Betty Crocker has been helping home bakers whip up delicious treats for decades with their convenient cookie mixes. When you’re craving homemade cookies but don’t want the hassle of measuring ingredients, these mixes are total lifesavers.
I’ve tried them all so you don’t have to – from the disappointing duds to the absolute showstoppers that could pass for scratch-made.
1. Sugar
Bland disappointment in a pouch! Betty Crocker’s Sugar Cookie Mix might be the most underwhelming baking experience known to mankind. The finished cookies taste like sweetened cardboard with a hint of artificial vanilla that lingers uncomfortably on your tongue.
Even with perfect baking times, these cookies never achieve that delicate balance of crispy edges and soft centers that makes a sugar cookie worth eating. No amount of colorful sprinkles can disguise their mediocrity.
2. Oatmeal
Criminally under-spiced and oddly textureless, Betty Crocker’s plain Oatmeal Cookie Mix fails to capture what makes oatmeal cookies special. Where’s the warmth? The comforting cinnamon aroma? The hearty oat texture?
Instead, you get cookies that taste suspiciously like they’re trying to be healthy while still containing all the sugar of a proper dessert. The oats seem to disappear into the dough rather than providing that signature chew that oatmeal cookie lovers crave.
3. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip
What a difference chocolate makes! While the base oatmeal mix is nothing special, the addition of chocolate chips transforms these cookies from forgettable to fairly decent. The chocolate provides much-needed flavor depth that the plain oatmeal version desperately lacks.
Texture-wise, these still don’t nail the perfect oatmeal cookie consistency. The oats blend too seamlessly into the dough instead of creating that delightful chewiness that makes homemade versions so craveable.
4. Chocolate Chip
The classic that somehow misses the mark! Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix should be a slam dunk – it’s the most iconic cookie flavor in America. Yet something’s just…off.
The dough has that telltale “from a mix” flavor that’s hard to disguise, and the chocolate chips lack the rich, melty quality of premium chocolate. Not terrible by any means, but a genuine disappointment considering chocolate chip cookies are the standard by which all cookie mixes should be judged.
5. Double Chocolate Chunk
Chocolate overload in the best possible way! Betty Crocker’s Double Chocolate Chunk mix delivers a deeply cocoa-infused cookie studded with satisfyingly large chocolate pieces that actually melt when baked properly.
The secret to these cookies’ success is the contrast between the slightly bitter cocoa dough and the sweeter chocolate chunks. This complexity masks the “mix taste” that plagues some of Betty’s other offerings.
6. Peanut Butter
Peanut butter fanatics, prepare for mild disappointment. These cookies nail the classic crisscross pattern and golden-brown appearance, but somehow the peanut butter flavor comes across as artificial and flat. Where’s that rich, nutty depth we all crave?
The texture hits a strange middle ground – neither satisfyingly chewy nor pleasingly crisp. They crumble in an oddly dry way despite following package directions precisely.
7. Salted Caramel
Sweet, salty, and surprisingly sophisticated for a box mix! Betty Crocker’s Salted Caramel cookies deliver an unexpected complexity that puts them leagues ahead of the basic flavors. The caramel bits actually melt into delicious little pockets of gooey goodness.
The salt balance is spot-on – just enough to enhance the caramel flavor without overwhelming your taste buds. These cookies spread beautifully when baked, creating crisp edges and slightly chewy centers that hit all the right textural notes.
8. Pumpkin Spice
Fall in a cookie! Betty Crocker’s Pumpkin Spice mix perfectly captures that cozy autumn vibe with a generous blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Unlike some pumpkin spice products that go overboard with artificial flavoring, these cookies strike a lovely balance.
The texture deserves special mention – these bake up soft and cake-like with a tender crumb that feels homemade. They’re substantially more moist than most mix cookies, likely due to the pumpkin powder in the mix.
9. Birthday Cake Batter
Party in a pouch! These wildly fun cookies pack genuine cake batter flavor into cookie form, complete with colorful sprinkles throughout the dough. The nostalgic taste instantly transports you back to childhood birthday parties licking the beaters.
Texturally, they hit a perfect sweet spot – slightly crisp edges with centers that remain soft for days (if they last that long). The sprinkles add both visual appeal and little bursts of texture that make each bite interesting.
10. Chocolate Caramel
Decadence defined! Betty Crocker’s Chocolate Caramel cookies deliver a luxurious experience that seems impossible from a mix. The rich chocolate dough provides the perfect backdrop for pockets of gooey caramel that create an irresistible pull when you break the cookie apart.
Unlike some caramel-containing treats that harden after cooling, these maintain their delightful chewiness for days. The contrast between the slightly bitter cocoa and the sweet caramel creates a sophisticated flavor profile that appeals to adult palates.
11. Caramel Apple
Autumn fair vibes in cookie form! These seasonal superstars capture the essence of caramel apples without the sticky fingers and awkward bites. The cookie base has actual bits of dried apple that rehydrate during baking, creating pockets of fruity tang.
Caramel chips melt throughout, creating a buttery sweetness that perfectly complements the apple’s natural tartness. The hint of cinnamon in the dough ties everything together in a way that feels thoughtfully crafted rather than thrown together.
12. Snickerdoodle
Cinnamon perfection in every bite! Betty Crocker’s Snickerdoodle mix miraculously captures the essence of this classic cookie – crisp edges giving way to tender, slightly chewy centers, all wrapped in that signature cinnamon-sugar coating.
The dough itself contains the perfect hint of tanginess that authentic snickerdoodles are known for, likely from cream of tartar in the mix. This subtle sourness balances the sweet coating and prevents these cookies from becoming one-dimensional sugar bombs.
13. Reese’s Pieces
Peanut butter paradise! This collaboration between Betty Crocker and Reese’s creates cookie magic that surpasses what either brand could achieve alone. The base cookie dough has been perfectly formulated to complement the candy pieces without competing with them.
Real Reese’s Pieces are generously distributed throughout, creating colorful pops of concentrated peanut butter flavor in every bite. Unlike regular peanut butter chips, these candies maintain their integrity during baking, providing textural contrast against the soft cookie.