Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (2024)

By Sam 74 Comments

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These melt-in-your-mouth Gooey Butter Cookies are full of flavor and none of the preservatives that are in the traditional cake mix version. This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies in less than an hour. Recipe includes a how-to video!

Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (1)

These gooey butter cookies are the less messy, more portable (and adorable) version of gooey butter cake. They’re a soft and chewy, beautifully flavored, melt-in-your-mouth dessert that is super simple to make, and I think you’re going to love them just as much as I do!

Typically these cookies are made with a box of vanilla cake mix as the base. While cake mix has its place, today we’re baking completely from scratch. Rather than start with a box mix, I used my vanilla cake recipe as the base for today’s cookies.

If reading that makes you panic, don’t! My homemade recipe is so easy and only takes a minute longer than the box mix version (the only extra step is whisking together the dry ingredients!). Once you taste them, you’ll never want to go back to the box-mix version–I promise.

Let’s get to it!

What You Need

Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (2)

These cookies are simple to make, and I think you’ll find they taste much, much better than the cake mix version. Here are the key ingredients you’ll need:

  • Butter. This ingredient should come as no surprise! You’ll need one stick of softened, unsalted butter.
  • Cream cheese. Cream cheese helps create the gooey texture in these cookies and adds a subtle but important flavor to the finished product. Use the block-style cream cheese (not the kind in the tub!) and make sure it’s softened before you get started.
  • Vanilla. No, the measurement below is not a typo; you’re going to add a lot of vanilla to these cookies! To get that strong vanilla flavor that most boxed vanilla cake mixes have, we’ll be adding 1 ½ Tablespoons of vanilla extract.
  • Eggs. Your eggs should ideally be at room temperature so they incorporate nicely with the butter and cream cheese.
  • Flour. Stick with all-purpose flour, and make sure you know how to measure your flour properly, or your cookies may turn out dry.
  • Sugar. We’ll add granulated sugar to the cookies themselves, then roll them in powdered sugar just before baking.
  • Salt. Just a teaspoon helps to balance the sweetness and round out the flavor!

SAM’S TIP: I know many of you don’t like cream cheese and may be hesitant to try this recipe when you see it listed under the ingredients. The good news is, these cookies don’t have an overwhelming cream cheese flavor. Instead, they have a strong vanilla flavor and a soft, gooey texture with just a hint of cream cheese–just like gooey butter cake!

Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

How to Make Gooey Butter Cookies

Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (3)
  1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese until well combined, then stir in eggs and vanilla.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients, then gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients with your mixer on low speed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
  3. Scoop the chilled dough into 1 ½ tablespoon sized balls, roll between your palms until smooth then roll through powdered sugar.
  4. Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes. Don’t over-bake, this will make the cookies dry and hard!

SAM’S TIP: You can chill your dough for longer than 30 minutes, but just keep in mind that you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a little bit before it’s soft enough to scoop.

Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (4)

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did gooey butter cookies come from?

Gooey butter cookies are the cookie form of gooey butter cake, which originated in St. Louis. The creation of the cake itself was actually an accident, but it was so delicious that it became a hit!

Why does this recipe call for so much vanilla?

There’s extra vanilla in this recipe because the “original” cake mix version has a very strong vanilla flavor, and I wanted to replicate that. The end result has a great vanilla flavor tempered by rich cream cheese and no artificial, “fake-taste” like you’d get from the box!

Can you freeze gooey butter cookies?

Yes! These cookies can be frozen before or after baking. Just make sure to wrap them tightly before freezing.

Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (5)

Enjoy!

Let’s bake together!I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe andvideobelow! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me onInstagram, and you can also find me onYouTubeandFacebook

Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (6)

Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!)

These melt-in-your-mouth gooey butter cookies are full of flavor and none of the preservatives that are in the traditional cake mix version. This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies in less than an hour.

Don't forget to watch the how-to video!

4.93 from 71 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes minutes

Chilling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 56 minutes minutes

Servings: 36 cookies

Calories: 105kcal

Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter softened
  • 8 oz (226 g) brick-style cream cheese softened
  • 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla extract (this is equivalent to 4 ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract)
  • 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Powdered sugar for rolling cookies

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth and well-combined.

    ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 8 oz (226 g) brick-style cream cheese

  • Stir in eggs and vanilla extract.

    1 ½ Tablespoons vanilla extract, 2 large eggs

  • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

    3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt

  • With electric mixer on low-speed, gradually stir dry ingredients into butter/cream cheese mixture until completely combined.

  • Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F (175C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.

    Powdered sugar

  • Once dough has chilled, scoop by 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized ball and roll between your palms until smooth. Roll through powdered sugar until completely coated and then place on prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies at least 2” apart.

  • Bake on 350F (175C) in center rack for 10-12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying.

Notes

Storing

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 95IU | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.

Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. nyla

    Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (11)
    so yummy and easy to bake! as a teen baker it was a perfect pace for me !

    Reply

    • Sam

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Nyla! 🙂

      Reply

  2. Penny

    Hi Sam,
    Could I possibly turn these cookies into gooey lemon butter cookies by decreasing the vanilla extract and in its place putting lemon extract? If so, how much should that measurement be, or what else could I do to give these cookies a lemony taste?
    Thank you so much for your time!

    Reply

    • Sam

      Hi Penny! I would experiment by replacing the vanilla completely with lemon extract, and adding a tbsp or two of lemon zest then going from there. You will want to add the zest with the sugar. 🙂

      Reply

  3. Janice

    Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (12)
    Aloha Sam,
    My son and his friends love red velvet gooey butter cake. I would love to try and make a cookie version of it like this. Any suggestions on what I would need to do to this recipe to make a red velvet version instead?
    Mahalo!

    Reply

    • Sam

      Hi Janice! I haven’t tried it but I think I’d probably try replacing a tablespoon of the flour with a tablespoon of cocoa powder and add red food coloring. This would just be a starting point for me so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. Let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂

      Reply

  4. Kat

    Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (13)
    This recipe makes me feel like a baker! These cookies are the prettiest, best tasting cookies I’ve ever made. I love them!

    Reply

    • Sam

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Kat! 🙂

      Reply

  5. Deborah F.

    Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (14)
    I made these this morning and wow! They turned out exactly as promised. My significant other says they taste a lot like Salerno butter cookies he remembers from his youth. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you, Sam!

    Reply

    • Sam

      I’m so glad they were such a hit, Deborah! 🙂

      Reply

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Gooey Butter Cookies (Made from Scratch!) (2024)

FAQs

Where did gooey butter cookies originate? ›

The consensus is that the first gooey butter cake was made accidentally by a south St. Louis German-American baker in the 1930s. That's according to an online article by the Missouri Historical Society.

Why do my homemade cookies taste like flour? ›

Improper flour measurement is the #1 cause of your cookie dough being too dry or the cookies tasting like flour.

What happens when you add too much butter to cookies? ›

Too much butter makes cookies turn out just as you'd expect: very buttery. This batch of cookies was cakey in the middle, but also airy throughout, with crispy edges. They were yellow and slightly puffy in the middle, and brown and super thin around the perimeter.

What is the difference between a butter cookie and a sugar cookie? ›

Butter cookies (probably unsurprisingly) also contain a higher percentage of butter while sugar cookies have a higher flour to butter/fat ratio. Here is my favorite recipe for sugar cookies (and it's a good one, just check out all those 5 star ratings!).

What is gooey butter made of? ›

Gooey butter cake is a type of cake traditionally made in St. Louis, Missouri. It is a flat and dense cake made with wheat cake flour, butter, sugar, and eggs, typically near an inch tall, and dusted with powdered sugar.

Who makes the original butter cookies? ›

Overview. The "Royal Dansk Company" was started in 1966 in Helsingør, Denmark. In 1990 it merged with another biscuit company, Kjeldsen, whose butter cookies are particularly well known in Hong Kong and China.

Why are my butter cookies chewy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

Why are my butter cookies not crispy? ›

Adjust baking time to achieve the cookie texture desired. A little less time produces chewier cookies, a little more time makes them crispy. If you prefer softer cookies, remove them from the oven while they are still slightly under baked. Always check for doneness at the minimum baking time.

What is the most popular cookie in America? ›

Nearly 93% of all American households serve and enjoy cookies as treats or after meals. However, it's the chocolate chip cookie that's the most popular in the U.S. and around the world.

Which flour is best for baking cookies? ›

All-Purpose Flour: The Versatile Choice

This balanced protein level makes it versatile enough to produce both soft and chewy cookies as well as slightly crisp ones. If you're looking for a safe bet or are new to cookie baking, all-purpose flour is your go-to option.

Which butter is best for cookies? ›

The best butter for your baked goods depends on what type of recipe you're whipping up. Unsalted, American-style butter works well in goods like cookies, pound cakes and pancakes that require the high-fat content of conventional butter and more flexibility with salt and flavor content.

What is the origin of butter cookie? ›

Butter cookies, also known as Danish butter cookies, are cookies originating in Denmark consisting of butter, flour, and sugar. They are similar to shortbread cookies. The butter cookie is often categorized as a "crisp cookie" due to its texture, caused in part by the quantity of butter and sugar.

Who invented the gooey butter cake? ›

Another account says local baker Johnny Hoffman was making a deep butter cake when he accidentally added too much glycerin and not enough leavening. He was so enamored by the result, he called his friend Herman Danzer and the two bakers spent all day mixing and baking to try and recreate his new invention.

What state is known for butter cookies? ›

Some websites say Mississippi is one of the few states that doesn't have an official food. However, Taste of Home says butter cookies are an official state food of Mississippi.

What dessert is St. Louis famous for? ›

Nothing compares to gooey butter cake. Rich, moist and tender, it's arguably the best dessert in St. Louis.

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