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.
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!
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
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
- Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing stand bowl, cream the butter and add the cream cheese. Beat until smooth, scraping down the sides if needed.
- Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- Slowly pour in the cake mix and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Put the bowl into the refrigerator to chill while the oven is preheating.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 cookieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 92Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 133mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 1g
Nutrition Values are Approximate
