Easter Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies

Bake Easter Ooey Gooey Butter Cookies for soft, colorful, pastel-packed treats perfect for spring gatherings.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick / 113 g) salted butter, (softened)
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, (softened)
• 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, (room temperature)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups (282 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup (125 g) confectioners' sugar, (divided)
• 1 cup (203 g) Easter M&M's milk chocolate candies, (pastel blend, plus more for topping (optional))

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat and Line the Baking Sheets

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper so they’re ready when the dough is scooped. Lining the pans first keeps the workflow smooth and prevents the delicate, gooey cookies from sticking; set the sheets on the matte painted pine surface so they’re within easy reach and keep one sheet empty for finished cookies.

Step 2: Cream Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened salted butter, softened cream cheese, and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer until the mixture is smooth, glossy, and aerated — pale, silky ribbons that hold soft peaks. Scrape the bowl as needed so there are no streaks of unmixed cream cheese; the texture should look homogenized and slightly satin, a fluffy base that will give the cookies their ooey-gooey interior.

Step 3: Add Egg, Vanilla, and Fold in Dry Ingredients

Mix in the room-temperature egg and vanilla extract until fully incorporated and the batter looks slightly looser and glossy. Gently add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and half of the confectioners' sugar; with the mixer on low, blend until just combined so the dough remains soft, slightly tacky, and dense. Fold in the pastel Easter M&M's by hand so the candies sit suspended through the dough, creating pockets of color and small ridges where the candies press into the batter. The bowl should be full of a pliable, slightly sticky cookie dough dotted with pastel speckles.

Step 4: Portion, Roll in Confectioners' Sugar, and Bake

Using a 2-tablespoon scoop, portion dough into uniform balls, then roll each ball in the reserved cup of confectioners' sugar so they’re lightly dusted and matte-crystalline on the surface. Place about six dough balls per lined sheet, spaced so they can spread slightly. Bake on the prepared sheets for 13–16 minutes, beginning to check at 11 minutes: you want the tops to look set and no longer wet while the centers remain tender.

Step 5: Top, Cool, and Finish

Right after the cookies come out of the oven, press a few extra pastel M&M's into the warm tops for a festive, slightly pressed-in look, then let them cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely. The finished cookies should have very light golden edges, soft, slightly crinkled tops dusted with confectioners' sugar, and tiny glossy pockets where the chocolate peeks through — serve warm or at room temperature for the full ooey-gooey experience.

Notes

• Bring butter and cream cheese to room temperature for smooth mixing.
• Use a 2-tablespoon scoop for uniform cookies and even baking.
• Check cookies early; pull when tops look set for soft centers.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Roll dough balls in confectioners' sugar for the classic matte finish.