Here’s a classic Ooey Gooey Butter Bars recipe — rich, sweet, buttery, and soft in the center with a slightly crisp top. These are famously messy, addictive, and incredibly easy to make!
🍰 Ooey Gooey Butter Bars (Classic Version)
⭐ Ingredients (9×13 pan)
Crust Layer
- 1 box yellow cake mix (15.25 oz)
- ½ cup (1 stick) melted butter
- 1 large egg
Gooey Top Layer
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ¾ cups powdered sugar (yes, the big amount is what makes it gooey!)
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Preheat oven
- Preheat to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment or grease well.
2. Make the crust
- In a bowl, combine cake mix, melted butter, and egg.
- Mix until a thick dough forms.
- Press evenly into the bottom of the baking dish.
3. Make the gooey layer
- Beat cream cheese until smooth.
- Add eggs and vanilla.
- Add powdered sugar gradually until completely combined.
- Pour over the crust layer.
4. Bake
- Bake 40–45 minutes.
- The edges should be set and lightly golden, but the center should still jiggle — that’s the ooey-gooey magic!
- Cool completely before cutting into squares.
5. Serve
- Dust with powdered sugar if desired.
- Best served slightly chilled or at room temperature.
⭐ Variations
St. Louis Classic
- Use butter cake mix instead of yellow cake for the authentic original.
Chocolate Ooey Gooey Bars
- Use chocolate cake mix + add ¼ cup cocoa powder to the filling.
Lemon Ooey Gooey Bars
- Use lemon cake mix + add lemon zest to filling.
Pumpkin Ooey Gooey Bars
- Add 1 cup pumpkin purée + 1 tsp pumpkin spice to the filling.
Red Velvet Version
- Use red velvet cake mix + add cream cheese drizzle on top.
If you’d like, I can also give you:
🍫 Chocolate chip ooey gooey bars
🍓 Strawberry shortcake ooey gooey bars
🎃 Fall pumpkin spice version
Just tell me!
