Strawberry Kisses

Moist, fluffy strawberry cookies are topped with a yummy crowning of vanilla frosting.

These cookies are made with a strawberry cake mix and strawberry oil to really bring out the bright berry flavor. I'm sure they would be just as tasty without the strawberry oil though! To make them more interesting (and because I bake with my five year old) I made a simple vanilla frosting to go on top. You can substitute any flavor of cake mix for these and pair them with your favorite frosting. 

These are great plain, but a little frosting and maybe some sprinkles dress them up nicely and make for a more decadent treat.

Cake Mix Cookie
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla (or extract to match your cake mix)
1 (18 oz) box cake mix

Beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. Stir in cake mix until moistened. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for two hours. Roll chilled dough into balls and roll balls into powdered sugar.  Preheat oven to 350.

Bake cookies, 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will look slightly wet when they come out. Cool completely on a rack. Dust cookies with extra powdered sugar or frost with you favorite frosting.

* I used one strawberry cake mix and 1 teaspoon of strawberry essence that I picked up at a pastry shop for the above cookie.
* For the frosting, I beat one stick of butter with 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and enough milk to make it a desired spreading consistency.