Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe (Made from Scratch!)

Gooey Butter Cookies

Gooey butter cookies are destined to become a favorite, especially if you enjoy the cake with the same delectable name. Once you try them, you won't be able to resist indulging in more!

If you’ve been around the block with me, you know my love for St. Louis gooey butter cake runs deep. Starting with my grandma’s pumpkin variety, I’ve chased down gooey butter cake in nearly every form and flavor.

Dangerously buttery and almost puddinglike, this texture reigns supreme in my eyes-I knew it deserved a place in the cookie lineup as well.

It took some major baking science to get the goo level just right here while still being a cookie you can hold in your hands. Lucky for you, I’ve done all the tedious testing. Tough life, I know.

Ingredients:

432g yellow cake mix 1 box (3⅔ cups)

70g flour ½ cup

2 large eggs

226g unsalted butter, melted 2 sticks (16 T)

1 recipe Gooey Cream Cheese

Filling (recipe follows)

 Instructions:

Heat the oven to 500°F and pan-spray or line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cake mix and flour and mix together on low speed for 1 minute to break up clumps.

Add the eggs and melted butter, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat for 2 minutes until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Freeze the dough for 10 minutes to firm up.

Using a ¾-ounce cookie scoop (1½ tablespoons), scoop the dough onto a clean countertop. Use your thumb to create a well, nearly all the way to the bottom, in the center of each cookie.

Fill the well with 2 teaspoons of gooey cream cheese filling. Your filled cookie dough rounds should be no wider than 2½ inches across.

Arrange the cookies on the pans in rows of 3 cookies, columns of 4 cookies, making 12 cookies per pan.

Bake at 500°F for 4 to 6 minutes, watching closely, rotating the pans front to back or swapping racks halfway through, until the cookies melt and spread and begin to develop color on the edges.

The intensity of a 500°F oven can vary widely, so keep a close eye to judge when the cookies look done. You want a light golden cookie, more blond than brown.

They will continue to bake a bit as they cool down on the ripping-hot baking sheets!

Let the cookies cool completely on the pans until the filling sets fully, about 20 minutes, then transfer to a plate or an airtight container for storage.

At room temperature, the cookies will keep fresh for 3 days; in the freezer, they will keep for 1 month.