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Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

A stack of soft Christmas gooey butter cookies dusted with powdered sugar and topped with red and green sprinkles.
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Make soft, rich Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies that melt in your mouth. This easy holiday recipe uses simple ingredients for a festive, crowd-pleasing treat perfect for cookie exchanges.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow cake mix
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 box (16 oz) powdered sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup red and green sprinkles (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the cake mix, melted butter, 1 egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix until a soft dough forms.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the second egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, mixing until just combined.
  4. Stir in 1 cup of the powdered sugar into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. Do not overmix.
  5. Place the remaining powdered sugar in a shallow dish.
  6. Scoop the cake mix dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Roll each ball in the powdered sugar until fully coated.
  7. Flatten each dough ball slightly with your palm or the bottom of a glass.
  8. Place about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture onto the center of each flattened dough ball.
  9. Gently fold the edges of the dough up and around the cream cheese filling to mostly enclose it, leaving a small opening at the top. The filling will spread during baking.
  10. If using, press a few sprinkles lightly onto the exposed cream cheese filling.
  11. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center remains soft. The cookies will look slightly underbaked in the middle; this creates the gooey texture.
  12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • For extra gooeyness, slightly underbake the cookies by 1 minute.
  • You can use a white cake mix instead of yellow cake mix.
  • Roll the dough balls generously in powdered sugar for a better coating after baking.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://juliameal.com/christmas-gooey-butter-cookies/