Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (1)

By: Becky Hardin

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Wonderfully sweet and ultra soft, Gooey Butter Cookies are so easy to make from scratch! Featuring cream cheese, almond extract, and powdered sugar, these butter cookies are completely homemade – no boxed cake mix here. Add these simple cookies to your Christmas baking list!

Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2)

Table of Contents

Why We Love This Gooey Butter Cookie Recipe

Being from St. Louis, it wouldn’t be Christmas baking season in my family without a batch of homemade gooey butter cookies! Rich, creamy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious, these sweet cookies are always a hit. You can’t stop at just one!

  • Gooey. There’s nothing quite like soft, creamy gooey butter cake in cookie form.
  • Tangy. Cream cheese gives these cookies their signature flavor.
  • Irresistible. You can’t stop at just one!

Variations on Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies

I love these gooey butter cookies for their classic taste, but you can experiment and change up the flavor to create new and interesting cookies. Try adding chocolate chips, flavored baking chips, nuts, or shredded coconut. Or to cut the sweetness a touch, try adding the zest of a lemon.

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How to Store

These gooey butter cookies are best fresh, but they keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. To extend their shelf life to 5-6 days, refrigerate them.

How to Freeze

You can freeze the unbaked dough or the baked gooey butter cookies in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until solid, about 1-2 hours. Transfer to an airtight container or Ziplock bag to store for up to 3 months for the raw dough or 1 month for the baked cookies. Bake the dough directly from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the bake time, or thaw the cookies at room temperature before enjoying.

Serving Suggestions

I love dunking these cookies in a glass of cold milk (or oat milk), a good cup of coffee (I love bulletproof coffee), or a warm mug of tea (try this spiked bourbon chai).

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More Buttery Cookie Recipes To Try

  • Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies
  • Lofthouse Cookies
  • Pignoli Cookies
  • Spritz Cookies
  • Pecan Sandies
  • Italian Anise Cookies
  • Shortbread Cookies
  • Snowball Cookies

5-Star Review

“These cookies are super easy and so delicious. They never last long in my house❤” – Brenda

Recipe

Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe

4.61 from 234 votes

Author: Becky Hardin

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 50 minutes minutes

Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (6)

Serves24 cookies

Print Rate

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Wonderfully sweet and light, these gooey butter cookies are so easy to make from scratch! They are perfect to bake for Christmas and take minutes to make with simple ingredients.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

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Ingredients

  • ½ cup salted butter 113 grams, room temperature (1 stick) — European style recommended
  • 8 ounces cream cheese 227 grams, room temperature (1 brick)
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar 300 grams
  • 1 large egg 50 grams, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract 4 grams
  • cups all-purpose flour 270 grams
  • ½ cup powdered sugar 57 grams, divided
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder 12 grams

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.

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  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar together until smooth.

    ½ cup salted butter, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1½ cups granulated sugar

  • With the mixer running, add in the egg and then the almond extract.

    1 large egg, 1 teaspoon almond extract

  • In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, and ¼ cup powdered sugar together.

    2¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, ½ cup powdered sugar

  • With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry flour mixture to the already creamed mixture.

  • Once smooth, remove the bowl from the mixer and cover. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

  • Line a large sheet pan with nonstick parchment paper. Place the extra ¼ cup powdered sugar (for rolling) in a shallow bowl.

  • Once chilled, use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to create a cookie dough ball and immediately roll the cookie dough ball fully in powdered sugar.

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  • Place powdered sugar covered cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, 6 at a time, and bake for 10-11 minutes. When they’re no longer wet on top and are firm on the sides, they’re done. We prefer them on the shorter cook time so they’re extra gooey.

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  • Allow to cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Becky’s tips

  • For super soft cookies, do not overmix the dough. When adding the flour, mix the dough together on a low speed so the gluten doesn’t become overworked (this leads to tougher cookies).
  • Wait for the oven to fully preheat before baking the cookies. They bake quickly so keep your eye on them!
  • Give some space between each cookie dough ball on the baking sheet – the cookies will spread while they bake!

Storage:Store gooey butter cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, in the refrigerator for up to 6 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cookie Calories: 171kcal (9%) Carbohydrates: 25g (8%) Protein: 2g (4%) Fat: 7g (11%) Saturated Fat: 4g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 27mg (9%) Sodium: 116mg (5%) Potassium: 30mg (1%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 15g (17%) Vitamin A: 256IU (5%) Calcium: 43mg (4%) Iron: 1mg (6%)

Did You Make This?I want to see! Be sure to upload an image below & tag @thecookierookie on social media!

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Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (13)

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How to Make Gooey Butter Cookies Step by Step

Mix the Wet: Preheat your oven to 350°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ½ cup of salted butter, 8 ounces (1 brick) of cream cheese, and 1½ cups of granulated sugar together until smooth. With the mixer running, add 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon of almond extract.

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Stir the Dry: In a separate bowl, stir 2¼ cups of all-purpose flour flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and ¼ cup of powdered sugar together.

Form the Dough: With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry flour mixture to the already creamed mixture. Once smooth, remove the bowl from the mixer and cover. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.

Roll Into Balls: Line a large sheet pan with nonstick parchment paper. Place the extra ¼ cup powdered sugar (for rolling) in a shallow bowl. Once chilled, use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to create a cookie dough ball and immediately roll the cookie dough ball fully in powdered sugar.

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Bake the Cookies: Place the powdered sugar-covered cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, 6 at a time, and bake for 10-11 minutes. When they’re no longer wet on top and are firm on the sides, they’re done. We prefer them on the shorter cook time so they’re extra gooey. Allow to cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (17)

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Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to gooey cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness.

What is St. Louis' signature dessert? ›

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.

What happens if you use melted butter instead of softened for cookies? ›

Our control cookie, as with most cookies, uses softened butter, and this recipe tends to be a bit cakier. A cookie made with the same amount of melted butter will give you a fudgier, chewier cookie. It helps it spread out more and gives you some nice divots to catch more chocolate.

Where did gooey butter cookies originate? ›

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!

How do I make my cookies chewy instead of crunchy? ›

How To Make Cookies Chewy Without Cornstarch
  1. Go heavy on brown sugar. It has more moisture than its granulated counterpart, which means the cookie comes out less crispy. ...
  2. Choose margarine or shortening instead of butter. ...
  3. Use baking powder instead of baking soda. ...
  4. Rest your dough. ...
  5. Shorten baking time.
May 14, 2023

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

What food is only found in St. Louis? ›

Food associated with St. Louis
  • Frozen custard concrete.
  • Gerber sandwich.
  • Gooey butter cake.
  • Mayfair salad dressing.
  • Provel cheese.
  • St. Louis-style barbecue.
  • St. Louis-style pizza.
  • St. Paul sandwich.

What is Missouri's favorite dessert? ›

The ice cream cone became Missouri's official dessert in 2008.

What city is known for gooey butter cake? ›

The result is chewy, rich, and creamy, almost like a vanilla pudding that's been nestled into a blondie. In St. Louis gooey butter cake is everywhere. It's sold in bakeries, coffee shops, and grocery stores; it arrives at potlucks and many dinner parties.

Should you refrigerate cookie dough before baking? ›

Why You Need to Chill Your Cookie Dough. For starters, chilling prevents cookies from spreading out too quickly once they're in the oven. If you use a higher fat butter (like Kerrygold), chilling your dough is absolutely essential.

Should you chill cookie dough before baking? ›

Firm dough prevents the cookies from spreading too much, which is why chilling the dough is a crucial step for cut-out and rolled cookies. "The colder and more solid the fat is, the less the cookie will spread," says food stylist and recipe developer Caitlin Haught Brown.

What does brown sugar do for cookies? ›

Brown sugar, meanwhile, is dense and compacts easily, creating fewer air pockets during creaming—that means that there's less opportunity to entrap gas, creating cookies that rise less and spread more. With less moisture escaping via steam, they also stay moist and chewy.

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 were cookies called in the 1800s? ›

The first American cookies that showed up in cook books had creative names like Jumbles, Plunkets and Cry Babies which gave no clue to what was inside the cookie. As the expansion of technology grew in the United States, new ingredients started to show up in cookie recipes.

What are the oldest cookies in the world? ›

Pizzelles are the oldest known cookie and originated in the mid-section of Italy. They were made many years ago for the “Festival of the Snakes” also known as the “Feast Day of San Domenico” in the village of Colcullo in the Italian region of Abruzzo.

What are three factors that contribute to a chewy cookie? ›

Salted butter, softened – I prefer salted butter but you can also use unsalted and add an extra pinch of salt to the dough. Brown sugar – Just brown sugar because we will get the 'granulated sugar' flavor from the corn syrup. Corn syrup – The corn syrup is what makes these cookies CHEWY FOR DAYS.

What cookie ingredient will rise and be softer? ›

Eggs, particularly egg yolks. Eggs work to make your cookies soft in two ways: They add a ton of moisture, and the proteins add structure that prevents spreading. Cake flour instead of all-purpose flour. Low in protein and high in moisture, cake flour is used to leaven all sorts of baked goods.

What makes cookies stay thick? ›

Cold Butter – taking your butter straight from the fridge and cubing it before adding it to the mixing bowl helps the cookies stay thick and not spread while baking. Cornstarch – the cornstarch added to the dough helps the cookies be thick but not dry.

What does adding cornstarch to cookies do? ›

1. Cookies. Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.

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