Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

 I love this title.

Chocolate? Yes please! Gooey? Mmmm... the best. Butter? Why not? Cookies? Love them!

This recipe has followed me from my Cleveland days. My husband, who doesn't like chocolate, loves these cookies. Like, loves them. These little morsels don't last a day in our house! They are super soft and exactly what the title says- gooey. The center has this soft, gooey-like texture that is amazing.

Obviously, this is a Paula Deen recipe. She makes great desserts, doesn't she? And this one doesn't disappoint. It has the butter in it, doesn't it?! And if you are interested in checking other "gooey butter" recipes out, she has an amazing Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake that is perfect for this time of year!

You are going to start out with your dough, which is super thick. It needs to be put in the freezer for about an hour so you are able to roll it into a ball....

Like so. About a Tablespoon size, I go for about the size of a golf ball.

Roll each into powdered sugar. Yes, it's that kind of cookie.

Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. They don't get much bigger but you don't really want to crowd your pan so don't put them too close together. And don't overcook them. They'll look undercooked but once they cool they are perfect!

Let them cool on a wire rack. And try to resist eating them! They are super yummy warm, but you really get that gooey center when they are cooled.

Top with a little extra powdered sugar. More powdered sugar never hurt anyone. Unless you've breathed it in before...

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

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

Powdered sugar, for rolling and dusting

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 (or freeze for about an hour) 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 powdered sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes (no more!). The cookies will remain soft and "gooey." Cool completely and sprinkle with more powdered sugar, if desired.

Recipe courtesy Paula Deen- Foodnetwork.com