Rich, chewy, and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar, these gooey butter cookies are every cookie lover’s dream! You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make them. Give them a try and watch them fly off the table!
If you need more buttery, delicious recipes in your life, try these: gooey butter cake and buttermilk pie!
Gooey Butter Cookie Recipe
If there’s one recipe that’s worth breaking your diet for, it’s gooey butter cookies. These cookies are everything I say and more. Super easy to make, but even easier to devour with their AMAZING taste and texture.
These gooey butter cookies are made with all of the best ingredients. Cream cheese, powdered sugar, yellow cake mix for easy prep, and of course- all the butter. They’re tender, rich, and absolutely irresistible.
Ingredient List
Mix up all of these simple ingredients to get the most rich and gooey cookies out there! All measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Cream Cheese: At room temperature so it mixes together smoothly with the other ingredients.
- Powdered Sugar: Divided, you’ll use some for the cookies themselves and also for dusting on top.
- Unsalted Butter: Again, at room temperature so you get a smooth cookie dough.
- Vanilla Extract: For a little extra flavor. I recommend using pure vanilla extract for the best results!
- Large Egg: To bind all of the ingredients together.
- Boxed Yellow Butter Cake: Butter cake mix is the best if you can find it, but yellow cake mix will also work!
How to Make Gooey Butter Cookies
Anyone can make these butter cookies, they’re so simple! Just mix, shape, and throw them in the oven. The hardest part? Waiting for them to bake! They smell absolutely divine.
- Preheat Oven, Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Then set aside.
- Butter and Cream Cheese Mixture: Add the cream cheese, ¼ cup of powdered sugar, and the butter to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until combined.
- Mix in Remaining Ingredients: Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bow, then add the vanilla, egg, and cake mix. Beat until combined.
- Shape: Use a medium cookie scoop, about 2 tablespoons, to scoop the dough. Roll the scooped dough into uniform balls and then roll them in the remaining ¼ cup of powdered sugar until coated.
- Bake: Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies just start to brown.
- Cool and Serve: Let the butter cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Tips and Tricks
These gooey butter cookies are super easy to make, but here are a few more ways to achieve perfection!
- Use Room Temperature Ingredients: Let the ingredients come to room temperature before mixing up the dough. Set the cream cheese, butter, and egg on the counter for at least an hour before you begin baking. This will allow the ingredients to incorporate better, without leaving little chunks unincorporated in the dough.
- Add More Sugar as Needed: If ¼ cup of powdered sugar isn’t enough to roll all the cookies, use additional sugar as needed.
- Avoid Overbaking: Don’t overbake your butter cookies! Bake them until the edges and tops just barely begin browning. They will finish baking as they cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes.
- Butter Cake Mix: Yellow Butter Cake will give you the best flavor, but regular yellow cake mix will work quite well if that is what you have on hand or what you can find at the store.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 7 days. As they sit for a few days, sometimes the cookies can harden a bit. If they start to get too hard, you can throw a slice of sandwich bread in the container to help soften the cookies up.
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Gooey Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar divided
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 box yellow butter cake mix or yellow cake mix
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
-
Add the cream cheese, ¼ cup of powdered sugar, and the butter to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until combined.
-
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bow, then add the vanilla, egg, and cake mix. Beat until combined.
-
Use a medium cookie scoop, about 2 tablespoons, to scoop the dough. Roll the scooped dough into uniform balls and then roll them in the remaining ¼ cup of powdered sugar until coated.
-
Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the cookies just start to brown.
-
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
