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Out of flour but really want some cookies?! You can use pancake mix! These Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix Cookies are a cross between puffy pancakes and soft muffin tops! Simple to make with any ‘just add water’ pancake mix!
Have you ever tried Kodiak Cakes Flapjack & Waffle Mix? It’s a protein pancake mix that is versatile, low in sugar, and always on hand in my house. It’s the original inspo for all these pancake mix recipes you see on Project Meal Plan.
I buy the mix in bulk at Costco and use it for more than just pancakes! This time, it’s for these chocolate chip pancake mix cookies. But the best part is – you can use any ‘just add water’ pancake mix!
Recipe Overview
Total Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Method: Baked
Prep: Make-Ahead Friendly
Watch how to make these Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix Cookies (1 min 16 sec):
What are the ingredients in these chocolate chip pancake mix cookies?
Usually for cookies, you NEED a flour of some kind, as well as a leavener which usually consists of baking soda.
The cool part about these cookies is you don’t need either of those ingredients, because they’ll be present in your pancake mix.
To make these pancake mix cookies, you need the following:
- ‘just-add-water’ pancake mix – The beauty of just-add-water pancake mix is simply that: you only have to add water, but you can still get fluffy, delicious pancakes. That’s because these ready to use mixes have the flour and the leaveners all mixed in. For cookies, you need a few more things to achieve a cookie (instead of a pancake), but you don’t need to use any other flour or leaveners at all. Since most just-add-water mixes have this in common, you can use almost any one you find at the store.
- banana OR applesauce – adding just one mushy banana or some applesauce to the batter/dough helps add moisture and a hint of extra sweetness to the cookies. The applesauce adds even more moisture in my opinion, but either will work!
- peanut butter – For flavor, because I love peanut butter. Any nut butter will work here!
- real maple syrup – To help sweeten up these pancake mix cookies, I use real maple syrup. This would usually go on top of pancakes, so why not go inside the dough for these pancake mix cookies?
- milk of choice – Get a little extra moisture in there to help get the dough to the right consistency. I use unsweetened almond milk, but any kind of milk will work.
- cinnamon, coconut oil & vanilla extract – Some classic cookie ingredients to help with flavor and consistency. I love the taste of cinnamon but you could leave it out if its not for you.
- chocolate chips!!
Why does pancake mix work in place of flour?
The cool thing about ‘just add water’ pancake mix is that it the mix will have its own flour and its own leavening agent. You can double check this by reviewing the ingredients list. It should have “leavener” or “leavening agents” listed, and baking soda should be one of them.
What other desserts can I make with pancake mix?
Most of my experience making desserts from pancake mix stems from my love of Kodiak Cakes, so that’s the kind I normally use for all my creations. Here are a few other things that can be made with pancake mix in place of flour:
Hate to be cliché here but the limit is your imagination!
More pancake mix recipes…
Testing notes for these Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix Cookies:
While testing these cookies, here are some things I noticed:
- Different pancake mixes will give you different textures of cookies. If one kind of pancake mix doesn’t work out, you can try another.
- Protein pancake mixes do work, but they do make the final cookies a little bit more dry.
- Applesauce or mashed bananas both work, but I do like the applesauce version better.
What pancake mixes can I use for pancake mix cookies?
I believe any ‘just-add-water’ pancake mix will work for this recipe. The key is to make sure the mix has a leavener, usually with baking soda. Here are all the ‘just-add-water’ pancake mixes I tested with this recipe, and the results:
- Kodiak Cakes Buttermilk Pancake Mix – I love Kodiak Cakes brand a lot, so this was my favorite of the three. It was slightly more dense than the Krusteaz version, but it also packed a lot more protein and better for you ingredients.
- Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix – From a purely taste/texture perspective, I liked these a lot. They were super puffy and soft, and reminded me of muffin tops. From an ingredients perspective, I don’t think Krusteaz is the healthiest option – I would prefer the Kodiak Cakes version.
- Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix – This was my least favorite option (though still delicious), but it was also technically a ‘protein’ pancake mix, which always ends up a little more dense. While not the best taste wise out of these three, these ones pack lots of extra protein and were still completely devoured in our home. These ones were the most like normal cookies.
If you try any others, let me know the results in the comments section below!
How long do these cookies last?
On the counter in an airtight container, these cookies will last up to 5 days.
In the freezer in an airtight container, these cookies will last 3-6 months.
How to store these Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix Cookies:
Store baked cookies in an airtight bag (such as a Stasher bag) or other container with a lid on the counter for up to 5 days.
Can you freeze these Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze leftover cookies in an airtight container or freezer safe bag. Enjoy within 3-6 months for best quality.
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Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix Cookies
These Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix Cookies are a cross between puffy pancakes and soft muffin tops! With a few easy ingredients, they’re simple to make with any ‘just add water’ pancake mix!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup applesauce or mashed banana (1 ripe banana)
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- 3–4 tablespoons milk of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups ‘just add water’ pancake mix (I prefer Kodiak Cakes!)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix up dough: Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine applesauce, peanut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla extract until smooth. Next, add the pancake mix and cinnamon, and mix until a dough forms that has a thick consistency similar to cookie dough. If the batter seems dry, add another tablespoon of milk. Add chocolate chips and mix.
- Form & bake: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Evenly space 12 balls of dough onto the cookie sheet. Top with additional chocolate chips (optional) and then use your hand to press the dough balls into a flat cookie shape, approximately half an inch thick (cookies will puff up, not spread out). Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown on the edges.
Notes
Recipe Update 6/2022: Applesauce vs. Banana: I just completed additional testing on this recipe and decided applesauce is a better choice than mashed banana. Applesauce will make the batter a bit more wet, and the cookies will be fluffier and more moist. That being said, the recipe still works with banana if that’s all you have, so I’ve left it in the ingredients list, as well as the video.
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal using Kodiak Cakes Waffle & Pancake Mix.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 211
- Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
Favour says
It was really good. I enjoy it.
Alli L says
Amazing! I love that with this recipe you automatically put the measurements for apple sauce or bananas. Perfect recipe! Tastes delicious too!
Danielle says
Hi Alli – So glad you love this recipe and found that information helpful 🙂 I appreciate you taking the time to leave a rating and comment, it helps me out so much! Have a wonderful day! -Danielle
Tracy says
I was out of coconut oil but used all other ingredients and they were fluffy and soft. What purpose does the oil serve? I’d like to try it again will all ingredients if it will make a big impact.
Danielle says
Hi Tracy – I hope you enjoyed the cookies! Good question. The coconut oil in this recipe helps make the cookies a bit denser (bringing them closer to cookie texture instead of pancake texture) and helps add moisture. But if you liked the cookies as they were, you can probably just skip the oil. It really depends on what kind of pancake mix you use as well. Hope this helps! -Danielle
Kayci says
I used your recipe as a base. As there are some in my family that do not like chocolate. So I made a fruitier version. I used bisquick pancake mix. Instead of applesauce I used strawberry jelly. And instead of coconut oil I used mayonnaise. I took out the cinnamon though. These cookies are so fluffy. I am adding cream cheese frosting on top. Sorry for changing your recipe but thank you for the base idea. So yummy
Jim says
I also buy Kodiak Cakes pancake mix at Costco and would like to make biscotti instead of cookies. Since a biscotti is essentially a twice-baked cookie, would your pancake mix cookie recipe work for biscotti, too. If not, what changes would be necessary? Thanks.
Danielle says
Hi Jim – This is a really great question, and honestly I do not know the answer. I love the idea though, so I’ve added it to my list to work on. Like you said, biscotti is just a twice baked cookie, so I do think it has potential to work. It might just be a matter of getting the cook times right. I will be giving it a try in April!
If you know of a biscotti recipe you love, maybe use those cook times as a guideline and give it a try? Let me know how it goes!
Danielle