Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Cookies I Make Treats A Lot, And These Gooey Butter Cookies Are the Best 5.0 (1) 1 Review It all starts with a box of yellow cake mix. By Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Sarah Martens is the Senior Editor overseeing food at Better Homes & Gardens digital. She has been with the BHG brand for more than 10 years. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on April 19, 2024 Recipe tested by Sarah Brekke, MS Recipe tested by Sarah Brekke, MS Sarah Brekke, a culinary expert with The Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen, is passionate about food and cooking. Her unique background as both a food scientist and a culinary contributor allows her to blend her passions for both educating readers and creating tasty content. Learn more about the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Rachel Marek Prep Time: 20 mins Bake Time: 12 mins Total Time: 1 hr 32 mins Servings: 48 Yield: 4 dozen Jump to Nutrition Facts Have you ever had a dessert that you can't stop thinking about? For me, it's gooey butter cookies. I first discovered them in college when my roommate's mom sent her a care package that included a slightly-smooshed bag of homemade gooey butter cookies. Despite having grown up in the Midwest, I had never heard of the cookies before. I was hooked at first bite. They don't look like much, but they're an incredibly delicious combination of cream cheese, butter, and cake mix. Gooey butter cookies originated in St. Louis as a take on classic Gooey Butter Cake. Like the cake, these butter cookies are dense with a fudge-like consistency. The powdered sugar-rolled shell becomes crisp when baked and serves as the perfect contrast for the soft interior. Our Test Kitchen tested and perfected the recipe, and it's truly the best version of the classic I've ever had. The best part? Since the dough starts with a cake mix, the recipe is very easy to make. Need a pick-me-up after a long day of work? Make gooey butter cookies. Heading to a last-minute potluck? Bring gooey butter cookies. Craving a treat at 3 p.m. every single day? Whip up gooey butter cookies. They'll always be a hit. Here's how to make my favorite cookie recipe. Gooey Butter Cookie Ingredients These cookies are so much more than the humble assortment of ingredients you'll need to make them. Cream Cheese: It's super important to let your cream cheese soften before you start mixing up the cookie dough. Once soft, it will mix into the other ingredients easily, ensuring your batter is even and smooth. Butter: It wouldn't be a gooey butter cookie recipe without butter! You'll need a stick that's been softened at room temperature. Egg: You may be sensing a theme here, but make sure your eggs are room temperature before adding the the mix. Like the cream cheese and butter, room temperature eggs will mix better with the other ingredients. Extracts: After testing, we found our favorite flavor blend was a combination of vanilla and almond extracts. If you'd prefer one or the other, that's totally fine. Cake Mix: You'll need a box of yellow cake mix. We don't recommend swapping in another style. Powdered Sugar: This is what you'll roll the scoops of cookie dough in before baking. How to Store Gooey Butter Cookies If you have leftover cookies, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. How to Freeze Cookies and Cookie Dough Ingredients 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 large egg, room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 1 (2-layer) package yellow cake mix 3/4 cup powdered sugar Directions Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place powdered sugar into a shallow bowl. Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a medium bowl until creamy. Beat in egg and extracts. Add cake mix and beat until combined. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and coat with powdered sugar. Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Test Kitchen Tip: If your cookie dough is too soft or sticky to handle, chill for 15 to 30 minutes until firm before shaping. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool. If desired, dust with additional powdered sugar before serving. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 83 Calories 4g Fat 11g Carbs 1g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 48 Calories 82.8 % Daily Value * Total Fat 4g 5% Saturated Fat 2.4g 12% Cholesterol 13.7mg 5% Sodium 111mg 5% Total Carbohydrate 10.9g 4% Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0% Total Sugars 6.6g Protein 0.8g 2% Vitamin D 0mcg 0% Vitamin C 0mg 0% Calcium 28.8mg 2% Iron 0.3mg 1% Potassium 13.6mg 0% Fatty acids, total trans 0.1g Vitamin D 0.9IU Alanine 0g Arginine 0g Ash 0.5g Aspartic acid 0.1g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 0mcg Choline, total 5.3mg Copper, Cu 0mg Cystine 0g Energy 346.4kJ Fluoride, F 0.1mcg Folate, total 8.4mcg Glutamic acid 0.2g Glycine 0g Histidine 0g Isoleucine 0g Leucine 0.1g Lysine 0.1g Methionine 0g Magnesium, Mg 1.7mg Manganese, Mn 0mg Niacin 0.3mg Phosphorus, P 41.5mg Pantothenic acid 0.1mg Phenylalanine 0g Proline 0.1g Retinol 31.8mcg Selenium, Se 1.1mcg Serine 0.1g Starch 0g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.2mg Tryptophan 0g Tyrosine 0g Valine 0.1g Vitamin A, IU 117.3IU Vitamin A, RAE 32.4mcg Vitamin B-12 0mcg Vitamin B-6 0mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 0.6mcg Water 4.5g Zinc, Zn 0.1mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.