If you love cheesecake, you are going to go crazy over this Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe. Cheesecake cookies recipe has everything that you love about cheesecake in bite size cookies.
Cheesecake fans need to stop what they are doing and make this luscious cookie recipe today. Now you can eat cheesecake on the go thanks to these little cream cheese cookies. I have been making these for years.
It only takes a few minutes to whip up these cookies, but the finished product is absolutely delicious.
Whether you need something spectacular for a bake sale or just a tasty dessert, this recipe is a must try. Everyone loves these light and fluffy cookies.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe
These cream cheese cookies are bite size cheesecake. They are light, fluffy and melt in your mouth. These perfectly sweet cookies have a hint of vanilla, but the cream cheese takes them to the next level.
Dusted with powdered sugar, these are the perfect cookies to make for the next holiday or your next bake sale. You will love the tenderness of each soft cookie.
Ingredients
- Cream Cheese. Soften the cream cheese at room temperature so it’s easier to combine.
- Butter. Use real butter in this recipe for the best taste and texture.
- Eggs. I used large eggs.
- Vanilla Extract. Pure vanilla extract makes a difference in the results.
- All-purpose Flour. Make sure you are using plain flour and not self rising.
- Powdered Sugar. This is for sprinkling on top of the cookies, and it taste delicious.
Find the complete list of ingredients at the bottom of the page.
Additions and Substitutions
- Chocolate Chips – Add in ½ cups of chocolate chips to make chocolate chip cream cheese cookies.
- Almond Extract – You can use almond extract instead of vanilla extract for a slightly different flavor.
- Roll Dough in Powdered Sugar – Instead of topping in powder sugar, rolled the dough in powder sugar before baking. This gives the cookies a crinkle look.
- Cinnamon Sugar – You can also roll the dough in a cinnamon sugar mixture before baking as well.
- Peanut Butter – Add a small amount of peanut butter to make peanut butter cheesecake cookies.
How to Make Cheesecake Cookies
- Step 1. Prepare Oven and baking sheets – Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Step 2. Mix unsalted butter and Cream Cheese in a large bowl – Beat butter and cream cheese together with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy and smooth. This will only take a couple of minutes.
- Step 3. Mix in Sugar – Add sugar to the butter mixture and beat until fully combined and fluffy.
Step 4. Add egg and Vanilla – Beat in the eggs and vanilla and continue mixing.
Step 5. Mix dry ingredients – In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Step 6. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. The stir just until combined with a spoon. Do not over-mix. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Refrigerate the dough for 10-20 minutes to firm.
Step 7. Drop the cookie dough balls onto the lined cookie sheets.
- Step 8. Bake the cookies for 10-11 minutes.
- Step 9. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Then sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Toppings
These cookies are not overly sweet. I love topping them with powdered sugar to add just a bit of sweetness.
If you want them to be sweeter, you can top them with a glaze or Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe as well.
Storage
Store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 1 week. I keep a piece of white bread in the container with the cookies to keep them soft.
These cookies are great to make in advance. Since these cookies have simple ingredients, I like to have them already prepared especially during the holidays.
Pro Tips
- Cookie Scoop. I highly recommend using a cookie scoop. You will thank me later because it saves so much time on spooning out the cookies.
- Baking liner. Clean up is easy and the cookies turn out perfectly every time when you use liners. I like silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- Room temperature ingredients. Use ingredients that are at room temperature. Room temperature ingredients mix more evenly and bake more evenly.
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly. First fluff the flour. Fill the measuring cup with flour and level it on with a knife. Do not pack the flour into the measuring cup.
- Forming the dough balls. This dough is very sticky. I recommend damping your hands or the cookie scoop when putting the dough on the baking sheet.
- Chill the dough. The dough does need to be chilled before baking so don’t skip this step. This helps keep the cookies fluffy and not flat.
- Bake these cookies on the center rack. This will ensure that the cookies will bake more evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use the cream cheese that comes in a brick form and not the one in a tub. The cream cheese in a tub is generally softer and meant for spreading. It’s not the best for baking.
Also, I recommend using full fat cream cheese to get all the flavor in these cookies. Using the reduce fat cream cheese doesn’t hold up as well in this recipe.
In most cookie recipes, you can use cream cheese instead of butter. I prefer to use half and half instead of replacing all the butter with cream cheese.
However, you can use all cream cheese when baking. Just watch the cooking time as the bake times will differ.
Typically, items with a large amount of cream cheese will need to be refrigerated such as cheesecake. Baked good with a smaller amount of cream cheese do not have to be refrigerated.
The cookies have a smaller amount of cream cheese and should be fine store in just an airtight container.
You can also freezer these cookies in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Defrost them out at room temperature and they are ready to enjoy!
These cookies are easy to freeze. You can easily double to batch so that you have them ready to go for your next bake sale.
Try These Other Easy Cookie Recipes
- Funfetti Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Recipe
- 4th of July Cake Mix Cookies Recipe
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Cake Mix Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Lemon Cool Whip Cookies
More Cream Cheese Desserts
- Cream Cheese Cake Mix Cookies
- Chocolate Oreo Lasagna Recipe
- Cinnamon Roll Poke Cake Recipe
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Recipe
- Cream Cheese Pound Cake Recipe
- Cream Cheese Glaze
Make these Cream Cheese Cookies for the best cookie tray. Leave a star recipe rating and comment once you do.
Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Beat cream cheese and butter together at high speed until fluffy and smooth; 1-2 minutes.
- Add sugar to the butter mixture and beat until fully incorporated and fluffy; 1-2 minutes.
- Beat in the eggs and vanilla; 1 minute.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir just until incorporated. Do not over-mix.
- Place batter in fridge for 10-20 minutes to firm.
- Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be light in color, not browned.
- Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
You must make these cookies! They melt in your mouth. I added a bit of almond extract because we love almond cookies. My family devoured them and asked for more. 5 stars for sure!
Just made these today and Wow they are like having a bite out of a cheesecake. Definitely will be making more in the future, and I have this recipe saved now. Thank you for sharing it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe – thanks for sharing!