Have you ever had a dessert that you can’t stop thinking about? For me, it’s a melty butter cookie. I first discovered them in college when my roommate’s mother sent her a care package. Inside was a slightly crushed bag of homemade gooey butter cookies. Despite growing up in the Midwest, I had never heard of cookies before. I was hooked at the first bite. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s an incredibly delicious combination of cream cheese, butter, and cake mix.
Gooey Butter Cookies were born in St. Louis as a twist on the classic gooey butter cake. Like cakes, these buttery cookies are thick with a fudge-like consistency. The skin is dusted with powdered sugar and becomes crispy when baked, creating a perfect contrast to the soft filling. Our test kitchen tested and perfected the recipe. It’s just the best version of the classic I’ve ever had.
The best part? It is very easy to make as the batter is made from cake mix. Want to rejuvenate after a long day at work? Make melty butter cookies. Planning to go to a last-minute potluck? Please bring me some melty butter cookies. Craving a treat every day at 3pm? Whip up some gooey butter cookies. They are always a hit. I’ll show you how to make my favorite cookie recipe.
Ingredients for melty butter cookies
These cookies are more than just a collection of ingredients needed to make them.
- Cream cheese: It is very important to soften the cream cheese before you start mixing the cookie dough. Once softened, it mixes easily with other ingredients, making the dough even and smooth.
- butter: No melty butter cookie recipe would be complete without butter. You will need a stick that has been softened at room temperature.
- egg: You may be sensing a theme here, but make sure the eggs are at room temperature before adding the mix. Like cream cheese and butter, eggs mix well with other ingredients when left at room temperature.
- excerpt: After testing, we found that our favorite flavor blend was a combination of vanilla extract and almond extract. If you prefer one or the other, that’s totally fine.
- cake mix: You will need a box of yellow cake mix. We do not recommend replacing it with another style.
- icing sugar: This is rolling a scoop of cookie dough before baking.
How to store melty butter cookies
If you have leftover cookies, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
