By Mother's Day was May 10th and I had been planning for two weeks. Mama was working fewer extra shifts now — the initial surge at the hospital was easing — and she was home more, which meant she was recovering some of the sleep and rest she had given away in March and April. Her face looked different: less drawn. More like herself.
I made her a full dinner: shrimp bisque as a first course, pan-seared salmon with a dill cream sauce, roasted asparagus with lemon, and a coconut cake for dessert — something new, a tall four-layer cake with coconut cream filling and a toasted coconut frosting that I had been planning for a month. The cake required two days: bake the layers Saturday, assemble and frost Sunday morning. I had researched the technique carefully. It came out beautiful and it came out right.
Mama sat at the table set with the good dishes and the candles I had found in the back of the cabinet and said nothing for a moment. Then she said, "How did you do all of this?" I said I had been practicing. She said, "No. I know what you've been doing. I meant — how are you this person?" I didn't have an answer for that in the moment. Later, in my journal, I wrote: I am this person because of her and because of MawMaw Shirley and because of every woman in this family who understood that cooking for people is a form of love that requires you to be present and to give it everything you have. That's how. That's always been how.
She had two pieces of coconut cake and called it the best cake she had eaten in years. I think it was, too. I was sixteen years old in a pandemic and I had made her year's best cake. That felt like a sentence worth keeping.
The coconut cake I made for Mama took two full days and every bit of focus I had — but what I learned that weekend is that frosting is where the love really lives. If you’re not ready to commit to a four-layer project just yet, these strawberry cake mix cookies with vanilla cream cheese frosting are where I’d tell you to start: they carry the same spirit of doing something beautiful for someone you love, and that silky, sweet frosting on top is the kind of finishing touch that makes a person ask, How did you do all of this?
Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies With Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) strawberry cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1–2 tablespoons milk (to adjust frosting consistency)
- Pink or red sprinkles, optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix the cookie dough. In a large bowl, stir together the strawberry cake mix, eggs, and vegetable oil until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Do not overmix.
- Portion the cookies. Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gently press each ball down slightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers look barely done — they will firm as they cool. Do not overbake or they will lose their soft texture.
- Cool completely. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let them cool fully before frosting. Frosting warm cookies will cause the cream cheese frosting to slide off.
- Make the frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low until combined. Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of milk. Beat on medium-high for 1 minute until light and spreadable. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time if needed to reach a smooth, pipeable consistency.
- Frost the cookies. Spread or pipe a generous swirl of vanilla cream cheese frosting onto each cooled cookie. Finish with sprinkles if you like, or leave them simple and elegant.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 190mg