Name: Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies (Easy From-Scratch!)
Prep time: PT-989143H11M44S
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 1 h 27 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature; 4 oz (1/2 block) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature; 3/4 cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg, at room temperature; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/4 tsp salt; 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling

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Oh, my goodness, I still get a warm, happy feeling when I think about my son’s first-grade holiday bake sale. I was so busy that week, but I wanted to make something truly special, something all the kids would just love.

I was flipping through my old recipe binder and found a little handwritten card, tucked in the back. It was a recipe for “Gooey Butter Cookies” that a dear friend from my old church group had given me years before. I knew it would be the perfect recipe to turn into festive Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies!

I decided to make them, but with a little holiday sparkle! I added some festive red and green sugars, and they looked just like little, soft snowballs.

Well, I’m just so glad I did! Those Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies were the very first thing to sell out on the bake sale table. The kids just adored them! They’ve been on my “must-bake” Christmas list every single year since. They’re just so easy, and they truly are the softest, chewiest, most delicious little cookies! 💛

Why You’ll Love These Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies 💛

A True “From Scratch” Butter Cookie! This is my favorite gooey butter cookies without cake mix recipe! It’s made with simple, real pantry staples: butter, cream cheese, and flour for that perfect, old-fashioned Christmas gooey butter cookies taste.
Incredibly Soft, Chewy & Gooey! Oh, the texture is just heavenly! This isn’t a crispy cookie. It’s like the inside of a gooey butter cake, so soft, rich, and tender. It’s what makes these the perfect Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies!
So Festive & Pretty! That thick, snowy-white coating of powdered sugar makes them look just like little snowballs! They are the perfect Christmas butter gooey cookies recipe to make your holiday platter look so special.
A Wonderfully Easy, One-Bowl Dough: The dough for these Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies comes together in just one bowl, in a matter of minutes. It’s so simple, and the results are just so impressive!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients for gooey butter cookies without cake mix on a white table.

The “Gooey” Base (This is the secret!):

Unsalted Butter: 1/2 cup (1 stick). It’s very important that it’s softened to room temperature!
Full-Fat Cream Cheese: 4 ounces (that’s half of a standard block). This must be softened to room temperature, too! This is the key to that wonderful “gooey” texture.
A Large Egg: Just one, and it’s best if it’s at room temperature.
Vanilla Extract: 1 teaspoon.

The Dry Goods:

All-Purpose Flour: 1 1/4 cups.
Granulated Sugar: 3/4 cup.
Baking Powder: 1 teaspoon (this is what makes them puff up!).
Salt: 1/4 teaspoon (just to balance all the sweetness).

The “Snowy” Coating:

Powdered Sugar: About 1 cup, placed in a shallow bowl for rolling.

The “Christmas” Sparkle (Optional):

Red and Green Sanding Sugar or Sprinkles: These are so fun to add!

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prep Your Station First, let’s get everything ready! Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper (this is my secret for easy cleanup!). Pour your 1 cup of powdered sugar into a small, shallow bowl and set it aside for rolling.

2. Cream Butter & Cream Cheese. This is the most important step for that “gooey” texture! In a large mixing bowl (or your stand mixer), beat your 1/2 cup of softened butter and 4 ounces of softened cream cheese together with an electric mixer. Beat them on medium speed for about 1-2 minutes, until they are perfectly smooth, light, and fluffy, with no lumps at all.

3. Add Egg & Sugar Beat in your 3/4 cup of granulated sugar until it’s all combined. Then, add your 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and mix again until everything is just blended.

4. Add Dry Ingredients. In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together your 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Add this dry mixture to your wet ingredients and mix on the lowest speed, just until a soft, sticky dough forms. (Please don’t over-mix! Just mix until the flour disappears.)

The soft, sticky, from-scratch dough for gooey butter cookies.

5. CHILL THE DOUGH! (My #1 Tip for this recipe!) Now, your dough will be very soft and sticky. This is a good thing! It’s the secret to that gooey, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

You must cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 1 hour (or even overnight!). This makes the dough firm and so easy to scoop and roll! Please don’t skip this step!

6. Scoop & Roll Once your dough is firm and chilled, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop (or just a regular spoon) to scoop out the dough. Roll it between your hands into a smooth little ball.

7. Roll in Sugar (Get a good coat!) Drop that chilled dough ball right into your bowl of powdered sugar. Roll it all around until it’s very generously coated. We want it to look like a perfect little snowball!

Rolling the Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies dough balls in powdered sugar.

8. Bake (The “Don’t Over-bake” Secret!) Place your “snowballs” on your prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Ellie’s Tip: This is the other big secret! The cookies will look puffy, pale, and underdone! This is exactly what you want! They will not be golden brown. Pull them out of the oven when the edges are just “set.” They will finish setting up as they cool, which is what keeps that center perfectly soft and gooey!

Ellie’s Top Tips for Success

Here are my four little secrets for the perfect Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies!

1. Do NOT Over-bake! (My #1 Secret!) This is the most important tip! You must pull the cookies from the oven when they look pale, puffy, and still very soft in the center. They are not supposed to get golden brown! They’ll finish setting up as they cool, which is what keeps them gooey.
2. Your Dough Must Be Chilled! I promise this step is not optional for this from-scratch recipe! The dough will be very soft and sticky. Chilling it for at least one full hour is the only way to make it firm enough to roll into nice, neat little balls.
3. Get a Thick, Snowy Coat! For that beautiful, snowy “crinkle,” don’t be shy with the powdered sugar! I like to roll each dough ball, let it sit for a second, and then roll it one more time for an extra-thick coat.
4. The “Super Easy Cake Mix” Shortcut! In a real hurry? Just mix 1 box (15.25 oz) of Yellow Cake Mix with 1 (8 oz) block of softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup (1 stick) of softened butter, and 1 large egg. Chill this dough, then scoop, roll in powdered sugar, and bake! It’s a wonderful, easy Christmas gooey butter cookies with cake mix!

Common Questions (FAQ)

Why is my from-scratch dough so sticky?

Oh, please don’t you worry, it’s supposed to be! That very soft, sticky dough (from the butter and cream cheese) is the whole secret to the “gooey” texture! That’s why my #1 tip is to chill it for at least 1 full hour. This makes it firm and so easy to roll!

Why did my powdered sugar melt and disappear?

This can happen for two reasons! Either your dough was too warm (our chilling step fixes that!), or you just didn’t use enough powdered sugar. Don’t be shy! You want to roll them generously so they look like little snowballs. My “double roll” tip (in the “Top Tips” section) really helps!

Can I use a different flavor of cake mix for the shortcut?

Oh, yes! This is what makes that shortcut so fun! A Red Velvet cake mix (with a little cream cheese frosting on top!) is so festive for Christmas or Valentine’s Day. A lemon or strawberry cake mix is also lovely in the spring!

**How do I know when they’re done if they’re not brown?**

This is the hardest part, I know! You have to trust me! They will be “set” around the very edges, and the tops will be puffed up and look dry (not shiny or wet). They will still be very, very soft in the middle. Pull them out! They will finish “setting” on the hot pan as they cool, which is what keeps that center perfectly gooey.

Storing Your Cookies

These cookies are just a dream for making ahead! They are so soft, and I think they get even gooier and more delicious on the second day!

Just let them cool completely on their wire racks, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature. I like to put a little sheet of wax paper between the layers, just to keep that pretty powdered sugar neat.

They’ll stay wonderfully soft and fresh for up to a week. (Though, in my house, they never, ever last that long!)

A Perfect Bite of Christmas Comfort 🎄

These little Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies are just the perfect cookie for a holiday exchange, a cozy night by the fire, or for leaving out for Santa!

They’re so wonderfully simple to make, but they feel so special and decadent. That soft, chewy, gooey center is just a little bite of pure comfort and joy!

I truly hope this old-fashioned Christmas gooey butter cookies recipe becomes a new, treasured part of your holiday baking! If you’re looking for another fun, festive cookie, you might also love my Easy Grinch Cookies!

If you make these, please come back and leave me a comment and a rating below! I would just love to hear how you liked them.

And, of course, if you want to save this cozy recipe for all your holiday baking, please pin it to your favorite board on Pinterest!

Happy Holidays! 💛