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Ultimate Gooey Butter Cookies

Two gooey butter cookies, one broken in half to show the soft, creamy center, dusted heavily with powdered sugar.
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Bake rich, soft, and chewy butter cookies with a signature crackled powdered sugar top. These melt-in-your-mouth treats use cream cheese for an extra gooey center.

Ingredients

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  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, plus more for rolling

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
  4. In another bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
  5. Chill both doughs (butter cookie dough and cream cheese filling) for at least 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Scoop the butter cookie dough into balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Flatten slightly in your palm.
  8. Place about 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese filling onto the center of each cookie dough round.
  9. Gently fold the edges of the cookie dough up and around the filling to mostly enclose it, leaving a small amount of filling exposed on top.
  10. Roll each cookie ball completely in extra powdered sugar until fully coated.
  11. Place cookies 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  12. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The edges should be set, but the center will look soft and gooey.
  13. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The centers will set slightly as they cool.

Notes

  • For the best gooey texture, do not overbake. The center should look slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven.
  • Chill the dough thoroughly; this prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
  • You can substitute lemon zest in the cream cheese filling for a bright flavor variation.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://kingscook.com/gooey-butter-cookies-recipe/