Gooey Rolo Cookies Recipe

Name: Gooey Rolo Cookies Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 box Chocolate Cake Mix; ½ cup butter; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 8 ounces cream cheese; 1 egg; powdered sugar; Rolos

Meet your new favorite treat, gooey Rolo cookies, soft chocolate cookies with a melty caramel center. They mix up fast, bake beautifully, and disappear even faster at parties.

These cookies are all about contrast, a tender, chocolatey cookie wrapped around a creamy caramel Rolo that stays irresistibly gooey. Our kids love the surprise inside, and grown ups do too.

If you are planning a cookie platter, try these alongside Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and Candy Bar Brownies for a fun mix.

Why we think you’ll love it:

Simple. Perfect for baking with kids or new bakers.
Fast. With a 5 minute prep these cookies are easy to fit between school pick ups and dinner.
Party perfect. These caramel filled cookies travel well and look cute on any dessert table.

Gooey Rolo Cookies Ingredients

Chocolate cake mix (1 box) – Provides the dry structure, cocoa flavor, and sweetness so you get consistent, bakery style cookies with minimal measuring.
Butter (½ cup) – Adds richness and tender texture, helping the cookies stay soft while carrying chocolate and caramel flavors.
Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) – Rounds out the chocolate and enhances the caramel notes in the center.
Cream cheese (8 ounces) – Creates the signature gooey, creamy crumb that keeps these cookies soft even after cooling.
Egg (1) – Binds the dough and adds moisture for a soft, chewy bite.
Powdered sugar – Used for rolling and dusting, adds a delicate sweet finish and keeps dough from sticking.
Rolos – The surprise caramel center, melty and indulgent when baked.

How to Make Gooey Rolo Cookies

PREP. Preheat oven to 350.

BATTER. Beat butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in cake mix. Chill for 30 minutes.

Chocolate cookie dough with a Rolo on top

ROLOS. Grab a Rolo and insert into rolled cookie dough making sure it is covered. Place in a bowl of powdered sugar and placed on greased cookie sheet.

Chocolate cookie dough with rolo in the center

BAKE. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Add sifted powdered sugar on top if desired.

Kristyn’s Recipe Tips

Chill the dough until it is easy to handle and not sticky, this helps the cookies keep their shape and the centers stay neatly tucked inside.
Flatten each dough ball, place a Rolo in the middle, and pinch the seams closed to fully cover the candy and prevent caramel leaks.
Bake just until set at the edges, then let them rest on the sheet, carryover heat keeps the centers soft without drying the cookie.
If Rolos aren’t your favorite you can get a pack of caramels from the candy aisle and use those instead. Just make sure that whatever size caramel you use that your cookie dough ball completely covers it.

Gooey Rolo cookies stacked on a white plate.

5 from 20 votes

Gooey Rolo Cookies Recipe

By: Kristyn Merkley

Bake gooey Rolo cookies, soft chocolate cookies with a melty caramel center, quick to make and perfect for parties, bake sales, and family treats.

Servings: 36

Prep: 5

Cook: 10

Chill: 30

Total: 45

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Beat butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in cake mix.
Chill for 1 hour.
Scoop dough with cookie scoop into a bowl of powdered sugar. Roll around and then flatten dough, place a Rolo in the middle and fold the dough around the Rolo.
Place cookie dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
Dust powdered sugar over baked cookies, if desired. Let cool.

Notes

Recipe Notes:

Chill the dough until it is easy to handle and not sticky, this helps the cookies keep their shape and the centers stay neatly tucked inside.
Flatten each dough ball, place a Rolo in the middle, and pinch the seams closed to fully cover the candy and prevent caramel leaks.
Bake just until set at the edges, then let them rest on the sheet, carryover heat keeps the centers soft without drying the cookie.
If Rolos aren’t your favorite you can get a pack of caramels from the candy aisle and use those instead. Just make sure that whatever size caramel you use that your cookie dough ball completely covers it.

STORE at room temperature, tightly covered for 3-5 days. After this time period the cookies will most likely become hard.

FREEZE in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks, thaw before enjoying!

For more substitutions and tips, check out the full recipe post

Nutrition

Serving: 24g, Calories: 98kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 143mg, Potassium: 51mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 170IU, Calcium: 26mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.