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Wonderfully sweet and ultra soft, these Gooey Butter Cookies are one of my absolute favorite things to bake from scratch. I love how surprisingly simple they are—just cream cheese, a touch of almond extract, plenty of butter, and a snowy coating of powdered sugar. No boxed cake mix needed! They’re the kind of cookie that melt in your mouth and make the whole kitchen smell amazing. I keep them on my Christmas baking list every single year, and honestly, I’ll take any excuse to whip up a batch.
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“These cookies are super easy and so delicious. They never last long in my house❤” -Brenda
Easy Gooey Butter Cookie Recipe
Being from St. Louis, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas baking season in my house until I’ve made at least one batch of homemade gooey butter cookies. They’re rich, creamy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious—and honestly, I can never stop at just one!
I love the classic flavor of traditional gooey butter cookies, but I also have a lot of fun playing with variations. Sometimes I’ll toss in chocolate chips or flavored baking chips, other times I’ll add nuts or shredded coconut for a little texture. And when I’m craving something bright, a bit of lemon zest takes the whole batch in a totally different (and delicious!) direction.
Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Cookie Portion Scoop
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter 113g, room temperature (1 stick) European style recommended
- 8 oz. cream cheese 227g room temperature (1 brick)
- 1½ cups granulated sugar 300g
- 1 large egg 50g, room temperature
- 1 tsp almond extract 4g
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 270g
- ½ cup powdered sugar 57g, divided
- 1 tbsp baking powder 12g
Video
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- 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 oz. cream cheese, 1½ cups granulated sugar
- With the mixer running, add in the egg and then the almond extract.1 large egg, 1 tsp almond extract
- In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, and ¼ cup powdered sugar together.2¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp 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 ball in powdered sugar.
- 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.
- Allow to cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Gooey Butter Cookies Step by Step
Gather your ingredients: Gather all your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350°F.
Combine the wet ingredients: Beat ½ cup of salted butter, 8 oz. (1 brick) of cream cheese, and 1½ cups of granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until smooth. With the mixer running, add 1 large egg and 1 tsp of almond extract.
Combine the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, stir 2¼ cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp of baking powder, and ¼ cup of powdered sugar together.
Form the dough: With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the already creamed mixture. Do not over mix the dough so the gluten doesn’t become overworked (this leads to tougher cookies).
Once the dough is smooth, remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Roll into balls: Line a large sheet pan with nonstick parchment paper. Place the extra ¼ cup of powdered sugar (for rolling) in a shallow bowl. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to create a cookie dough ball and immediately roll it in powdered sugar.
Place on the cookie sheet: Place the powdered sugar-covered cookie dough balls on the baking sheet, 6 at a time. Allow space between each dough ball, as the cookies will spread while they bake.
Bake the cookies: Wait for the oven to fully preheat before baking the cookies. They bake quickly, so keep your eye on them, and bake for 10-11 minutes. When they’re no longer wet on top and are firm on the sides, they’re done. I prefer them with the shorter cook time so they’re extra gooey.
Cool and serve: Allow to cool on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and enjoy.
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.
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 tall glass of cold milk (or creamy oat milk), a rich cup of coffee—bulletproof coffee is my go-to—or a cozy mug of tea, like a spiked bourbon chai.
Delicious! We had a cookie baking day and I thought I’d try these for the first time!!! Everyone loves them!! Will be making these again for sure! The only thing was I subbed vanilla extract for the almond as I typically don’t prefer it. Thank you!!!
I am making these now and noticed an discrepency on the printed recipe. Step 4 of the printed version states to add the full 1/2 c of powdered sugar to the dry ingredients. The recipe on the web page states to us 1/4 c powdered sugar with the other dry ingredients.
I assume 1/4 c added to the dry ingredients is correct.
Hi heath, there is a feature in the recipe that allows us to pin ingredients to the steps, but it does not allow for adjustments in the total when the ingredient is divided. Please refer to the verbiage in each step as to how much of the 1/2 cup to use in each step!
Can I prep the dough and rest overnight? I’d like them to be fresh for Christmas Eve!
Hi Melissa, you can fridge the dough overnight.
Perfect recipe. The cookies turned out great. I would recommend to anyone!!!
Taste like flour… I cooked them even longer than the recipe stated and they taste like flour… so sad, was hoping for a baked bear dupe.
Hi Ash, how did you measure the flour for this recipe? It sounds like you may have used too much!
Do you think I could make these into bar cookies in a 9 x 13 pan?
We haven’t tried that, but it could work! You could also make our gooey butter cake recipe instead!
Hi, just found this recipe and can’t to try them but I don’t have a stand mixer, will a regular hand held mixer work?
Absolutely!
Great recipe. I subbed vanilla for almond, as I’m not a big fan of the 60s taste of almond extract cookies. Otherwise made exactly to code. I don’t understand the commenters who complained about not being able to taste these cookies– they are tender, light, creamy and wonderful, like a buttery pastry crust. The sugar on the outside is just enough to give you a pop of sweetness without being overwhelming. They are incredibly tender in the center almost like a macaron. These are going in my cookie rotation for sure.
These cookies are super easy and so delicious. They never last long in my house❤
Those look wonderful, Brenda! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi, I went to the butter site and it is not available in my area or anywhere close. Do you know if Kerry Irish gold butter could possibly work? It’s the only European butter I saw available around here.
Yes, any brand of European butter should work! Danish Creamery is just our personal favorite!