chocolate gooey butter cookies

Today, I bring you another recipe from Food Network's 12 days of cookies:

Paula Deen's Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

I love Paula Deen, which probably doesn't come as a surprise given my feelings on butter.

I knew I had to try this recipe as soon as I saw the ingredient list:

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

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 whole egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix

about 1 cup Confectioners' sugar

To start, use a mixer to cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

OK pause... Aren't those the most beautiful words you've ever heard in a recipe?

Once your butter and cream cheese are smooth, beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Add the cake 

mix slowly and in small batches. The dough will get really thick, really fast. I thought about 

adding some liquid but decided if Paula can power through, so can I. 

Cover and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours (or overnight) to firm up.

When you are ready to go, pull dough out of the fridge and preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll the dough into tablespoon sized balls. If the batter starts to get sticky while you are rolling, 

throw back in the fridge for a few minutes. Put your powdered sugar into a shallow bowl.

Roll the balls into the powdered sugar until coated.

Place onto and ungreased baking sheet, and bake for 12 minutes.

The cookies will come out soft and light... kindof like cake and kindof like doughnuts.

They taste a little like chocolate cake, and a little like Oreos, and a little like chocolate doughnuts.

In other words, delicious!

And if you want a little doughnut-like presentation tip...

 The cookies will come out of the oven like this, with the sugar mostly melted.

Just plop them face down into your powdered sugar!

Ta-dah! Gorgeous snowy dusted goodness.

As usual, Paula doesn't disappoint!