Cake mix cookies?

Does anyone have a recipe to make cookies out of a package of carrot cake mix? Is there anything that needs to be added or omitted when making the cookies? Thanks.

– Margie Allen, Sacramento

Fans of Olive Garden soup

I was wondering if anyone has the recipes for Olive Garden's soups. We love their minestrone as well as their other soups.

Thank you.

– Arkie Thelen, Loomis

St. Louis gooey butter cake

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 9

Alex Wood of Sacramento was looking for California Pizza Kitchen's butter cake recipe, or one similar. Wood said the cake was sugar-coated and crisp on the outside and had a soft, rich dense inside.

Jean Edwards of Citrus Heights shares this recipe, one that she makes often. Edwards adds a touch of cinnamon to this cake and garnishes it with fresh berries.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup butter, softened

Cake:

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 egg

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or more to taste

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

Powdered sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

For the crust: Combine flour, sugar and salt in a medium-size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling together. If it's reluctant to "cling," work in a tablespoon or so of water. Pat the dough over the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan.

For the cake: In the bowl of an electric mixer, on medium speed, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in egg.

In a small bowl, mix together the corn syrup, vanilla and milk. Start adding flour to the butter mixture on low speed, alternately with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Pour batter into crust-lined pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until cake is nearly set; be careful not to overbake. Cool in pan on wire rack.

To serve, sprinkle top with a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Per serving: 488 cal.; 5 g pro.; 64 g carb.; 24 g fat (16 sat., 6 monounsat., 2 polyunsat.); 85 mg chol.; 35 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 38 g sugar; 44 percent calories from fat.

Marcella Sarne's now-famous butter almond cake (corrected)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Serves 9

This recipe was featured in the Nov. 9 Mailbox. Due to a computer glitch before it was received at The Bee, the teaspoons came out "tablespoons." Here is the corrected recipe.

Of the two butter cake recipes Jean Edwards shared, this one is her favorite.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

2 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups flour

Granulated sugar, garnish

Slivered almonds, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, blend the sugar with melted butter. Add eggs and mix well. Stir in vanilla extract, almond extract and salt. Add flour and combine well.

Spread batter into a greased 9-inch round pan. Sprinkle with granulated sugar and almonds. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.

Per serving: 381 cal.; 4 g pro.; 52 g carb.; 17 g fat (11 sat., 5 monounsat., 1 polyunsat.); 82 mg chol.; 148 mg sod.; 1 g fiber; 35 g sugar; 40 percent calories from fat.

HOW TO CONTACT THE MAILBOX

If you have recipes in reply to Mailbox reader requests, or questions or comments, write to: Mailbox, c/o Taste, The Sacramento Bee, P.O. Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852. You also can email twatson@sacbee.com or fax (916) 556-5625. Please include your full name, your city and phone number.

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