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Paula Deen

Strawberry Shortcake Gooey Butter Cookies

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Strawberry Cookies

It’s Summer, so strawberries are on my mind! These Strawberry Shortcake Gooey Butter Cookies have a great strawberry taste, but they get the flavor from a strawberry cake mix.

No, I don’t usually use cake mixes. These cookies are a delicious exception to that rule.

These are a take-off on the Paula Deen Gooey Butter Cookies – a few more ingredients than the usual oil/egg cake mix cookies. Butter and cream cheese absolutely take them over the top. Don’t worry, though. I made them with Neufchatel (light cream cheese), so you can have as many as you want.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

The result is a tender, ultra moist and rich cookie. My friend and neighbor, Michelle, said they tasted like strawberry shortcake and that became the official name of these delicious cookies.

The light crunch of browned bottom and the soft, melt-in-your-mouth top of the cookie is a perfect texture combination. Pure enjoyment!

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies

In the past I’ve made these with lemon cake mix and they’re also great that way. I just knew the strawberry would be my favorite – and they are! I can imagine using other flavors of cake mix – chocolate, butter pecan, cherry – the list goes on. Use whatever floats your boat.

It’s gonna be hard to beat these Strawberry Shortcake Gooey Butter Cookies, though. Try this flavor first. Definitely.

The recipe is quick and easy. Rolling the dough into powdered sugar is a little messy, but the end result is well worth it. These cookies are great for pot lucks, parties, or for giving to friends. Don’t forget to keep a few for yourself, though!

Strawberry Shortcake Gooey Butter Cookies

Strawberry Shortcake Gooey Butter Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Terrific tender, chewy strawberry cookies.  Based on the gooey butter cake mix cookie by Paula Deen.

Ingredients

  • 1 stick butter, room temperature
  • 1 container (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1 box (18 oz.) strawberry cake mix
  • 3/4 C powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  2. In a mixing stand bowl, cream the butter and add the cream cheese.  Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed.  
  3. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined.
  4. Slowly pour in the cake mix and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
  5. Put the bowl into the refrigerator to chill while the oven is preheating.  
  6. Put the powdered sugar into a bowl.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator (will be a little sticky, but still manageable).  Take about 2 mounded teaspoons of the dough and roll into a ball.  Roll the ball of dough thoroughly in the powdered sugar and place on the prepared cookie sheet.  (Put the dough back into the refrigerator between bakes.)  Press the cookies very lightly to slightly flatten them.
  7. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes.  The bottoms will brown, but the cookie shouldn't brown.  It will still be very soft when removed from the oven.  Cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely.
  8. Store in a tightly sealed container.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

You can refrigerate the dough for up to an hour and that will make it easier to roll into balls.

After baked, I touched the tops of the warm cookies back into the powdered sugar to make a pretty, snowy top.

I used Neufchatel (light cream cheese) and they ended up great!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 92Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 133mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 1g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© Paula Deen
Category: Cookies

Three Cheese and Sausage Lasagna

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Everyone has their favorite lasagna recipe – I’m partial to the one my sister gave me over thirty years ago (Virginia’s from the side of the box – really good!).

This Three Cheese and Sausage Lasagna by Paula Deen caught my attention because one of the cheeses is cream cheese. It’s added to the sauce and creates a creamy, creamy sauce. I would use it on any pasta any day of the week!

When done well, lasagna is one of the best Italian dishes around. If not done well, it can be pretty icky. This one, though, turned out great. I’m thinking I could eat lasagna three times a week and not get tired of it. Don’t forget the cheesy garlic bread…

This Three Cheese and Sausage Lasagna starts by layering the noodles, sauce, and cheeses and repeating:

Then it’s covered with aluminum foil and baked, then uncovered so it will turn a beautiful golden brown on the top. It didn’t make tall layers, but it had a good amount of sauce to cheese to noodles.

Next time I might add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce to make the layers a little more saucy. I cheated and put a little more mozzarella on top than called for because we enjoy cheesy pasta, but the called-for amounts would be about perfect for most.

We enjoyed this Three Cheese and Sausage Lasagna and will definitely make it again and again. It makes a ton (13×9″ dish), so you can share it or take it to a covered dish dinner.

We’re not sharing this one this time, though. I’m gonna keep it nearby and we’ll be eating it for lunch and dinner for the next three days!

If you want a different kind of lasagna, try my delicious and easy Enchilada Lasagna.

Three Cheese and Sausage Lasagna

Three Cheese and Sausage Lasagna

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Creamy sauce and lots of cheese!  Adapted from Paula Deen's "My Favorite Lasagna."

Ingredients

  • 9 lasagna noodles
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 3 Italian Sausages
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 32 oz. spaghetti sauce
  • 5 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces
  • 16 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 1/2 C. Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease a 13x9" glass dish with cooking spray. 
  2. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.
  3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, until browned.  
  4. Sprinkle with the salt and black pepper.  Add the spaghetti sauce and cream cheese.  Stir until the cheese has melted into the sauce (will take awhile to blend).
  5. Spoon 3/4 cup of the meat sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with a single layer of noodles, 1 cup of the sauce, one-third of the mozzarella and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan.  Repeat the layers two more times until all of the ingredients have been used, ending with remaining sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.
  6. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking until golden on top and bubbling (15-20 minutes).

Notes

I used sweet Italian sausage, but you can use spicy if you want more of a kick.

You can also use a pound of ground beef if that's what you have on hand.

There should be a little grease after browning the meat, but if it's excessive be sure and drain it so the lasagna won't be greasy after baking.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 473Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 1318mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 24g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

© sblades
Category: Pasta