I test a lot of cookie recipes. This one stands out because it produces thick, tender cookies with a buttery cream-cheese backbone and pockets of melty chocolate. They’re not cake, and they’re not a classic cookie either — they sit deliciously in between, with a gooey interior that firms up only as it cools.

The method is straightforward: sift the red velvet cake mix, cream the butter and full-fat cream cheese until silky, fold in the mix and chocolate chips, chill the sticky dough, and bake briefly. The short bake time is key — the centers stay glossy and soft, the edges set, and the overall texture is indulgently gooey.

These cookies travel well and make a dramatic holiday or everyday treat. Read the notes and troubleshooting below — the few easy steps I emphasize will make the difference between flat cookies and those tall, slightly gooey pillows you see here.

Ingredient Rundown

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter, very soft — contributes richness and helps the dough achieve the gooey-butter texture; very soft (not melted) for smooth creaming.
8 ounces cream cheese, brick-style — must use full-fat cream cheese; not lite, whipped, spreadable, etc. It gives structure and the “gooey butter” character.
1 large egg — binds the dough and helps with lift.
2 teaspoons vanilla extract — balances the sweetness and enhances chocolate and red velvet flavor.
one 18.25-ounce box red velvet cake mix, sifted — don’t skip sifting or you’ll have lumps that won’t incorporate; this is the primary dry component and flavor base.
12 ounces (one bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips — provides melty pockets and contrast to the sweet red velvet base.

Red Velvet Gooey Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies — Do This Next

Place the 18.25-ounce box red velvet cake mix in a fine-mesh sieve and sift it into a bowl; set the sifted cake mix aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer), add ½ cup very soft unsalted butter, 8 ounces full‑fat brick-style cream cheese, 1 large egg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat on medium‑high speed until the mixture is smooth, creamed, and well combined, about 5 minutes. Stop once or twice to scrape down the bowl and paddle.
Add the sifted red velvet cake mix to the creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure no dry streaks remain.
Add 12 ounces (one bag) semi‑sweet chocolate chips and beat on low speed just until the chips are evenly distributed, about 20–30 seconds. Do not overmix.
Using a large cookie scoop, a 1/4‑cup measure, or your hands, divide the dough into 16 equal mounds. Roll each mound into a ball and flatten slightly—note the dough will be very sticky and gloppy; this is normal.
Place the dough mounds on a large plate or tray, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 5 days. Do not bake the cookies without chilling the dough first (unchilled dough will spread and bake thinner).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment or spray it lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the chilled dough mounds on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart (about 8 cookies per standard sheet). If needed, smooth the tops of the chilled mounds before baking.
Bake on the middle rack for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops are just set (the centers may still look slightly glossy). Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Cookies will firm up as they cool. If you made smaller cookies, reduce the baking time accordingly.

What Sets This Recipe Apart

This recipe leans on a box of red velvet cake mix and full-fat cream cheese to create a hybrid texture: part gooey butter, part cookie. The sifted cake mix replaces flour and much of the leavening, so the dough behaves differently than standard cookie dough. There’s very little butter compared with many cookie recipes, and the cream cheese adds moisture and a slight tang that keeps the sweet cake mix from tasting cloying.

Chilling the dough changes everything here. It firms the sticky batter so the cookies bake tall rather than spreading flat. The short bake time preserves a glossy, slightly underbaked center that firms up as the cookies cool, giving the characteristic “gooey butter” mouthfeel.

If You’re Out Of…

Cream cheese — you can’t replicate the exact gooey-butter texture with a lighter spread; full-fat brick-style cream cheese is recommended. Reduced-fat or whipped varieties will change texture and moisture.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips — swap for dark or milk chocolate chips you have on hand. Smaller chips or chopped chocolate will melt and distribute differently. Expect small changes in sweetness and texture.
Red velvet cake mix — this is the base flavor. If you substitute a different cake mix, you’ll change the color and flavor but the method still works; sift the mix as directed.

Equipment & Tools

Stand mixer with paddle attachment or electric hand mixer — for creaming butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Fine-mesh sieve — for sifting the cake mix to remove lumps.
Large bowl or the mixer bowl — for assembling dough.
Large cookie scoop or 1/4-cup measure — makes evenly sized cookies for uniform baking.
Baking sheet(s) and parchment or Silpat — helps prevent sticking and promotes even baking.
Plastic wrap — for covering the dough during refrigeration.
Spatula and bench scraper — helpful for scraping the bowl and smoothing tops before baking.

Common Errors (and Fixes)

Cookie spreads too thin

Cause: Skipping the chilling step or using unchilled dough. Fix: Chill the dough for at least 3 hours. If you’re in a hurry, 2 hours in a very cold fridge might work, but results vary.

Cookies are dry or crumbly

Cause: Overbaking or using low-fat cream cheese. Fix: Bake just until edges and tops are set; centers may still be glossy. Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese as directed.

Dough is hard to scoop or work with

Cause: The dough is sticky and gloppy by nature. Fix: Use a large cookie scoop or a 1/4-cup measure and wet your hands slightly if you need to roll the mounds. Chill the scooped dough on a tray before handling further.

Uneven baking

Cause: Crowding the pan or inconsistent oven temperature. Fix: Space cookies at least 2 inches apart and bake on the middle rack. Rotate the sheet halfway through if your oven has hot spots.

Health-Conscious Tweaks

These are indulgent cookies by design, but a few tweaks can lighten them slightly. Substituting a lower-sugar cake mix will reduce sugar content, though the overall sweetness depends on the mix. You can reduce the chocolate chips slightly to cut calories; smaller chips or a 50/50 mix of chips and chopped nuts will also stretch the chocolate further.

Note: Full-fat cream cheese is critical to the texture. Using reduced-fat or whipped varieties will yield a different, less gooey cookie.

Notes on Ingredients

Unsalted butter — use unsalted so you control salt levels; very soft butter creams better with the cream cheese and prevents lumps.
Full-fat cream cheese — brick-style cream cheese contains less air and more fat than spreadable varieties; it stabilizes the center and creates the gooey texture.
Egg — helps bind and gives a little lift; don’t omit.
Vanilla extract — enhances and rounds the flavors; you can use pure or imitation vanilla depending on budget and preference.
Red velvet cake mix — seives to remove lumps and ensure even mixing; the mix already contains cocoa and leaveners, so no extra baking powder is needed.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips — balance the sweetness. Use a quality chip that melts predictably for better pockets of gooey chocolate.

How to Store & Reheat

After baking, let cookies cool on the sheet until they’re set (10–15 minutes) then move to a storage container. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate up to 7 days; bring to room temperature before serving so the centers soften.

To freeze baked cookies: flash-freeze on a tray, then transfer to a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature; warm gently in a 300°F oven for 5–7 minutes to revive the gooey center if desired.

To freeze dough: after scooping mounds, freeze the tray until firm, then transfer the frozen mounds to a bag for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen; add a minute or two to baking time and watch for edges to set.

Red Velvet Gooey Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies FAQs

Why sift the cake mix? Sifting removes lumps that won’t incorporate and ensures a smooth, even dough.
Can I skip chilling? No. Unchilled dough spreads and bakes thinner. Chill at least 3 hours.
Can I halve the recipe? Yes. Keep ingredient ratios identical and adjust chilling and baking as needed.
Why use full-fat cream cheese? It provides the moisture and structure needed for the gooey butter texture; lighter versions change the result.
My cookies look underbaked in the center — are they ruined? Not if the edges are set and tops are just set. They’ll firm up as they cool and will keep the intended gooey center.

Before You Go

These cookies are forgiving if you follow two rules: sift the cake mix and chill the dough. Those steps are small but essential. Make time for the chill, and set a timer for the bake — 13–15 minutes on a reliable oven, less for smaller cookies. You’ll end up with thick, tender cookies that look fancied-up but are easy to assemble.

If you bake a batch, stash one for yourself while they’re still warm. The contrast of glossy center and set edge is the point. And if you try a tweak, treat it as an experiment — small changes affect texture more than flavor here. Happy baking, and enjoy the gooey, chocolatey results.

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Red Velvet Gooey Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gooey, cream-cheese–based red velvet cookies studded with semi-sweet chocolate chips. The sticky dough is chilled before baking to produce soft, slightly glossy-centered cookies.

Prep Time10

Cook Time13

Total Time3 23

Servings: 16 cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cupunsalted butter very soft
8 ouncescream cheese brick-style (must use full-fat cream cheese; not lite, whipped, spreadable, etc.)
1 large egg
2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
one 18.25-ounce box red velvet cake mix sifted (don’t skip sifting or you’ll have lumps that won’t incorporate)*
12- ounces1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

Place the 18.25-ounce box red velvet cake mix in a fine-mesh sieve and sift it into a bowl; set the sifted cake mix aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer), add ½ cup very soft unsalted butter, 8 ounces full‑fat brick-style cream cheese, 1 large egg, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat on medium‑high speed until the mixture is smooth, creamed, and well combined, about 5 minutes. Stop once or twice to scrape down the bowl and paddle.
Add the sifted red velvet cake mix to the creamed mixture. Beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Stop and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure no dry streaks remain.
Add 12 ounces (one bag) semi‑sweet chocolate chips and beat on low speed just until the chips are evenly distributed, about 20–30 seconds. Do not overmix.
Using a large cookie scoop, a 1/4‑cup measure, or your hands, divide the dough into 16 equal mounds. Roll each mound into a ball and flatten slightly—note the dough will be very sticky and gloppy; this is normal.
Place the dough mounds on a large plate or tray, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 5 days. Do not bake the cookies without chilling the dough first (unchilled dough will spread and bake thinner).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment or spray it lightly with cooking spray. Arrange the chilled dough mounds on the prepared baking sheet at least 2 inches apart (about 8 cookies per standard sheet). If needed, smooth the tops of the chilled mounds before baking.
Bake on the middle rack for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops are just set (the centers may still look slightly glossy). Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Cookies will firm up as they cool. If you made smaller cookies, reduce the baking time accordingly.

Equipment

1 Stand Mixer Fitted with a Paddle Attachment
1large cookie scoop
1Baking Sheet

Notes

When I originally posted this recipe in 2013, cake mix was approximately 18.25 ounces per box and now box sizes have dropped to about 15.25 ounces. Use the largest sized box of red velvet cake mix you can find.
Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Recipe adapted from Duncan Hines.