Gooey Butter Cookies

Ingredients

•1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature

•1 stick butter, at room temperature

•1 egg

•1 teaspoon vanilla extract

•1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix

•Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls. Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes. The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.

My notes:

These cookies have been whipped up in my kitchen numerous times.  They are SO quick, easy & delicious. You can use ANY FLAVOR cake mix that you have on hand, and you can roll the cookies in anything your heart desires.  One of my personal faves is a Butter Pecan cake mix, then roll in cinnamon sugar and chopped pecans.  I rarely remember to set out my cream cheese and butter in time for them to reach room temperature.  So, I microwave them just until soft, but not warm or melted.  Also, I didn't chill the dough for 2 hours.  I put it in the freezer for about 8 minutes (maybe).  I completely forgot about the sprinkling with more confectioners' sugar until I was doing this post.

This is a great one to do with kids.  The cookie dough can be made in advance and chillin' in the fridge until it's time to bake.  I scooped the dough with my Pampered Chef Small Scoop and dropped it into a pie plate with my powdered sugar.  The kids rolled them around and put them on the cookie sheets.