Gooey Butter Cookies

How many cookie posts is too many cookie posts? That is the question I asked myself as I made yet another batch of cookies and prepared to put the recipe on this blog. But then I remembered a quote from one of my favorite movies (do not judge me)…

Here’s the thing – everyone loves cookies. They’re easy to make and easy to eat. Show up anywhere with a plate of cookies and you’ll be the instant favorite. When is the last time you've heard someone say, "Ughh cookies again? I hate it when you make delicious treats." Never. You've never heard anyone say that and I can guarantee no one ever will. So I've decided I'm going to keep baking cookies and posting the recipes until I turn into a cookie.

I was inspired to make these gooey butter cookies after trying one at a brunch place in downtown Zionsville called Rosie’s Place. The restaurant has a wide variety of baked goods, all displayed next to the cash register. As I was waiting in line to pay, I was intrigued by a big yellow cookie sprinkled with powdered sugar. So I decided to buy it. I had planned on saving it for a snack later in the day, but I tried one bite of it and next thing I know I had eaten the whole thing. It was soft yet dense and definitely very rich. In a way it reminded me of the funfetti blondies that I like to make.

When I got home I looked up the recipe for the cookies online, and apparently Gooey Butter Cake is a popular St. Louis dessert. I've never been to St. Louis, but if all of their desserts are this good than I may have to check it out.

Anyway, I found several different sources online with a Gooey Butter Cookie recipe and they were all pretty much the same. The ingredient list and the directions are very simple and the cookies come together in less than 10 minutes. The most time consuming part (and most fun part) is rolling the cookie dough balls in the powdered sugar.

Gooey Butter Cookies

Yield: Makes about 24 cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 (15.25 ounce) box of yellow cake mix
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and butter until well blended (about 2 minutes)
2. Add vanilla and egg to the bowl and blend until combined.
3. Add in cake mix and blend until just combined.
4. Chill dough for a half hour so it’s easy to form into balls. Dough will be very sticky if you skip this step.
5. Once dough has been chilled for half hour, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
6. Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar (I poured my powdered sugar in a bowl but you could also do on wax paper). Place on baking sheet.
7. Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes – no longer! You want the cookies to be very soft.
8. Allow to cool on baking sheet for about 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.