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The best part about these Pinata Cookies is that they are filled with candy. Yep! Just like a piñata that you know and love, these cookies are filled with an edible surprise. Made with a cake mix, I know you won’t be able to get enough. These pinata cookies are a MUST MAKE!
First of all, can we talk about how cute these sugar toppers are? I seriously can’t get over them! Etsy is a such a great place to get fun things and these sugar toppers are EVERYTHING!
Making desserts for Cinco de Mayo has became one of my favorite things to do. After these Pinata Cupcakes, I knew I needed to come up with a cookie version.
I just didn’t quite know how to go about it…until now!
Creating a cookie cup from a cake mix cookie, filling it with mini candies and then frosting the top worked out perfectly.
Not only are they easy to make but everyone is going to have so much fun with these Pinata Cookie Cups.
How to Make Pinata Cookies with a Cake Mix
- Start by making the cookie dough. Combine a chocolate cake mix with oil and eggs. I like to use a hand held mixer to get everything nicely combined but you can always do this step by hand. The finished cookie dough will be thick, chocolatey and totally delicious!
- Use a small cookie scoop to scoop mounds of dough into a mini muffin pan. Be sure to liberally spray each muffin cup with nonstick cooking spray before adding dough.
- Go back and use your fingers to press the top of the cookie mound down so that it is level.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 9-11 minutes. Remove from the oven. Immediately take a knife and run it around the edge of each cookie to loosen it from the pan.
- Once you have loosened each cookie, go back with a tart shaper and press down into the middle of each cookie. This will give you the perfect indentation for the filling.
- Once the cookies are completely cooled, go back and fill with about a tablespoon of mini M&M’s.
- To cover the filling, fill a piping bag {or Ziploc bag} with chocolate frosting. Using a swirl motion and starting at the outside, cover the top of the filling. You don’t want any of the M&M’s showing.
- Go back and top with sugar toppers or with additional M&M’s.
The only thing left to do is take a bite and enjoy one of these bad boys for yourself.
Pinata Cookie Cups are so much fun! Serve them for Cinco de Mayo at your house or make them just to bring a smile to family and friends faces.
Pinata Cookie Filling Ideas
- Sprinkles
- Skittles
- Mini Chocolate Chips
- Small Jelly Beans
- Nerds
- Mini Sweet Tarts
- Mini Chiclets Gum
Do you love Cinco de Mayo desserts? Try these recipes…
Pinata Cookies Recipe Made with a Cake Mix
Ingredients
Cookie Cups
- 15.25 ounces chocolate cake mix
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
Filling & Frosting
- 3 cups mini M&M's
- 16 ounces prepared chocolate frosting
- Pinata Shaped Toppers, optional
Instructions
Cookie Cups
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare mini muffin pan by spraying each cup liberally with non-stick cooking spray. Pour chocolate cake mix into a medium bowl and whisk {or sift} to remove any lumps. Add eggs and oil to the cake mix and combine with a hand held mixer {or by hand} until dough is thick and sticky. Using a small cookie scoop {or 1/2 tbsp.}, put a mound of cookie dough into each muffin cup. Using your fingers, go back and press the mound of dough down to create a level cookie. Bake for 9-11 minutes. {Do not over cook, they will set up as they cool.} Remove from oven and immediately run a knife around the edge of each cookie cup {I used an offset butter knife}. Go back and use a tart shaper {or end of a wooden spoon} to press middle of cookie down and create an indentation. Move cookies to a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Continue to bake second batch if necessary.
Assembling Pinata Cookie Cups
- Once the cookie cups are completely cooled, fill each cookie cavity {that you created with the tart shaper} with about a tablespoon of mini M&M's. Fill a piping bag or Ziploc bag with chocolate frosting and pipe over the top of the M&M's covering the candy, starting on the outside and working in {be sure to cover all of the M&M's}. Once all of the pinata cookies have frosting, add a shaped sugar topper or extra Mini M&M's. Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
As expected, the kids went crazy for these cookies!