Description
These irresistibly soft Christmas gooey butter cookies combine a rich cream cheese and butter base with a sweet yellow cake mix, delivering a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Coated in powdered sugar and studded with festive holiday sprinkles, these cookies are perfect for holiday celebrations and gifting, with a delightful balance of creamy and crunchy sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough Ingredients
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened (use block cream cheese for best results)
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (or substitute almond or peppermint extract for a festive twist)
- 1 box yellow cake mix (substitute with gluten-free cake mix if desired)
- 1 cup holiday sprinkles (optional)
Coating
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for rolling the cookie dough balls)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and simplify cleanup.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a large bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, unsalted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.
- Add dry ingredients: Gradually stir in the yellow cake mix to the wet ingredients until a thick dough forms, ensuring all the cake mix is fully incorporated.
- Fold in sprinkles: Gently fold the holiday sprinkles into the dough to distribute them evenly without breaking them.
- Chill the dough: Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes to firm it up, making it easier to shape.
- Form dough balls: Use a cookie scoop to portion out about 1.5-inch balls of dough, then roll each ball thoroughly in powdered sugar to create a sweet coating.
- Arrange on baking sheet: Place the coated dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart to allow for gentle spreading.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set but the centers remain soft and gooey.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes to set further before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Using block cream cheese rather than whipped cream cheese ensures better texture.
- If you prefer gluten-free cookies, substitute the yellow cake mix with a gluten-free alternative.
- For a festive flavor variation, try using almond or peppermint extract instead of vanilla.
- If you like simpler cookies, you can omit the holiday sprinkles.
- Make sure butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature to avoid lumps in the dough.
- Chilling the dough before baking is crucial to prevent excessive spreading and maintain gooey centers.
