What’s Cookin’ – Gooey Butter Cookies

While Paula Deen has made these cookies famous throughout the country, those of us who are from the St. Louis area have been eating and making Gooey Butter Cakes and Cookies for decades.  In fact, they are so common in these parts, posting the recipe is probably redundant!

Gooey Butter Cookies, yellow and fudge, are on our Christmas Cookie list.  They are easy to make – especially with children – and oh, so yummy!

These are the ingredients for 2 batches of cookies – one yellow and one fudge.  If you start with the yellow, you can prepare the fudge in the same mixing bowl without washing in between.  Just sayin’.

Cream together the cream cheese and butter.

Add the egg and vanilla and beat together.

Add the cake mix and incorporate completely into the mixture.  This is the batch with the yellow cake mix.  After mixing, I put the yellow cookie batter into a separate bowl and started on the next batch!

Then I prepared the second batch using the fudge cake mix.

Here’s two batches of batter – one yellow and one fudge – ready to go into the refrigerator until firm.

After 2 hours or even longer (overnight works, too), you scoop the soft dough, roll into a ball, and roll into powdered sugar.  Place the balls onto the cookie sheet.  They will flatten and “crackle”. 

After baking, allow to cool for a minute or two on the cookie sheet, then remove carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.  They will be soft.  Yummy!