Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

‘Tis the season to be jolly, and to eat lots of holiday treats like these amazing Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies! If you’re looking for the perfect melt-in-your-mouth Christmas cookies that are super easy to make, you’ve stumbled upon the perfect recipe.

Christmas gooey butter cookies with red and green sprinkles on a lace plate
Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

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Friends, I’m telling you, these Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies are THE BEST!

Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe

Stack of soft powdered sugar cookies with holiday sprinkles

As far as I am concerned, you really can’t go wrong with a recipe that is so simple to make, especially during the busy holiday season.

Want to know another recipe I’m obsessed with making this Christmas? My easy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread.

I make this bread as a gift to my friends because they all love it so much.

Crinkly sprinkle cookies spread out on parchment

Of course, it’s hard to pick a favorite when it comes to Christmas cookies. I adore these Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies, but I also love my Raspberry Almond Shortbread Cookies, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, Snowball Cookies and my Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies.

See, I told you, difficult to choose just one! :)

Of course, it’s the holiday sprinkles that make these cookies festive. You could use regular sprinkles to make these gooey butter cookies for any time of year!

Close-up of a gooey cookie dusted with powdered sugar and sprinkles

I can tell you that I really tend to prefer soft and chewy Christmas cookies. It’s one of the reasons that I love this recipe so much. They are also a big favorite when I take them to holiday gatherings and parties.

People are always surprised when I tell them that I made these cookies using a cake mix!

Be sure to pin this recipe to your favorite boards on Pinterest so you don’t forget about it when it’s time to whip up a batch of cookies this Christmas. I hope you enjoy this holiday treat as much as we do!

save this!

I’ll email it, plus my weekly recipes.

More Holiday Sweets

Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

By Crissy Page
Serves 36
Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies are soft, buttery and rich with cream cheese and cake mix, rolled in powdered sugar with festive sprinkles.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
Chill 1 hour
Total 1 hour 25 minutes
Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

Video

Ingredients

Serves36
  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 white cake mix
  • ½ cup sprinkles divided
  • ½ cup confectioner’s sugar

Instructions
 

  • Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
  • Add the egg and vanilla, mixing just until combined.
  • Beat in the cake mix until the dough is fully blended.
  • Stir in half of the sprinkles.
  • Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.
  • Scoop rounded tablespoons of dough and roll each into a 1-inch ball.
  • Sprinkle the tops with some of the remaining sprinkles, then roll each ball in confectioner’s sugar until fully coated.
  • Place the dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
  • Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Chill the dough: The dough is very soft, so chill it for at least 1 hour before rolling.
Coat generously: Roll each ball thickly in confectioners’ sugar for the crackled, snowy look.
Don’t overbake: Take them out after 8 to 10 minutes, while the centers still look soft.
Storage: Keep the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Freeze: Lay the baked cookies on a sheet in the freezer until firm, then move them to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature and roll them in a little more powdered sugar before serving.

Nutrition

Serving1 | Calories109kcal | Carbohydrates16g | Protein1g | Fat5g | Saturated Fat3g | Trans Fat0.2g | Cholesterol18mg | Sodium121mg | Fiber0.2g | Sugar8g

Nutrition is an estimate from an online calculator, not medical advice, and depends on your portion size.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keywords: christmas gooey butter cookies, gooey butter cookies
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Crissy Page

Written by Crissy Page, a home cook, mom and recipe developer.

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139 Comments

  1. Hello! Thank you for sharing this recipe! My 5 year old and I just finished making them together. They are so simple and yummy! I did have to adjust cooking time to 11 or 12 minutes.

  2. Made these at Christmas. I do not typically bake so I was hoping they were “simple” as described. I did have some trouble rolling them into balls and realize now it’s not hard if the batter is cold. If you are slow like I am and they start to warm up they will be harder to roll. But it was worth it because they were an absolute hit with everyone and I was so proud of myself! I love the idea of using different cake flavors too! Will definitely try that! This recipe is a keeper!!

  3. Praty Taylor says:

    I tried it with different flavor cake mixes and it turns out just as good. For chocolate I added chips& nuts & rolled in sugar. For spice cake I used dried fruit trail mix and rolled in cinnamon& sugar.

  4. Kitty Desrosiers says:

    My family loved these cookies. Made 3 batches before Christmas Day.

  5. My batter keeps coming out sticky! I’m unable to use the cookie scooper it’s so sticky. What can I do to avoid that?!

    1. Peggy Payne says:

      Let dough cool in fridge for at least 1 hour. If it becomes soft again set in fridge again

  6. These cookies are really amazing! My hubby and I paired them with a really good bottle of red wine. Our son loved the cookies too!! Thanks for sharing the recipe! 

  7. My husband said these are the best cookies I ever made.  Easy to make.  Excellent in all ways.  Love your recipes.

  8. Just made them.  They are so good.  Giving them for Christmas.  

  9. These cookies are very good, Made them last year and making them again tomorrow, I seen a comment asking about how many they make. If you print the recipe it says on the top left corner, that it makes about 3 dozen. Thanks for the recipe its a good one

  10. Vivian D. says:

    I have funfetti Christmas sugar cookie mix. Can I use that to make these cookies instead of the cake mix? Do I use the same amount of cream cheese?