Paper Paint and Pine: . . . Valentine's Day Chocolate Chip Cake Batter Sprinkle Cookies and a free treat tag . . .

I know this is a very last minute post for ♥Valentine's Day♥ but it's worth making these cookies any time of year so I wanted to share how you can adapt them for any occasion. Also, if you are like me there are a lot of times that you are rushing to find something cute to make right before the upcoming holiday or occasion and these are your cookies! I made these cookies once before but didn't change anything like I did this time around and they were great both times.

I am supposed to take cookies for my son's class celebration for Valentine's Day and even though my Hot Pink Chocolate Chip Cookies are one of my most popular posts I wanted to make something a little different for the kids. I remembered that I had made these Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies before and figured it would be so easy to just change a few things and have the perfect Valentine's Day Cookie. These have such a great vanilla flavor and are both chewy and crunchy.

Add a cute tag saying "You are one Sweet Cookie...Happy Valentine's Day" and you are all set for the last minute treats you might need. You are in ♥LUCK♥ because I just created a cute tag for you to download for free and attach to your cookies. Scroll to the bottom to download. Enjoy!

. . . You will need:

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cup yellow or vanilla boxed cake mix

1 teaspoon baking soda
3 sticks butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup shaped sprinkles or plain sprinkles

In a large bowl combine flour, cake mix, and baking soda then set aside.

In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until nice and creamy.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. This is going to be very sticky but don't overmix it. If you are using food coloring this is where you would add it. If you want the cookies to be bold in color I highly recommend the Gel Food Coloring from Wilton. It makes a big difference in the intensity of the color. I used Rose Pink this time but you can use any color to work with your occasion. Once food coloring is mixed in add the chocolate chips and sprinkles.

Cover bowl and refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour. You won't want to skip this step because it makes a huge difference in the way your cookies turn out.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheet. **Sally's Baking Addiction recommends shaping your cookie dough balls to be "taller" than they are wide but I don't find that this makes a big difference. Place a few sprinkles and chocolate chips right on top of the cookies to make them look extra colorful when baked. It's worth the time to do this so you can actually see the pretty colors of the sprinkles. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes but make sure you don't over bake them. Mine were perfect at 11 minutes but every oven will vary. You want the centers to look soft, but the cookies will set up more as they cool.

*Be sure to keep the cookie dough chilled in between batches.

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction. She is pure genius and I highly recommend her blog for wonderful recipes!

In a large bowl combine flour, cake mix, and baking soda then set aside. In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugars until fluffy. Mix in the eggs and vanilla until nice and creamy.

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. This is going to be very sticky but don't over mix it.

If you are using food coloring this is where you would add it. If you want the cookies to be bold in color I highly recommend the Gel Food Coloring from Wilton. It makes a big difference in the intensity of the color. I used Rose Pink this time but you can use any color to work with your occasion. Once food coloring is mixed in add the chocolate chips and sprinkles.

This is a box I bought at Michael's and it has 12 different colors of gel in it. I also buy them individually in the cake decorating aisle if I don't have the color I need in this box.

Once food coloring is mixed in add the mini chocolate chips and sprinkles of your choice. For Valentine's Day I used Heart Shaped Sequin Sprinkles but you can use any sprinkle you choose.

Once you have refrigerated your dough for at least an hour you will roll cookies into a ball or a tall ball shape and bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes. **It is worth placing a few sprinkles and chocolate chips on top of each cookie so they look extra pretty once they are baked.