Funfetti Gooey Butter Cookies

I love to bake cookies for the holidays--lots and lots and lots of cookies! I like to eat them, of course, but I also like to give them to my friends and coworkers and even the mailman and UPS guy. But this year I didn't plan on baking anything because I was going out of town for Christmas.  I gave my manicurist some candy that someone else had given me, hoping she would just assume I had made it myself (of course she had to ask!) and I felt so bad when I had to tell her I didn't.  And then I started watching Christmas movies where everyone was eating Christmas cookies and the cravings kicked in.  When I found out my old bosses would be joining us for our company Christmas party and I hadn't bought a gift for them, I knew a batch of cookies had to be made.

I wanted something simple yet festive (and I didn't want to have to go to the store for ingredients), plus my new boss loves Funfetti, so when I saw this recipe I thought it was perfect.  I didn't actually have a Funfetti cake mix in the pantry, but I did have a plain white cake mix and a big bottle of Christmas sprinkles, so I improvised and made my own Funfetti by adding about half a cup of sprinkles to the plain mix.  I didn't measure, I just kept dumping them in till it looked right.  They turned out super cute and festive and really yummy! The texture was perfect - thick and soft on the inside with a slight crispiness on the outside.  I will definitely be making these again, I'll just switch up the sprinkles for different occasions!

Funfetti Gooey Butter Cookies

Prep time: 15 min(+1hr chilling) Bake time: 10 min
Serves 50

8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg

1 (15.25 oz) box Funfetti cake mix
¼ cup sprinkles (if desired)
¼ cup powdered sugar

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.  Add in egg and continue mixing, scraping sides as necessary.  Add in the cake mix and beat until combined.  Stir in extra sprinkles, if desired.

Chill dough for about an hour.  Preheat oven to 350°.

Form dough into 1 inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on baking sheet 2" apart and bake for about 10 minutes.

Allow to cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

73 calories per cookie.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!