Sparkling Gooey Lemon Cookies

I am from Missouri, home of the Gooey Butter Cake. 
Of course, it didn't take long for a cookie version of Gooey Butter Cake cookies to arrive on the food scene. Yellow cake mix, butter, and cream cheese make these cookies addictively good. Plus, they only use five ingredients. How sweet is that? 

Sparkling Gooey Lemon Cookies are a variation of the Gooey Butter Cake cookies. The main difference is using a lemon cake mix in place of the yellow cake mix. I LOVE these lemony, rich, and decadent cookies that are drizzled with a tangy sweet lemon frosting and a slight crunch from the sparkling white decorating sugar. As always, these cookies have been husband tested and approved. 

Yield: about 4 dozen cookies  

Preparation Time: 15 minutes to make dough and about 30 minutes to chill the dough

Ingredients
1 - 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup, or 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
1.4 teaspoon vanilla
1 medium egg1/4 
1 box lemon cake mix



Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter with spoon until well blended. 
• Stir in vanilla and egg. Add cake mix; stir until well combined 
• Chill dough for about 30 minutes, or until the dough can be handled easily
• Shape 1 level Tablespoon of dough into a ball; roll in powdered sugar to coat.
• Repeat above step until your cookie sheet is full
• Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. I use parchment paper to line my cookie sheets. Then it is simple to transfer an entire tray of hot cookies unto the cooling rack.
• Bake 10-12 minutes or until set. 
• Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

Easy Lemon Drizzle Frosting

This is where I LOVE having my cookies on parchment paper. Just slide the sheet of cookie laden parchment paper from the baking sheet to the cooling rack and from the cooling rack to the table top, or work surface. Then, the cookies can be drizzled with frosting and sprinkles while they are still on the parchment paper. This makes for a quick and easy cleanup once the frosting has set.

Ingredients

1 cup of powdered sugar

1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, or bottled lemon juice

sparkling white decorating sugar.

• Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon. 
• Drizzle frosting back and forth across cooled cookies and then use sparkling white decorating sugar. 

Easy isn't it? Homemade happiness on a plate was never so easy!