How to Make Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix Better? 15 Tips

There is no denying the convenience of boxed cookie mixes. They are simple and quick to make. And Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix is an excellent choice to please your sweet cravings. But how can you make these store-bought cookies taste more homemade? And what interesting ways can you use Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix?

You can make Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix taste better by adding milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, chocolate chips, etc. Moreover, you can make these cookies more interesting by mixing pudding or brownie mix, roasted nuts, jam, jelly or pair the cookie dough with ice cream or cheesecake.

As you can see, there are numerous possibilities you can try with a simple box of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix. So, let’s look at some of these possibilities in further detail, and make sure you read until the end because I am sharing one irresistible recipe with you!

How to Improve Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix?

For your convenience, every box of Betty Crocker Peanut Butter Cookie Mix comes with an instruction. So, you can easily improve the taste of the cookie by upgrading some of the ingredients while using some additional ones. 

Another way of improving the taste would be to use it in a new and exciting way, by pairing it up with other flavors and textures. 

Make the Cookie With Butter Instead of Vegetable Oil

Look at the back of the box and you will see that the first ingredient on the list is vegetable oil. And that is also the first ingredient we are going to replace.

Vegetable oil has a pretty neutral flavor with very little fat. In contrast, butter is almost entirely fat and this fat will add a rich and creamy texture to your cookies that you cannot get with boxed cookie mixes. 

Homemade cookies traditionally utilize butter as well. So, this simple switch will make the cookies taste closer to home.

You should look to use unsalted butter for this. Make sure you let the butter cool down after melting it. Replace the 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil with an equal amount of melted butter.

Add a Touch of Milk

Another common element in homemade cookies is milk. And you can add milk to your boxed cookies to make them creamier and tastier. Substituting the water with an equal amount of milk is a great idea. Milk has more fat than regular water so it will make the cookies moist and richer.

Alternatively, you can use non-dairy milk substitutes for a vegan-friendly cookie. Coconut milk and almond milk are great choices for this job. But you can utilize your personal favorite non-dairy milk to make the cookies.

Alternatively, you can use powdered milk to the batter and make it more homemade. The milk powder will make the cookies chewy and give them a nice crust.

Add Some Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is a key factor in making homemade cookies chewy and sweeter. This is because brown sugar has more molasses than white sugar. 

Sugar also has a tendency to hold on to water. This turns peanut butter cookies into soft and moist cookies that will not crumble the moment you pick them up.

Sprinkle a Pinch of Salt

Too much sugar can overwhelm your palate. To counteract this, add a pinch of sea salt to the batter. Be careful not to add too much salt as peanut butter cookies are meant to be sweet. But just a little bit of salt will make for cookies with perfectly balanced sweetness.

Use Some Pudding Mix for A Chewy Cookie

So, now we move on from upgrading ingredients and focus on fun additions to the original recipe. And we start this with a pudding mix.

On the surface, cookies and pudding do not seem to match that well. But pudding mix can work smoothly with cookie dough. Just add your favorite flavor of pudding mix to the batter. This will help you to create soft, moist, and chewy cookies every time. 

Pour a Splash of Vanilla Extract

Adding a touch of pure vanilla extract will give your cookies an enticing aroma. It will also give your peanut butter cookies an extra layer of flavor. All you need to add is one tablespoon of vanilla into the batter.

Fudgy Brownie Cookies

Here is another fun way to mix two classic yet different desserts in one. Mix in a box of fudge brownies and a box of cookie mix from Betty Crocker. Add some chocolate chips on top. Then bake them in the oven for the time you would to bake a batch of cookies. You will end up with crunchy cookies with a fudgy, gooey center. 

Add Roasted Nuts for Extra Crunch

If you prefer crunchier cookies to fudgier ones, nuts can be an easy solution. Nuts are a great source of vitamins and minerals. And they add an extra dimension to both the taste and texture of the cookies.

Almonds and walnuts are perfect companions for cookies. You can use cashew or pecan as well if you prefer. Roast them separately in a pan and let them cool. Then sprinkle them on top of the batter and put it in the oven.

Drizzle Chocolate Syrup on Top

Here is an alternate way of enjoying chocolate with Betty Crocker peanut butter cookies. After the cookies are baked and cooled, drizzle some Hershey’s chocolate syrup on top of the cookies. You do not have to be too cute or accurate with the dressing. Just pour the syrup however you like. You can get extra creative and make certain patterns.

Dip it in White Chocolate

The classic tradition is to dip cookies in milk. But you can try different types of dips to give your palate a new experience. And white chocolate is ideal for dipping your peanut butter cookies.

All you need for this is some cream, white chocolate, and butter. Bring the cream close to boil in a pan over medium heat. Then remove the pan from the heat and mix in the white chocolate. Stir until you get a smooth consistency. Then add in the butter, which will melt thanks to the residual heat. So, put the butter while the pan is still hot and mix well.

Now, you have delicious white chocolate sauce to dip the peanut butter cookies. 

Enjoy Cookie with Vanilla Butter Frosting

A good frosting can easily elevate any cookie recipe. And you can easily make some in your home. 

For this, you need butter, powdered sugar or icing sugar, milk, and pure vanilla extract. Take a large enough bowl and mix all of the ingredients save for half the milk. Now slowly add more milk until you reach the consistency you prefer.

You can apply the frosting with a butter knife or you can use a piping bag to coat the cookies in fun and original ways.

Betty Crocker Cake Bars

You will need two types of mixes for this: one peanut butter cookie mix and one Betty Crocker super moist white cake mix. 

Take a large bowl and put in both mixes, 3 eggs, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Mix them well. Then bake them in a preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. 

Now cut it into bars and cover them with frosting. You can use frosting from the store. Or you can make the frosting as we mentioned in the previous step and use that.

Thumbprint Peanut Butter Cookies

The peanut butter and jelly combination is a true classic. You most often see it in the form of a sandwich. But you can just as easily transfer this iconic pairing to your cookies by making a thumbprint cookie.

The way you make thumbprint cookies is by making a small divot or hole in the middle of the cookie, often with a spoon or simply your thumb. Hence, they are called thumbprint cookies. Then you fill in that hole with any flavor or topping of your choosing. The rest of the making process is similar to any other cookie recipe.

You can put jelly inside the cookie to recreate that classic sandwich combo. Jam also works great for this. Alternatively, you can place chocolate or cream in the middle. 

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cookies

If there is one thing that goes with peanut butter better than jam, it is chocolate. And peanut butter and chocolate cookies are a fantastic way of enjoying this classic combination.

And you do not have to do anything extravagant. Add 1/3 cup of cocoa powder into the batter. Or you can use melted chocolate bars in the mix. Then bake the cookies like normal. Additionally, you can sprinkle chocolate chips right before you put the batter in the oven.

Make the Gingerbread Cookie Bars

For this recipe, you will need a box of cookie mix, ¼ cups of flour, melted or softened butter, 3 eggs, 3 tbsp of molasses, and 1 tsp each of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and clover.

Mix all of these ingredients in a big bowl until you reach a smooth consistency. Then bake it in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Use a toothpick to see if the center is cooked or not. Afterward, let it cool down and cut it into square bars.

Now apply some cream cheese or butter frosting on top and you got yourself a perfect treat for the holidays.

To sum up, a box of Betty Crocker cookie mix is like clay that you can play with and make whatever dessert you want. Hopefully, this article gave you some fun and exciting new ideas to try out the next time you are making cookies.

Before diving into the nutritional details, please review our Nutritional Disclaimer page for important context and clarifications.