Gooey Cake Batter Sugar Cookies

Imagine if Levain cookies and funfetti cake had a baby. That’s what these gooey cake batter sugar cookies are. To give us that gooey cake batter-y center, I decided to incorporate more egg yolks and butter into my recipe in order to mimic that fake yellow cake batter flavor that we know and love. I figured it’s more affordable and accessible not to use cake mix in this recipe.

A few things I want to discuss before the main event. The first thing is that homemade yellow cake batter does not taste like boxed mix. The main flavors I get from homemade yellow cake batter are butter, egg yolks, salt and sugar. Egg yolks have more fat and their own rich, decadent flavor, and they are very prominent in yellow cake.

Another thing I want to note before we get started is that I recommend using pasteurized eggs for this recipe, but I recognize they are hard to find. Here’s some info on how to pasteurize your own eggs.The reason I suggested it for these cookies is because pasteurized eggs are lightly heated to kill salmonella and other bacteria before they are sold. That way, we can enjoy that egg yolk-y batter with 0 causes for concern. If you do not have pasteurized eggs or cannot find them, please know that I’ve made and eaten these cookies without pasteurized eggs every single time and I’ve been 100% fine. I’m just giving you a warning because there’s always a chance of salmonella in any kind of under-cooked egg recipe. For context, we are at risk every time we enjoy a sunny side up egg or any egg with a runny yolk. I know we eat those types of eggs all the time, but it’s worth noting that this is the same kind of risk. The egg whites help form the shape of the cookie, and the extra egg yolks give it that buttery, eggy cake batter goodness on the inside. If you’re nervous and want to make sure they are absolutely 100% safe to eat, you can bake them until the internal temperature is 160 degrees F. After about 13-15 minutes, take the temp and continue to measure the temp in 2 minute intervals until it reaches 160 in the center of the cookie. OR you can microwave them after they are done baking for 10 seconds, then take the internal temp until the internal temp reaches 160. Please do whatever you feel safe doing! Pasteurized eggs are the safest route if you don’t want to worry about internal temp. I am obligated to warn you about all the outcomes so that you can decide for yourself.

I want to talk about using salt in this recipe. I tested this four times, and in the first version (which tasted the best) I used salted butter + a little extra salt. This gave the cookies a much more cake batter-y taste, because the butter was already salted and therefore, brought that buttery flavor we know and love. Salt brings out natural flavor and that’s why I’ve used salt in this recipe, and chosen salted butter. Butter is such an important flavor for yellow cake batter!! I also think that desserts that don’t have a pinch of salt taste bland and sad. However, not all of you feel this way and also, not all brands of kosher salt are created equal, therefore, some are way more salty than others. It’s very important that you use kosher salt in this recipe, and that it’s a fine kosher salt. Sea salts or rock salts are way stronger, so if you only have those, please use it very very sparingly. If you only have coarse salt, put it in a plastic bag and mash with a heavy object until the crystals are fine. Then, measure the amount. If you’re not keen on salt, I would slowly whisk the salt into the dry ingredients, 1/4 tsp at a time. Taste it after each 1/4 tsp is incorporated, then once it tastes good to you and your taste, stop adding salt.

One of my followers messaged me that she made my Levain cookies with cake batter flavoring and sprinkles, and that’s actually where I got the inspiration for this version. I gotta give her a major round of applause because I love these cookies even more. I also want to note that if you can find cake batter flavoring and want to throw it into this recipe, add about 1 tsp. You do not want to add too much liquid to the dough, or else your cookies will fall flat. If you want more than 1 tsp, add a little extra flour to the dry ingredients (about 2-3 tsp) and then add up to 2 tsp of cake batter flavoring. I haven’t been able to get cake batter flavoring, but if you do, I think this would be absolutely delicious. If you’re interested, you can find the cake batter flavor below.

FINAL NOTE: the chilling process for this is important, but it’s not 100% necessary, unless your dough feels extremely sticky or you have a hot kitchen. If you follow the steps and incorporate everything in a timely manner (meaning, you don’t let the butter and sugar sit on the counter for 15 minutes before adding the dry ingredients) you should be fine to go right in the oven. Watch my video to see the consistency that your rolled balls of dough should be.

Ok now let’s get crazyyyyy!!!!