Red Velvet Cookies

Mom sent me this recipe yesterday and I talked her into making them for me.  Oh wow, they are incredibly delicious!  I think I ate 4?  Oops!  We followed the recipe except we didn't have the two hour chill time, so we put them in the freezer for a few minutes and went from there.  So, so good!  Too bad they're all gone (because I shared with others); otherwise, I'd be eating some for breakfast.

• 1 (8 ounce) brick cream cheese , room temperature
• ½ cup butter , room temperature (1 stick)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 (18 ounce) box red velvet cake mix
• confectioners' sugar , for rolling and dusting

1. 1
   In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2. 2
   Beat in the egg.
3. 3
   Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. 4
   Beat in the cake mix.
5. 5
   Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm up so that you can roll the batter into balls.I've chilled batter overnight and it comes out fine.
6. 6
   After batter has chilled and you're ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. 7
   Roll the chilled batter into tablespoon sized balls and then roll them in confectioner's sugar.
8. 8
   Place on an ungreased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.
9. 9
   Bake 12 minutes. The cookies should remain soft and gooey.
10. 10
    Cool completely and sprinkle with more confectioners' sugar, if desired.
11. 11
    To make these devilishly rich, I also top the cookies with cream cheese frosting, which is simple to make. I use Bev's Cream Cheese Frosting (Cream Cheese Frosting), but double the vanilla. Or, if I'm making them for people I know have more of a savory tooth than sweet, I'll triple it to a full tablespoon.  {we didn't do this and they were still awesome!}