Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Or as Paula Deen calls them, "Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies."

These are really simple to make and I just love how they look once they crack in the oven!

  I was disappointed because my niece, nephew and I had made plans to bake and ice sugar cookies for Christmas, but we were greeted with a blizzard instead.  In north Texas, we aren't accustomed to weather like that so it through a lot of people's Christmas plans off... Including my family's.  We had to have Christmas on the 26th instead- It was strange postponing our usual Christmas brunch and opening of gifts, but like my mom said..

"I guess it was God's way of slowing everyone down to appreciate what it's really all about."

Our cookie date will be rescheduled, but in the mean time they can just enjoy these yummy cookies.

Just be careful not to overbake these. (In my oven they took only 8-10 minutes instead of the suggested 12) They might look underdone when you take them out, but they finish baking on the pan and harden up as they cool.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

(aka Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies: recipe courtesy Paula Deen)

2 dozen cookies

Ingredients
 1 (8-ounce) brick cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (18-ounce) box moist chocolate cake mix
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in the egg. Then beat in the vanilla extract. Beat in the cake mix. (*The batter will be very THICK, it's supposed to be that way!)

Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours to firm up the dough so that you can roll the batter into balls.

Roll into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 12 minutes (Or less if your oven cooks fast like mine.) The cookies will remain soft. Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.