Okay, so I’ve been seeing these “chocolate gooey butter cookies” all over the internet, and the Paula Deen recipe kept popping up. I’m a sucker for anything chocolate and gooey, so I figured, why not give it a shot? I’m no professional baker, but these looked pretty straightforward. Let me tell you how it went!
Gathering the Goods
First things first, I needed to get my ingredients together. I’m pretty bad about forgetting things, so I made a list (highly recommend this!). This is what the original recipe asks, and it makes perfect sense. So, I grabbed:
- Cream cheese – Made sure it was softened, because otherwise mixing is a mess.
- Butter – Also softened. I am now sensing a theme…
- An egg – Just one. Easy.
- Vanilla extract – The good stuff, always.
- Powdered sugar – Prepare for a potential snowstorm in your kitchen.
- Chocolate cake mix – I used a basic Devil’s Food mix.
- More powdered sugar – For rolling the dough balls later. Again, be ready for the mess.
Mixing Mayhem
I started by beating the cream cheese and butter together in a big bowl. I used my trusty hand mixer because, well, I’m lazy. It got nice and fluffy after a couple of minutes. Then I cracked in the egg and poured in the vanilla, mixing it all up until it was well combined.

Next came the dry ingredients. I slowly added the powdered sugar and the cake mix, mixing on low speed so I didn’t end up wearing half of it. It turned into this thick, fudgy dough – so tempting to eat it right then and there! But, patience is a virtue, or so they say.
Chilling Out
This is where I always get impatient – the chilling part. I scraped the dough onto some plastic wrap, formed it into a disc-ish shape, and wrapped it up tight. Then, into the fridge it went. The recipe said for at least 30 minutes, which felt like an eternity, but I set a timer and survived.
Roll and Bake
After the agonizing wait (okay, it wasn’t that bad), I preheated my oven to 350°F (175°C). Then I grabbed a small bowl and dumped in a bunch of powdered sugar. I took the dough out of the fridge, and it was much firmer, which made it easier to handle.
I pinched off pieces of dough and rolled them into little balls – maybe about an inch or so in diameter. I’m not super precise with this, they all came out a little different in size. Then I rolled each ball in the powdered sugar, coating them generously. This is where the “gooey” part comes in, I think.
I placed the coated dough balls onto a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper, because cleanup is the worst). I left a little space between them because they do spread out a bit. Into the oven they went, for about 10-12 minutes. I kept a close eye on them because I didn’t want them to burn.
The Moment of Truth
You’ll know they’re done when the edges are set but the centers are still soft and, well, gooey! I let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. This is important because they’re super fragile when they’re warm.
The cookies are rich,chocolatey and have that melt-in-your-mouth gooey texture.
They’re definitely a sweet treat, so one or two is usually enough.I’d say this Paula Deen recipe is a winner! It was pretty simple,even for a non-baker like me,and the results were delicious. Just be prepared for the powdered sugar explosion!

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