The GOOIEST Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

There is a special place in the heart of every baker for recipes that deliver maximum flavor and texture with minimum fuss. During the chaotic Christmas season when the oven is always busy and the shopping list is long we crave treats that are quick easy and absolutely decadent.

For me that treat is the classic gooey butter cake. But turning that rich luscious cake into a simple holiday cookie recipe that is portable and perfect for cookie exchanges is the real win.

I wanted a method that captured the signature GOOIEST center and crackled powdered sugar crust using a foolproof semi-homemade hack.

This Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies recipe is the definitive answer. It uses a simple cake mix base enhanced with cream cheese and butter resulting in an unbelievably soft chewy texture. The cookies are rolled heavily in powdered sugar before baking which creates that beautiful crackled exterior contrasting perfectly with the moist interior.

This recipe is a must-pin for anyone searching Christmas Cookies Recipes because it delivers ultimate comfort food indulgence using the simplest method. If you are looking for the BEST semi-homemade dessert that will be the first to disappear from the platter this simple method is your guaranteed winner.

Why You’ll Love These Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

This recipe is a massive holiday favorite because it’s fast requires few ingredients and results in a texture that is simply irresistible.

• The GOOIEST Texture Guaranteed The combination of a cake mix base with cream cheese and butter results in a cookie that is unbelievably soft chewy and truly gooey in the center. Unlike tough dry drop cookies these practically melt in your mouth providing that ultimate comfort food experience.
• BEST Semi-Homemade Dessert This is the quintessential semi-homemade dessert. By starting with a box of yellow cake mix you eliminate the need to measure flour leavening agents and much of the sugar. This hack cuts down prep time significantly making it perfect for last-minute baking for cookie exchanges.
• Ready in 20 Minutes The active prep time is less than 10 minutes. After a short 30-minute chill and a 10-12 minute bake time you have a fresh batch of delicious Christmas dessert cookies. This speed is essential for the busy holiday season.
• A Fun Festive Look The cookies are naturally beautiful due to the crackled powdered sugar coating. Folding in BRIGHT red and green sprinkles adds that perfect touch of Christmas color making them visually stunning and ready for any holiday cookie recipe platter.

Ingredients and Instructions The Cream Cheese Base

The key to the GOOIEST Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies is using full-fat block cream cheese and rolling them thoroughly in powdered sugar before baking.

Component	Quantity	Notes
Full-Fat Cream Cheese	8 ounces	Softened block style is mandatory
Unsalted Butter	1/2 cup	Softened to room temperature
Large Egg	1	Room temperature
Vanilla Extract	1 teaspoon
Yellow Cake Mix	1 (1525 oz) box	White or vanilla cake mix works too
Holiday Sprinkles	1/2 cup	Red and green nonpareils or jimmies
Powdered Sugar	1/2 cup	For rolling the dough balls

• Mix Wet Ingredients Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl beat the softened cream cheese butter egg and vanilla extract until completely smooth and creamy. Use an electric mixer for the best results.
• Add Cake Mix & Sprinkles Stir in the cake mix until a thick sticky dough forms. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the holiday sprinkles.
• Chill Dough Mandatory Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes. This step firms up the dough making it easier to handle scoop and roll and prevents the cookies from spreading too flat during baking.
• Roll and Coat Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll each dough ball thoroughly and completely in the powdered sugar until coated. This sugar coating creates the signature crackle.
• Bake Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft and gooey.
• Cool Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling. The cookies will firm up as they cool while retaining their GOOIEST centers.

Step by Step Mastering the Soft Chewy Cookie

The challenge with these Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies is ensuring they spread slightly but remain thick and soft in the center—the hallmark of the perfect gooey cookie. My early batches were sometimes flat; I learned the importance of the type of cream cheese.

Here is the detailed human-written guide to mastering this spectacular holiday cookie recipe:

• Block Cream Cheese Only For the correct thick and buttery texture you must use full-fat block cream cheese. Avoid cream cheese sold in tubs or reduced-fat varieties. The high water content in those products can make the dough too sticky and prevent the cookies from spreading correctly often resulting in a flat or tough cookie.
• Room Temperature Ingredients Ensure your cream cheese and butter are fully softened to room temperature. This is crucial for beating them into a smooth uniform base. Lumps of cold cream cheese will not melt properly in the dough and will lead to an uneven texture.
• Do Not Overmix the Sprinkles When folding in the sprinkles be gentle and quick. Overmixing the dough once the sprinkles are added can cause the red and green color to bleed into the soft dough resulting in a brownish or tie-dye look rather than a crisp white background.
• The Double Sugar Coating The powdered sugar roll is where the magic happens. Roll the dough balls generously and completely in the powdered sugar. The sugar coating protects the dough and creates that beautiful white crackled exterior that is the signature look of a gooey butter cookie.
• Underbake for Gooey The key to the GOOIEST center is underbaking. The cookies should look set on the edges but still appear pale soft and slightly underdone in the center when you remove them. They will continue to bake and set up as they cool on the hot cookie sheet ensuring they remain soft chewy inside.

Variations Serving and Storage Tips

This core Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies recipe is an excellent easy template for countless variations perfect for your Christmas dessert platter.

Delicious Variations to Try

• Peppermint Gooey Substitute the vanilla extract with peppermint extract and fold in 1/4 cup of crushed candy canes or peppermint chips along with the sprinkles.
• Almond Gooey Use almond extract instead of vanilla extract and swap the yellow cake mix for a white or vanilla cake mix for a delicate nutty flavor.
• Chocolate Gooey Use a chocolate cake mix instead of yellow and fold in 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.
• Sanding Sugar Finish For a more vibrant look roll the dough in colored sanding sugar (red green or white) instead of powdered sugar.

Serving Suggestions

These GOOIEST cookies are perfect for every festive setting:

• Cookie Exchange Winner Their unique texture and festive look make them a guaranteed hit at any cookie exchange.
• Simple Presentation Serve them simply dusted with a little extra powdered sugar on a platter alongside crisp sugar cookies for a textural contrast.
• Gifting Place a few cookies in a small box or tin with a liner to prevent the delicate powdered sugar coating from rubbing off.

Storage and Recipe Notes

Item	Details
Keep Fresh	Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days
Freezing Baked	Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container or bag
Make Ahead Dough	Chill dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months
Flour Substitution	Can substitute with a 11 gluten-free cake mix but results may vary slightly

Conclusion Your Most GOOIEST Holiday Cookie Recipe

The Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies recipe is the perfect blend of decadent texture and simple convenience. It’s the BEST semi-homemade dessert solution that guarantees a GOOIEST soft chewy and irresistible holiday cookie recipe every time.

By embracing this simple cake mix hack you eliminate the baking stress and ensure your Christmas dessert platter is filled with ultimate comfort food indulgence.

Pin this holiday cookie recipe today and enjoy the BEST GOOIEST Christmas Cookies