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Home » Cookies » Gooey Butter Cookies

November 29, 2018 By Sara 41 Comments

Gooey Butter Cookies

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These gooey butter cookies are a handheld version of the famous cake.  They’re soft, gooey and totally irresistible! Roll them in sprinkles for a fun and festive look.

I make gooey butter cookies, along with stained glass cookies and peppermint bark cookies every year around the holidays. They’re great for cookie exchanges and take just minutes to put together. You can’t stop at just one cookie!

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A plate of gooey butter cookies covered in holiday sprinkles.

You’ve probably heard of gooey butter cake, but have you ever tried gooey butter cookies? They are SO very delicious and couldn’t be any easier to make. I’ve rolled these cookies in sprinkles to dress them up for the holidays!

How do you make gooey butter cookies?

This recipe starts with a box of cake mix. I use white cake mix, but yellow or chocolate cake mix would also be great options. The cake mix is combined with cream cheese, butter, egg and vanilla extract to make a thick dough.

Balls of gooey butter cookie dough on a baking sheet.

This dough is on the soft and sticky side, which can make it a bit difficult to work with. I chill the dough until it’s firm before I roll my balls. If you have any issues with the dough sticking to your hands, you can coat your hands in a little cooking spray to make the process go smoother.

After the balls of dough are formed, I roll them in colorful sprinkles. If you feel like your balls of dough are too soft after you’ve rolled them, you can always put them back in the fridge to chill before you add the sprinkles.

Balls of gooey butter cookie dough rolled in sprinkles.

Tips for gooey butter cookies

  • Your cookies will form some cracks as they bake. This is normal and part of the charm of these rustic looking cookies.
  • Gooey butter cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
  • Be sure not to over bake your cookies! They’re meant to be soft and gooey.
  • Traditional gooey butter cookies are rolled in powdered sugar, so you can try it that way if you prefer instead of using sprinkles.

Baked gooey butter cookies on a sheet pan.

Gooey butter cookies are a super unique treat and they’re great for parties, holiday cookie exchanges, and gift giving. You don’t have to wait for Christmas to roll around to make these cookies – you can swap out the holiday sprinkles for any color of sprinkle that fits your occasion.

A stack of gooey butter cookies with a bite taken out of one.

I like to package up gooey butter cookies in gift tins and pass them out to family, friends and teachers during the holidays. Everyone is always so pleased to have a homemade gift and I get tons of requests for the recipe!

More holiday treats

  • Peppermint Patties
  • Crock Pot Candy
  • Reindeer Chow
  • Microwave Caramels
  • Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies
A plate of gooey butter cookies covered in holiday sprinkles.
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5 from 10 votes

Gooey Butter Cookies

These gooey butter cookies are a handheld version of the famous cake.  They're soft, gooey and totally irresistible! Roll them in sprinkles for a fun and festive look.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword gooey butter cookies
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 24
Calories 177kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup butter softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 18 1/4 ounce box white cake mix
  • 1 cup sprinkles

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
  • Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a mixer and beat until fluffy and thoroughly combined, 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the egg, vanille and white cake mix to the bowl. Beat on low speed until just combined.
  • Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes.
  • Roll the dough into 1 inch balls, then coat each ball in sprinkles. Place 2 inches apart on the sheet pan. You will need to work in batches.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just set. Cool for 5-7 minutes then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
  • Repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough.
  • Serve, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 28mg | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 255IU | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Filed Under: Baking, Cookies, Dessert Tagged With: Christmas, Sprinkles

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Comments

  1. Katie says

    January 4, 2020 at 10:26 am

    Can you swap out any flavor cake mix? I was thinking of making these for Valentine’s Day with a red velvet mix!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 6, 2020 at 9:27 pm

      Yes any flavor will work!

      Reply
  2. Melinda Spangenberg says

    December 7, 2019 at 7:54 pm

    Would this work with a gluten free cake mix?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      December 8, 2019 at 9:28 am

      I haven’t tried it that way but I believe it would work!

      Reply
    • Sharon Smiles says

      December 20, 2019 at 12:19 pm

      Yes I just made them with a gluten free yellow cake mix. Instead of vanilla I used orange extract and about a tablespoon of orange zest. They just may be my favorite cookie this year. By the way the 17 oz Pillsbury box mix worked out just fine.

      Reply
  3. Tassa says

    December 1, 2019 at 4:48 pm

    Hi l like this cookie can I replace cake mix to flour??

    Reply
    • Sara says

      December 1, 2019 at 6:23 pm

      Unfortunately that won’t work as the cake mix contains all the sugar and leavening agents in the recipe.

      Reply
  4. Stephanie Wright says

    November 25, 2019 at 1:09 pm

    Hi! I see you said they freeze well. I wanted to clarify, the dough itself, not the made cookies. I was going to make these this week to freeze for a few weeks away for a party.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      November 26, 2019 at 8:30 am

      You can freeze either the dough or the baked cookies. The sprinkles I used in this photo can smear a little when frozen and thawed from the condensation related to being in the freezer. So just use a different type of sprinkle that’s not the non pareil variety and it should be fine.

      Reply
  5. Jane says

    October 26, 2019 at 11:30 am

    Does it matter what size the cake mix is?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 27, 2019 at 8:26 am

      Any standard sized box is fine!

      Reply
  6. Whitney says

    October 17, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    Do these freeze well?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 18, 2019 at 9:16 am

      Yes they do!

      Reply
  7. Phyllis says

    January 28, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    5 stars
    I love you and your recipes

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 28, 2019 at 9:42 pm

      Thank you Phyllis!

      Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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