Easy Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies Recipe {no cake mix needed}

Thick, moist, and flavorful describe these delicious Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies. Made from scratch, a cake mix option is included below!

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A few weeks ago I made some of the most delicious Gooey Butter Cookies ever! Melt in your mouth, these puffs of cookie perfection are amazing.

And the best part? They are from scratch. No cake mix needed. Although, if you’re a cake mix hoarder, you can totally use one given my instructions in the recipe!

Today I’m here with a new version of those cookies. Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies.

In my book, everything is better with lemon. From Lemon Bars to Lemon Hand Pies and everything in between, I am in love with this flavor for desserts!

But back to these Gooey Lemon Butter Cookies. If you’ve ever had Gooey Lemon Butter Cake, these are quite similar, but in cookie form. 

Soft, fluffy, and packed with flavor, you’ll find these are great for bake sales too. They stay soft and delicious for a week!

How to make Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies

Often times you’ll here these referred to as cake mix cookies, or Lemon Cake mix cookies. While you can substitute a lemon cake mix in these cookies, I’ve got an easy from scratch way to make them too!

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter, and sugar until light and fluffy. I use an electric mixer and do this on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add in eggs and lemon extract, beating until combined. Add in lemon zest.

I zested one lemon and added that to the egg mixture. The reason I didn’t use fresh lemon juice was I wanted something a little more concentrated, so I chose to use lemon extract to enhance the lemon flavor. 

Next, add flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Beat until well blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, add powdered sugar. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop, spoon equal balls of cake batter (cookie dough) and roll in powdered sugar, until generously coated in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

Bake in oven for 11-13 minutes. Remove and cool completely on wire rack.

A few tips in making Lemon Cake Mix Cookies

First, make sure you chill the dough. This helps solidify the butter to a chilled state, which allows the cookies to stay fluffed and thick. You don’t want flat butter cookies!

Store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. This will keep them soft and fresh for about a week!

You can freeze gooey lemon butter cookies by letting them cool completely, then transferring them to an airtight container that is safe for the freezer (or ziploc freezer bags). 

How to substitute with a cake mix

Want to make these Lemon Gooey Butter Cake Cookies with a cake mix? 

Here’s what you’ll need.

One box of lemon cake mix (or yellow cake mix)

1/2 cup butter

1 package cream cheese

Large egg

1 lemon, zested

powdered sugar (confectioners sugar), for rolling in

Follow the directions to beat the butter and cream cheese together. Add in egg and lemon zest. Then beat in the cake mix. Chill dough as directed and bake as directed in recipe below. ENJOY.

More Cookie Recipes

You can always check my cookie archives for some great recipes. But I’ll highlight a few of my absolute favorites to get you started.

Chewy M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars are thick and delicious and perfect when you need a quick dessert. Perfect for holidays and bake sales too!

These Caramel Frosted Sugar Cookies are irresistible. Chewy sugar cookies with a no-chill dough topped with a sweet and salty caramel frosting!

Delicious, festive, easy, melt in your mouth Strawberry Meringues dipped in chocolate! My favorite cookie recipe!

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Yield: 36 cookies

Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes

Chill Time 30 minutes

Total Time 53 minutes

Thick, moist, and flavorful describe these delicious Lemon Gooey Butter Cookies. Made from scratch, a cake mix option is included below!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add in eggs and lemon extract, beat until fluffy. Add lemon zest.
3. Mix in flour, salt, and baking powder until well combined.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Once chilled, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Scoop out cookie dough with a 2 Tbsp scoop. If your hands are sticky, dip them in the powdered sugar first. Drop cookie dough into powdered sugar and roll in sugar until generously coated.
7. Place on baking sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes. Remove and cool completely on wire rack.
8. Enjoy.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1 cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 122 Total Fat: 5g Saturated Fat: 3g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 23mg Sodium: 97mg Carbohydrates: 18g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 11g Protein: 2g

*Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice

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