These Rolo Cookies are one of my favorite easy cookies, and I make a lot of cookies! They start with a cake mix for the cookie base and its stuffed with a Rolo candy for the perfect melty caramel chocolate surprise inside. You’ll definitely want to eat them warm!
This cookie recipe keeps things simple without sacrificing the taste or texture. The cake mix base gives you the perfect soft chocolate cookie every time, while the Rolo in the center melts into the best puddle of caramel! There is no chilling, no complicated steps, and the cookies bake up with hardly any effort on your part.
Perfect for when you need to throw something together last minute, but still want to feel like you made something special.
Why You Should Make These Cookies
- Quick and Easy: A cake mix shortcut makes sure these come together with minimal ingredients, and just a few minutes of prep.
- Gooey Center: Each cookies has a melty chocolate caramel surprise inside!
Only 4 Ingredients
This is a quick overview of some of the ingredients you’ll need for this Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
- Devil’s Food Cake Mix: This is my favorite chocolate cake mix to use, but any chocolate cake mix will work great. I’ve tested it with a 13.25 and a 15.25 oz box and both sizes work.
- Eggs: They help bind everything together
- Vegetable Oil: You can also use canola oil. This will keep the texture of the cookies super moist
- Rolo Candies: These get stuffed in the middle of the cookie dough for each cookie for the gooiest surprise.
How to make Rolo Cookies with a Cake Mix
Step 1: Make the Cookie Dough. Mix the cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil together in a bowl until a thick dough forms. (This one is so easy I usually just mix with a spatula in a bowl, no stand mixer, or mixer required)
Step 2: Stuff the Cookies. Scoop 1 1/2 Tablespoons of cookie dough and flatten it slightly in your hand. Stick a rolo in the center and wrap the dough around the cookie to seal it completely. Place the cookie dough balls at least 3 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Step 3: Bake the Cookies. Bake the cookies until the tops start to crinkle and are set. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
Tips and Tricks:
- Do not overbake the Cookies: We want the cookies to be soft and chewy, bake them until the tops just look set and the edges just start to crack.
- Extra Chocolate: Add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough for extra bursts of chocolate!
- Enjoy the Cookies Warm: After the cookies have cooled rewarm them up in the microwave for 20 seconds until warm and gooey inside again.
Storage Instructions
Once cooled the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 or 4 days. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 2 months, then thaw and enjoy like fresh again!
These Rolo Cookies are the ultimate easy cookie. Soft, chocolatey, chewy, and filled with gooey caramel. They’re perfect for anytime you want a quick cookie win!
More Recipes with a Cake Mix
Rolo Cookies
Ingredients
- 13.25 oz box devil’s food cake mix (15 oz works too)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or canola oil)
- 28 rolos (unwrapped)
- flakey sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookies sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium sized bowl combine the cake mix, eggs and vegetable oil and stir together to make a thick cookie batter. 13.25 oz box devil’s food cake mix, 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- Take a small bit of dough, about 1.5 Tablespoons and flatten it in your hand and put 1 unwrapped rolo in the middle. Wrap the dough around the rolo and roll into a ball to seal completely. 28 rolos
- Place cookie dough balls onto the prepared cookie sheet, about 2 to 3 inches apart from each other.
- Bake the cookies for about 9 to 11 minutes, util the tops start to crack on the edges and they are set.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the tops with sea salt if desired. flakey sea salt
Notes
- Do not overbake the Cookies: We want the cookies to be soft and chewy, bake them until the tops just look set and the edges just start to crack.
- Extra Chocolate: Add 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough for extra bursts of chocolate!
- Enjoy the Cookies Warm: After the cookies have cooled rewarm them up in the microwave for 20 seconds until warm and gooey inside again.
Nutrition
These Rolo Cookies were first published on November 26, 2014. The photos and blog text were updated for clarity on January 5, 2026.
Linda says
What is the best way to store them? Need them to keep for several days.
Aimee says
I usually just keep them in an airtight container, ziplock bag or pyrex or something. I’m not sure they’d be best after several days. Maybe 3 or 4
Ashley says
I made these twice, first time they turned out perfectly! This time…they were flat and the rolo was sticking to the parchment paper. What could I have done wrong?! They still taste delicious, just very flat and rolos fell out the bottom! Please help!!!
Aimee Berrett says
So sorry Ashley, did you use a different cake mix the second time? If it was, or there was just a bit more liquid that got added, maybe a really huge egg, or a little too much oil or whatever then it would make the cookies flatter, was the dough super sticky? If that happens next time you could try adding a little extra flour to the mix. Good luck!
Ashley says
It’s been a year since I last made them so I’m not sure which cake mix I used the first time! Okay, I’ll have to try and make them again! I made two batches lastnight, the first I used coconut oil and the batter was not sticky at all! The second batch I used canola oil and the batter was sticky as I rolled it in my palm. Would the size of the cookie have anything to do with It as well?!
Jill Ginavan says
These cookies were indeed very good and easy to prep. I loved that they were sprinkled with a little sea salt. That gave the cookies just a little extra something! I did have a problem with the dough sticking to my hands and getting kind of gummy as I rolled them into balls, so I tried spraying the palms of my hands with butter flavored cooking oil spray from time to time, and that did the trick No more sticking!. Also, I found that the sea salt wouldn’t stick very well to the cookies after baking (even after pressing the cookie tops down), so I started sprinkling the salt onto the unbaked cookie balls before popping them into the oven and that seemed to help a lot. I really like that salt so I had to find a way to keep it from rolling off the cookies! I also just used unwrapped Rolo minis instead of unwrapping individual Rolos. The minis seemed to give the cookies enough caramel for my taste, but if someone likes lots of caramel, the bigger candies would probably be preferable. Thank you for the recipe!
Aimee Berrett says
It sounds so good with the mini rolos too. Not having to unwrap them all is PERFECTION! Glad you liked them!
B Morgee says
These were DELICUOUS!! And incredibly easy to make – thank you!!
Aimee Berrett says
So glad you loved them! 🙂
Layne says
This looks absolutely amazing.. who could say no to a Rolo!?
Aimee Berrett says
Right? It was hard not to just pop them in my mouth as I was unwrapping them for the cookies!
Ashley | The Recipe Rebel says
That gooey Rolo in the middle looks so unreal! I’m ALL about sweet and salty!
Aimee Berrett says
Thank you Ashley! Such a good combo, right?!
Natalie says
Oh my gosh, these sound delicious, and easy! I will have to try them!
Aimee Berrett says
Thank you Natalie! They are amazingly easy and one of my favorite cookies! Let me know what you think when you try them!
thatskinnychickcanbake says
I can never resist a caramelly dessert! Your cookies look phenomenal!
Aimee Berrett says
Thank you so much! I can’t resist it either!