Alright, let’s talk about what I did in the kitchen today. Decided to finally try making those cream cheese cake mix cookies I’ve seen around. Seemed easy enough.
Getting Started
First thing, I needed the ingredients. I grabbed a box of yellow cake mix – just a standard one from the pantry. Then, the cream cheese. It was a block, the usual 8-ounce size. Had to let that sit out on the counter for a while to get soft. Forgot about it initially, so it probably sat there longer than needed, but whatever. Also needed one egg and some butter. I used salted butter, about half a stick, and melted it in the microwave. Didn’t take long, just zapped it for maybe 30 seconds.
Mixing it Up
Okay, so I got my big mixing bowl out. Dumped the softened cream cheese in there. Added the melted butter. Started mixing that together with a fork first. It was a bit lumpy, cream cheese always is, right? Tried to smooth it out best I could. Then cracked the egg straight into the bowl. Mixed that in until it looked combined.
Next, the main event: the cake mix. Just opened the box and poured the whole thing in. Started stirring with the fork again, but it got really thick, really fast. Switched to a sturdy spoon. Still tough going. Honestly, after a minute of that, I just washed my hands and got in there. Squished it all together until it formed a dough. It felt pretty soft, maybe a little sticky.
Chilling and Shaping
Because it felt sticky, I thought maybe chilling it would help. Didn’t see that in every recipe, but seemed like a good idea. I wrapped the dough ball in some plastic wrap and shoved it in the fridge. Left it there for maybe half an hour while I cleaned up a bit and preheated the oven. Set the oven to 375 degrees F.
Pulled the dough out. It was definitely firmer, easier to handle. Got out two baking sheets and put parchment paper on them. Saves scrubbing later, always worth it. Then I just started pinching off pieces of dough and rolling them into balls. Maybe about an inch across? Didn’t measure, just eyeballed it. Placed them on the baking sheets, left some space between them so they wouldn’t run into each other.
Baking and Cooling
Once the oven was hot, I slid the first sheet in. I set a timer for 10 minutes, but mostly just kept an eye on them through the oven door light. You’re supposed to bake them until the edges are just set, maybe slightly golden, but the centers still look soft. That’s what I aimed for. Pulled them out around the 11-minute mark, I think.
Let the cookies sit right there on the hot baking sheet for a couple of minutes. They firm up a little more this way. Then I used a spatula to move them over to a wire rack to cool completely. Did the same with the second batch.
The Result
So, what’s the verdict? They turned out pretty good. Very soft, almost cakey, which makes sense. You get that little tang from the cream cheese, which is nice. They weren’t overly sweet either. It was a really simple process, didn’t take much effort besides the mixing. Made a decent pile of cookies from that one box of mix. Yeah, a solid, easy cookie if you have a cake mix lying around and want something quick.
