Cake Mix Gooey Butter Cookies are a favorite in our house year-round. For potlucks, parties, or a simple sweet craving, my daughter is often the one whipping up a batch. With seasonal funfetti cake mixes available for different holidays, she created these Cake Mix Halloween Cookies to celebrate the season. They combine funfetti cake mix with cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and eggs to produce soft, gooey cookies everyone loves.
Cake Mix Gooey Butter Cookie Ingredients
These cookies are simple enough that an older child can make them alone. A key tip: use room temperature or softened butter, cream cheese, and egg for the best results. With a box of funfetti cake mix and a few pantry staples—plus extra sprinkles if you want more color—you’ll be on your way to delicious ooey gooey butter cookies.
The ingredients you need for these easy cake mix gooey butter cookies are:
- Funfetti cake mix (15.25 oz box, Halloween edition if available)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, room temperature
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Optional: 1/4 cup Halloween sprinkles (choose non-bleeding types like round sprinkles)
How to Make Cake Mix Halloween Cookies
Start by creaming the room temperature cream cheese and butter with a hand or stand mixer until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated. Then mix in the funfetti cake mix and any extra sprinkles until just combined.
Because some sprinkles can bleed, choose ones that hold their color; in our batch the round sprinkles did not bleed. After the dough comes together, chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (longer is fine). Chilling helps the dough firm up and keeps it from sticking to your hands when you roll it into balls.
When ready, scoop or roll the dough into 1–2 inch balls. Roll each ball completely in powdered sugar so they are well coated. Place the coated balls on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. To keep the parchment from shifting, you can lightly spray the pan with cooking spray before adding the paper.
Bake in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, watching closely so the edges do not darken beyond a light golden color. The cookies should be set but still soft and gooey inside. Cool on a wire rack, and if you like, dust with more powdered sugar before serving.
These cookies disappear quickly—so they make perfect spooky ghost treats for fall gatherings or Halloween parties. Depending on how large you make them, this recipe yields about 18–24 cookies, so consider using more than one box of cake mix if you need a larger batch.
Recipe
Cake Mix Halloween Cookies
Cake Mix Halloween Cookies combine funfetti cake mix with cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and egg to make soft, gooey cookies.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 15.25 ounce box Funfetti cake mix (Halloween edition if available)
- 1/4 cup Halloween sprinkles (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for coating
Instructions
- Cream together the room temperature cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add the egg and vanilla, mixing until combined.
- Stir in the cake mix and optional sprinkles until just incorporated.
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll the chilled dough into 1–2 inch balls and coat completely with powdered sugar.
- Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly light brown at the edges. Avoid over-browning.
- Cool on a wire rack and dust with extra powdered sugar if desired.
Yield: 18–24 cookies. Prep time: 10 minutes. Cook time: 10 minutes. Chill time: 30+ minutes.
Halloween Treats
These cookies pair well with other seasonal desserts and are easy to transport for fall parties, school events, or office gatherings.
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