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Rich, chewy, and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar, these gooey butter cookies are every cookie loverโ€™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!

Top-down view of butter cookies on a wire rack.

If thereโ€™s one recipe thatโ€™s worth breaking your diet for, itโ€™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. Theyโ€™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, youโ€™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, theyโ€™re so simple! Just mix, shape, and throw them in the oven. The hardest part? Waiting for them to bake! They smell absolutely divine.

  1. Preheat Oven, Prepare Pans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Then set aside.
  2. Butter and Cream Cheese Mixture: Add the cream cheese, ยผ 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.
  3. Mix in Remaining Ingredients: Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bow, then add the vanilla, egg, and cake mix. Beat until combined.
  4. 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 ยผ cup of powdered sugar until coated.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
4-photo collage of the cookie dough being mixed together and shaped into balls.

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 ยผ 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.
Top-down view of gooey butter cookies on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

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.

3 cookies stacked on top of each other. 2 are pieces that have been broken in half.

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Gooey Butter Cookies

5 from 1 vote
By: Alyssa Rivers
Rich, chewy, and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar, these gooey butter cookies are every cookie loverโ€™s dream! You only need a handful of simple ingredients to make them. Give them a try and watch them fly off the table!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 22 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Add the cream cheese, ยผ 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 ยผ 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 159kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 2gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 190mgPotassium: 27mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 255IUCalcium: 57mgIron: 0.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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