Description
These Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies are the ultimate holiday treat with soft, buttery centers and beautifully crackled powdered sugar edges. Made with cream cheese and butter, they melt in your mouth with every bite and stay perfectly soft for days. Simple to make with no chilling required, they’re perfect for cookie exchanges, gift-giving, or cozy nights by the tree.
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
1. Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature (45-60 minutes before baking).
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape down sides of bowl halfway through.
4. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and baking powder.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.
7. Let dough rest for 10 minutes to make rolling easier.
8. Pour powdered sugar into a shallow bowl.
9. Roll dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon each).
10. Roll each ball generously in powdered sugar until completely coated.
11. Place cookies on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
12. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges look set but centers are still soft. Cookies will have beautiful cracks in the powdered sugar coating.
13. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
14. Allow to cool completely. Cookies will firm up slightly but remain tender and gooey inside.
Notes
Room temperature ingredients are essential for the proper texture. Don’t skip this step.
Don’t overbake – cookies should look slightly underdone in the center when you remove them from the oven.
Use the spoon-and-level method for measuring flour to avoid dense cookies.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, freeze unbaked dough balls (before rolling in sugar) for up to 3 months. Roll in powdered sugar and add 1-2 minutes to baking time when baking from frozen.
For extra powdered sugar coating, roll cookies in sugar again immediately after removing from oven while still warm.
Variations: Add 1/2 tsp peppermint extract, crushed candy canes, mini chocolate chips, or 1 tbsp citrus zest for different flavors.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 14
- Sodium: 65
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 4.5
- Unsaturated Fat: 2
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 19
- Fiber: 0.3
- Protein: 1.5
- Cholesterol: 25
Keywords: christmas cookies, gooey butter cookies, holiday cookies, cream cheese cookies, powdered sugar cookies, easy christmas cookies, soft cookies, cookie exchange recipes, no chill cookies