Make Boxed Cookie Mix Taste Homemade Using This One Powdered Ingredient

There's nothing quite like a warm, gooey cookie fresh out of the oven. While boxed cookie mixes are convenient when you're low on time and energy, they often fall short of that rich, homemade taste. But what if you could get bakery-style results without starting from scratch? Extracts are one way to upgrade boxed cookie mix, but there's an even more basic ingredient that does the trick: powdered milk.

To learn more, Food Republic spoke with Laura Kanya, the research and development chef at Ann Clark Ltd. "Powdered milk or any dairy — like buttermilk — will give cookies a more concentrated dairy flavor and will result in a richer cookie," she said. "It will offer some sweetness from the lactose and give more complex notes and depth of flavor." If you've never baked with powdered milk before, don't let the idea of dried milk solids throw you off. It's a completely safe, pasteurized product — essentially milk minus the water. And although it may seem that adding powder to your cookie mix might dry your cookies out, the opposite is true. According to Kanya, "adding dairy will also keep cookies moist."

The process of adding powdered milk to the cookie mix is easy. Laura Kanya gave a good range: "I suggest starting with [one to two] tablespoons for a typical-sized chocolate cookie mix that makes 12-16 small cookies, and add anywhere up to ¼ cup, mixing it directly with the dry mix in your recipe." Then add your wet ingredients, let your cookie dough rest, bake, and enjoy your rich, decadent cookies.

Deciding what type of milk powder to use is up to you. Whole milk powder delivers a creamy, rich flavor, thanks to its fat content. This makes it the perfect addition to classics like chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies. Skim milk powder, on the other hand, contains little to no fat, resulting in a milder dairy flavor. It's ideal for lighter cookies where you want the other ingredients — like citrus — to shine.

If you're after something with a little tang, try using buttermilk powder in your cookie mix. Its slight acidity also reacts with baking soda for a tender, fluffier texture — perfect for spice cookies or soft snickerdoodles. For those who prefer non-dairy alternatives, plant-based milks like soy, oat, coconut, and almond also come in powdered form, and each has its own unique flavor — just be sure to use unsweetened non-dairy milk in your cookies. Otherwise, you'll end up with a product that's just a touch too sweet.