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These gooey butter cookies are prepped in 5 minutes and have a perfectly addicting chewy texture making them one of our go-to cookies!

Gooey butter cookies stacked on top of each other on white plate.
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Cake Mix Cookies!

We love making cookies with the kids, and these gooey butter cookies are a family favorite! This cake mix cookie is pretty much half a cookie and half a cupcake, and you really can’t go wrong with that. You may also want to try our Gooey Butter Cake!

When you need a quick and easy cookie recipe, cake mix cookies are the way to go! They’re so convenient, and you can easily switch up the flavors depending on the mix—like these Frosted Lemon Cookies, or Funfetti Cookies.

WHY WE LOVE IT:

  • Mix it up. Easily change the flavor by using your favorite flavor of cake!
  • Soft and chewy. They are made with cake mix, butter, and cream cheese and are so soft and moist.
  • Easy. Simply dump, mix, roll, and bake. The batter is prepped in only 5 minutes!
Ingredients for gooey butter cookies on white counter.

Ingredients

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese – softened
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened How to Soften Butter Quickly
  • 1 egg room-temperature incorporates best
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix or another flavor like strawberry or chocolate cake mix
  • 1 cup powdered sugar – plus more for dusting

How to Make Gooey Butter Cookies

  1. BATTER. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer (or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) to beat 8 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup butter, 1 egg, and ½ teaspoon vanilla with a hand mixer until fluffy.
    • Add the cake mix powder and mix until combined. Chill for 30 minutes.
  2. PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  3. BAKE. Place 1 cup powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop and roll dough into 1½-inch cookie dough balls then roll in powdered sugar until well coated. Place onto a lightly greased baking sheet.
    • Bake for 10–12 minutes.
    • Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.
  4. ENJOY! Sift more powdered sugar on top, if desired.
Gooey butter cookies recipe stacked on top of each other on white plate.

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4.99 from 439 votes

Gooey Butter Cookies

By: Lil’ Luna
Made easy with a yellow cake mix, these gooey butter cookies are prepped in 5 minutes and have a perfectly addicting chewy texture!
Servings: 24 cookies
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Chill time: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (15.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
  • 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for dusting

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, egg, and vanilla with a hand mixer until fluffy.
  • Mix in cake mix until combined, and chill for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Place powdered sugar in a bowl. Scoop out and roll dough into 1½-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar until well coated. Place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 10–12 minutes.
  • Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then remove to a rack to cool.
  • Sift more powdered sugar on top, if desired.

Video

Notes

Variations. Other cake mix flavors such as strawberry, chocolate, and Funfetti can be used. 
Store cookie dough. Place the dough in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or see How to Freeze Cookie Dough.
Store cookies. Place cooled cookies in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 57kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 0.3g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 4mg, Potassium: 4mg, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 129IU, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 0.04mg

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

Recipe FAQ

How to store the dough?

Place the dough in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or see How to Freeze Cookie Dough.

How to store?

Place cooled cookies in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

About Kristyn

My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!

So Easy & So Yummy

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4.99 from 439 votes (332 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




429 Comments

  1. kelly says:

    Are you using 18, 16 or 15.5 oz cake mix?

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      I feel like most cake mixes have dropped down to either the 16 or 15 oz sizes now. Either of those should work just fine!

    2. Raymond Benedict says:

      Can you do this with chocolate cake mix

      1. LilLunaTeam says:

        You sure can! Let me know how they turn out for you. I would love to hear!

    3. Rhonda says:

      4 stars
      My cookie balls rolled really well after 30 min in the freeze. Still a bit sticky but no different than other cookies I roll. I was a bit disappointed in the flavor, not much to it. But I also ate it right out of the oven so they might be more flavorful when completely cooled.

  2. Karen P says:

    I tried these for the first time and they are yummy…BUT I clearly did something wrong. I know it’s a sticky dough but mine was beyond sticky and wouldn’t really form a ball. We decided chilling longer than 30 would help but even after an hour and a half they were barely workable. When cooking they spread way out as well. What did I do? Did I let the butter and cream cheese get too soft? Did I over mix? I’m not sure keeping dough in fridge overnight would have helped. Good news is they were still yummy but they weren’t pretty and wouldn’t take them anywhere lol.

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      I’m glad you loved the flavor! I usually use room temp ingredients and mix them just until combined, so then chilling for the 30 minutes works just fine. Thanks for giving the recipe a try!!

    2. Kayla says:

      Because of how sticky the dough was .. I dumped it onto wax paper, rolled it up, (like the kind bought at the store) put into the freezer for 30 mins & cut them. Once removed from the oven & cooled .. I dipped the tops into a powdered sugar & cream cheese glaze. 😋

  3. Rebecca Boyk says:

    5 stars
    These are fantastic!!! I added 2 teaspoons vanilla. They are heaven!

  4. AprillB says:

    Can someone please tell me if you press the cookie down a little bit before baking? I went through the comments and watched the video and the author says she pressed her cookies down using her 3 middle fingers and her video shows her not pressing them down. I would really appreciate it if anyone can let me know? I am not a great baker so these kinds of details are pretty important to most of us amateurs! Thank you!

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      You don’t necessarily need to press them down. As you can see in the video, they turn out great not pressed down.

  5. B. says:

    I suck at timing cookies. Is there a telltale sign they are done without wasting a batch? I love making gooey butter cake, but the cookies have less sugar, so I would love to ace making these.

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      I usually check the sides and if they are golden in color and the top doesn’t look too glossy (like raw cookie dough still), then they are usually done. They will set up a little as they cool too.

  6. Rebecca Conrad says:

    5 stars
    So easy and so yummy!

  7. Angie B says:

    5 stars
    Can’t wait to try this recipe

  8. Cara says:

    5 stars
    Made these with Peppermint extract in place of the vanilla and decorated with melted white chocolate chips and crushed candy canes. Perfect for the holiday cookie swap!

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Oh so fun!! That sounds delicious and definitely perfect for this time of year.

      1. Mary Jane Archer says:

        5 stars
        I want to try them now!!

  9. Sam Buntin says:

    5 stars
    These are so good! And so addicting!!

    1. Linda says:

      Would u think 300 or 325 for air fryer baking?

  10. Cathy Morris says:

    5 stars
    So soft and yummy 😋