First, I would like to explain where Gooey Butter Cake came from. It was invented in the 1930's by a German baker in St. Louis. The legend goes that the baker was trying to make a regular cake, but reversed the proportions of flour and butter resulting in a moist pudding-like texture. People still love and make this version all over St. Louis and the Midwest today. The model for the gooey butter cake cookie comes from this cake. The gooey butter cake is a dense cake made from butter, eggs, flour, and dusted with powdered sugar. Gooey butter cookies are similar to this formula. They are super moist, chewy and impossible to resist.