Lemon gooey butter cookies are soft and delicious. Just like their namesake gooey butter cake, this recipe starts with a cake mix, butter and cream cheese for the perfect decadent texture.
Make soft and delicious lemon gooey butter cookies with only 7 ingredients. They are full of bright lemon flavor and the perfect buttery texture.
Ooey Gooey Cake, or gooey butter cake, is a St. Louis tradition. Since we live only a couple of hours from there, it shows up at our gathers regularly too. It is always a favorite.
A dense cakey base covered in butter and cream cheese. What is not to love?! Well, these are that… in cookie form… and with lemon!
The best thing about cookies like this is how easy they are to make. There is basically no measuring of ingredients, just dump and go!
I have made several varieties of cookies that start with a cake mix over the years. Zach’s birthday cookies are always a hit, they are super simple and loaded with sprinkles. In fact our friends think they are so good they nicknamed them crack cookies!
Then there are chocolate gooey butter cookies. They are every bit as good as the combination of chocolate, cream cheese and butter in cookie form sounds.
But I have to say these lemon gooey butter cookies are the first to disappear when they show up on a dessert buffet. Especially if I bring them to work, they will go in a snap!
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I made them for my coworkers within the first few months on the job. They talked about them for days afterwards.
We have a snack table in the office that rarely goes empty for long. After the holidays I think we went on a self imposed detox and it hasn’t been quite as full an normal.
So I thought I would spruce it up with bright lemony cookies. I didn’t hear a single complaint and the plate was empty quickly. I suppose that’s a sign that they need more cookies!
Tips and Tricks
Make sure your butter and cream cheese are softened so they are easier to blend. Blend them together until the mixture is smooth, creamy and lump free before adding the remaining ingredients.
Give the cookie dough a nice long chill in the refrigerator before baking. This will make it easier to scoop and roll in the powdered sugar later.
It will also help to give the center the soft gooey texture that makes these cookies so good. Chilled dough keeps the cookies puffy and soft.
For the best results, bake these cookies on parchment paper or silicone mats. Do not overbake these cookies, they are done when they are puffed up and the outside is cracked.
Storage
These cookies stay soft for at least a week if stored in an airtight container at room temperature. You can freeze them for up to three months.
Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 lemon cake mix
- ½ teaspoon lemon extract
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 egg
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and cream cheese.8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup butter
- Stir in egg, extracts, and cake mix until uniform.½ teaspoon lemon extract, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 egg, 1 lemon cake mix
- Chill dough for two hours
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Roll a Tablespoon of dough into small balls. Then roll the balls in a bowl of powdered sugar and place a couple of inches apart on a cookie sheet½ cup powdered sugar
- Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
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Thank you!
These look amazing! I pinned them so I can gather ingredients and make some asap. 🙂
Congrats on getting most clicks on Snickerdoodle!
Blessings,
Babychaser
Thank you, I hope you enjoy them! <3
When I saw these, it brought back some great memories. I love these cookies!
Yay! I love food memories!
Hi Carlee, ooooo lemon cookies, a close second to chocolate chip cookies, but we don't get lemon cake mix here. Which is a shame as these sound so good!
xx
Oh man! I am sure you could make delicious lemon cookies anyway, but this is such a super easy way to do it!
I love lemon so very much! I really want to try these, such a pretty Spring color too! xo
We can use all the bright things we can get after this doozie of a winter! Thank you!
I feel like you made these cookies just for me :). I looooove lemon and I love gooey butter cake! These look amazing, Carlee!
I would love to make them just for you! Thanks, Kelsie!
just a heads up, it is Gooey Butter Cake, not ooey gooey
we always call it ooey gooey, it's more fun!
I love these! I'm adding those to my recipe box for sure. Thank you for sharing!
They are wonderful and easy!
I have seen these 'ooey gooey' cookies all over. I've never tried them, I think I must now. I like your idea to do lemon. Since it starts with a cake mix, there are so many cake flavors to do!
It is a really easy way to make soft luscious cookies. No measuring, no fuss! There are a lot of options, I made two kinds for our Mother's Day get together 😉
Hi Carlee,
This year I haven't made any lemon bars, and your cookies do look like that perfect lemon fix, I've been looking for! Can't wait to make these!
My husband worked in St. Louis for a couple of months, he said he really enjoyed his time there!
Have a great week!
Hi! I have been meaning to make some lemon bars too. My mother-in-law makes some good lemon bars and she has promised her recipe. So, hopefully soon! These are a really easy treat to get the lemon flavor in the mean time.
There are a lot of cool things to do in St. Louis. We are just a little north of there, but I have fun searching the local bakeries for treats when I visit my clients in the area! Everyone claims to have the best ooey gooey cake (or donuts, they also have a lot of donut places!). I plan to mess around with some recipes and make an ooey gooey cake for the blog soon. Taste testing the practice runs is going to be a real chore 😉