheating your oven to 350° F (180° C).
Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar for about 1 minute.
Scrape the sides of the bowl before adding in the egg whites and vanilla, then continue to mix until combined.
Now add in the white cake mix and flour and mix until a dough forms. The dough should be quite soft.
Next, separate the cookie dough into three equal sections and place each section in a small bowl. Leave one bowl of dough white and then dye the other two sections of dough your preferred colors. I used pink and purple in these photos.
It’s usually easiest to add each section of the dough back into the mixer with the food coloring. Let the mixer do the work of distributing the food coloring evenly throughout the cookie dough.
Now it’s time to “tie dye” your cookie dough! Place each section of cookie dough on the counter side by side.
Gently press the cookie dough together and then break the dough in half so that each color is cut in half.
Push the halves back together gently, with different colored dough touching.
Gently repeat this process a few times. Be careful to not mix the colors, but leave the cookie dough looking “tie dyed.”
Now, using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion out the cookie dough into your desired cookie size. I used a 3 tbsp scoop for the cookies in these photos.
Roll your portioned dough into a ball, then flatten slightly before arranging evenly on your prepared cookie sheet.
Bake the tie dyed cookies in the oven until they have spread, puffed up in the center, and no longer look glossy on top. For small cookies (1 1/2 tbsp of dough), bake 8-10 minutes. For medium cookies (3 tbsp of dough), bake about 10-12 minutes.
After removing from the oven, allow the cookies to cool completely on the pan before removing.
Store your new favorite Valentine’s Day Tie Dye Cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Pink and purple balls of tie dye cookie dough on a baking sheet.

Can I put food coloring in sugar cookie dough?

Yes, you can put food coloring in sugar cookie dough. However, the color will bake out of your cookie and be much lighter after removing from the oven. You may want to add a little extra food coloring to sugar cookie dough to achieve your desired result, or just try this cake mix cookie recipe.

How should I store leftover cookies?

Always store cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How should I package cookies for gifting?

There are so many cute ways to package treats for gifting, especially for Valentine’s Day! If you’re gifting multiple cookies, use a small tin or box. Line the box or tin with parchment paper first and then arrange the cookies inside. If you’re gifting single cookies, I love to package each cookie individually in a cellophane bag with a pretty ribbon to tie it shut – this is my personal favorite way!

Several pink and purple Tie Dye Cookies on the counter with a few cut in half.

Recipes Similar to Tie Dye Sugar Cookies

Tie Dye Cookie Recipe

Tie Dye Cookies are so festive for any holiday! Personally, I love to make these cookies for Valentine's Day because the pink and purple colors turn out so cute in these cookies.

4.60 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Servings: small cookies

Calories: 62kcal

Ingredients

1/2 cup salted butter softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla I used clear vanilla
1 (15.5 oz box) white cake mix
1/2 cup all purpose flour
food coloring I used pink and purple

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a bowl using a hand electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 1 minute.
Scrape the sides of the bowl, add in the egg whites and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Add in the white cake mix and all-purpose flour. Mix until the dough comes together. The dough will be soft.
Separate the dough out into 3 bowls. Dye each bowl your desired color. I left one bowl white and then dyed one bowl pink and the other purple.
I usually place the portion of cookie dough back into the mixer and let the mixer do the work of dying the cookie dough.Once each of your portions have been dyed, place all of your cookie dough on the counter side by side.
Gently press the cookie dough together and then break the dough in half, cutting all of the colors in half.
Push the halves back together gently and repeat this process a few times, being careful not to mix the colors, but leaving the dough 'tie dyed'.
Use a cookie scoop or a spoon to portion out the cookie dough into your desired size. For the photos in this recipe I used a 3 tbsp scoop.
Roll into a ball and then flatten slightly before arranging on a parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350° F (180° C) until the cookies have spread, puff up in the center and no longer look glossy on top. Small cookies (using 1 1/2 tbsp of dough) will bake for 8-10 minutes. Medium cookies (using 3 tbsp of dough) will bake for 10-12 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool complexity on the pan.
Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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2 Comments

Carissa says:

January 16, 2023 at 2:31 am

super cute and tasty. comes together quickly, though I think my butter wasn’t soft enough and my dough was a bit sticky. all of the white cake mix I could find had 15.25 oz which is probably the cause of the stickier dough. all in all its great and I love the use of cake mix!

E says:

August 28, 2023 at 12:31 am

Easy to make and so cute. I used funfetti cake mix because that’s all I had and it turned out fine 🙂