Description
Paula Deen’s gooey butter cookies blend Southern charm with irresistible sweetness. Rich cream cheese and powdered sugar create a melt-in-your-mouth treat you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (18 oz / 510 g) moist chocolate cake mix
- 1 (8 oz / 226 g) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 stick (½ cup / 113 g) butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- confectioner’s sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Oven Preparation: Position the oven rack centrally and preheat to 350°F (175°C), creating an ideal baking environment.
- Creaming Process: Employ an electric mixer to blend cream cheese and butter until achieving a smooth, lump-free consistency, then seamlessly incorporate the egg with continuous, gentle strokes.
- Flavor Integration: Introduce vanilla extract and gradually fold in cake mix, mixing until the batter reaches a harmonious texture without overworking the dough.
- Chilling Phase: Encase the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, allowing flavors to meld and the mixture to firm up for easier handling.
- Shaping and Coating: Form chilled dough into uniform tablespoon-sized balls, generously rolling each in confectioner’s sugar to create a delicate, sweet exterior.
- Baking Technique: Arrange sugar-coated dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart to prevent merging, then bake for 12 minutes until edges turn golden while maintaining a tender, gooey center.
- Cooling and Finishing: Transfer cookies to a wire rack, allowing them to cool naturally, and optionally dust with an additional layer of confectioner’s sugar for enhanced sweetness and visual appeal.
Notes
- Chill for Texture: Refrigerating the dough for 2 hours helps develop richer flavors and makes rolling easier, ensuring perfectly shaped cookies.
- Sugar Coating Technique: Generously roll dough balls in confectioner’s sugar for a delicate, sweet exterior that creates a beautiful crackled finish.
- Baking Precision: Watch cookies closely during the 12-minute bake time to maintain a gooey center while achieving golden edges – overcooking ruins the signature texture.
- Storage Tip: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days to preserve their soft, melt-in-your-mouth quality.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 250mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 27g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg