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These Cheesecake Cookies are so creamy and tender. It’s a delicious cookie recipe that’s not too sweet but totally addictive!

We love classic cookie recipes, like The Best Peanut Butter Blossoms and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. These Cheesecake Cookies are the soon to be classic that everybody will be raving about.

Pan filled with cheesecake cookies
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Cheesecake Cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes. They are so good! Back when I created them in 2014, I dipped them in chocolate which made them even tastier. This updated version I decided to skip the chocolate and instead give them a nice coating of powdered sugar. These cookies have an ultra creamy texture that resembles a cheesecake, with the subtle flavor of one.

Pan filled with cheesecake cookies

This particular recipe has been pinned over 1 MILLION times and has been the most popular cookie on my site since its creation. However some bakers have had trouble with the cookies, either thinking they were not sweet enough, that the batter was too sticky to work with or that they came out more like biscuits.

I finally set some time aside a few weeks ago to work on the recipe, testing it for those exact things. I didn’t do much to tweak the recipe, other than adding a little bit more sugar. I’m going to address each of those issues in this post.

Stack of cheesecake cookies

How To Make Cheesecake Cookies

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. It’s important to preheat the oven so that the cookies will bake evenly.
  2. Beat room temperature cream cheese and butter together at high speed until the mixture is fluffy and smooth, then add sugar and beat until fully incorporated and fluffy. The mixture should be smooth and not at all gritty since the sugar will melt into the warm butter. Finally beat in eggs and vanilla.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl with a wire whisk. This helps to ensure that the ingredients are evenly incorporated once you add them to the butter mixture so there are no clumps of salt or baking power because EW.
  4. Be careful not to over-mix when adding the dry ingredients to the wet because this will release the gluten from the flour resulting in a dense cookie. We’re going for light and fluffy and oh so creamy.
  5. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. NOTE – THE BATTER WILL BE STICKY. You can put the batter in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to help it firm up a bit, but it will still be a little sticky and can be difficult to work with. I promise you though, the end result is so worth it!
  6. Bake for about 10-11 minutes. The cookies should be light in color, not browned, and just starting to brown on the bottom. *The actual length of baking time may vary as oven temperatures do tend to vary as well.
  7. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
A close up of cheesecake cookies

When making these cookies, you want to be sure and follow the directions exactly. I’ve also updated those instructions to hopefully make them more clear. Here are some tips based on questions and issues from readers.

  • “The flavor/sweetness is too subtle.” I personally felt that once the cookies were dipped in chocolate they were sweet enough. I’m assuming that people who didn’t think they were sweet enough were skipping this step. Plain cheesecake isn’t always super sweet, and I liked the cookies the way they were. However to sweeten them up, I added a quarter cup more sugar to the recipe below. They still came out great and had a nice, subtle sweetness that was amplified by the powdered sugar I sprinkled on top. I also cut the vanilla in half, but you could leave it out altogether if you want more of a cream-cheesey flavor. The vanilla just kind of smooths out the flavor profile.
  • “They don’t taste like cheesecake.” This one is a tough one to answer because, well, this is not a cheesecake recipe. It’s a cookie recipe. The term “cheesecake” refers more to the creamy texture of the cookie. If you really want more of a tart/tangy flavor, one reader suggested adding lemon juice. Great idea! I’d say if you want to try this method, replace the vanilla with 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice. This will give a more tangy bite which will more closely resemble the flavor of cheesecake.
  • “My batter was way too sticky.” I can see where people might have this concern about the batter being sticky. However, although it WAS sticky, I used my Medium Cookie Scoop and the dough released fairly easily for me after a few pumps of the trigger. A few times I had to help it along, but not to the point where they wouldn’t drop at all. These are super moist and tender cookies, so the batter IS going to be a little sticky. Just be prepared for that. The images below show what the batter should look like. And if you watch the video just before the printable recipe, you can see that this cookie recipe really does work!
  • “Mine came out biscuit-like and crumbly.” – As stated in the original recipe, it is imperative to NOT over-bake these cookies. In fact, you want it to almost feel like you’ve under-baked them. They should not get brown on the top and should just start to lightly brown on the bottom. Overbaking will result in a crumbly, dry cookie, more resembling a biscuit. Each oven is different and may be actually baking at a different temperature than what you think. I recommend picking up an oven thermometer to test the temperature of your oven. I tested mine recently and realized that it’s about 10 degrees off, which in baking can cause issues. The other issue I think could cause a problem is the mixing. The cream cheese, butter and sugar should be mixed on high speed for a good 2-3 minutes. You can see in the first image how fluffy it is. That’s what you want. Then when you add the flour, its just stirred for enough time to incorporate it. Over-mixing the flour can also result in a dry or crumbly cookie.
A bowl of cheesecake cookie dough

Several people have asked about the silicone mats – I got them at Costco a couple of years ago and I doubt they are still available. However I did find something similar on Amazon HERE. (aff link)

Overall, these Cheesecake Cookies are still a favorite cookie recipe in our house. I hope you’ll give these awesome cookies a try – they really are super delicious!

Pan filled with cheesecake cookies

Looking to fill your chocolate fix? Try our Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies! And be sure to check out the Christmas Cheesecake Cookies version for the holidays!

For more delicious cookie recipes, try these:

A half eaten Cheesecake Cookie
Recipe
A half eaten Cheesecake Cookie

Cheesecake Cookies

4.76 from 170 votes
Creamy, fluffy cookies with a delicate powdered sugar topping
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 44 cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces full fat cream cheese room temperature
  • 1/2 cup butter room temperature
  • 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.
  • Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart; batter will be sticky. *You can put the batter in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to help it firm up a bit.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be light in color, not browned, and just starting to brown on the bottom. *Length of baking time may vary from oven to oven.
  • Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar or dip in chocolate once cooled.

Notes

  • The vanilla smooths out the flavor, but for a more tart, cheesy flavor, add a teaspoon of lemon juice or no extracts at all.
  • Do not overbake. This can cause the cookies to come out more dry and biscuit like.
  • Nutritional values and calorie count is per cookie.
  • These cookies do not need to be refrigerated. Store at room temperature in a sealed container.
  • For more tips, be sure to read the FAQs in the post.
  • For chocolate dipped cookies, melt some chocolate in the microwave (chocolate chips or wafers and dip the cooled cookies in the melted chocolate. 

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 64mgPotassium: 35mgSugar: 5gVitamin A: 145IUCalcium: 16mgIron: 0.4mg
Keyword cheesecake cookies
A tray of cheesecake cookies with text overlay
Cheesecake Cookies pinnable image (stacked cookies)

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

    1. Yes you can add a bit more flour. The batter will be very sticky and not super thick, but you should be able to drop it into the powdered sugar and roll it. Moisture in the air can cause changes in the consistency when baking, which is likely what happened since ost of the country is experiencing winter weather.

  1. These are great. They really taste like cheesecake. I have made them with a Hershey kiss or nonpareil pressed on top and as thumbprints with cherry filling.

  2. These are my go to Christmas cookie. Everyone loves them and asks for more. We like to cook them and then store them in a container overnight. They taste better the next day.

  3. I have been making these for years now. My kids beg for these to be in the holiday cookie list. These work great as a gluten free cookie – just swap flour for gf flour( I use King Arthur). We like to double the batch- add almond extract and dye them green and call them “grinch” cookies to make them more holiday. Everyone always raves about these and they are simple but delicious. We usually do a double batch and put them in powdered sugar and then bake the other half of the batch plain and freeze them as if I only make a single recipe they magically disappear!!!! I would give this more stars if I could.

  4. Hi Kristin:
    I’m going to make the Christmas cheesecake cookies for a cookie swap. Can I form the balls and then freeze them. If so do I need to defrost them before baking them or add more time to cook if they are frozen.

  5. I made this recipe by making following changes
    1/4 c more white sugar
    Squeeze of lemon
    No powdered sugar(I didnt want to clean it up LOL)

    First off… I love these!
    They are so moist and light and yummy!

    I only made the changes after reading through the excerpt above recipe. I do love lemon and I think next time I will add in more. But woah! SO good!
    They are very easy to over bake. I did so on 2 pans while I was wrangling my kids. However, not enough to throw them out. They were just a bit more done then they should have.
    They are a favorite cookie in my house now. Warm out of oven, or cold!
    I also think I will try a drizzle of strawberry or raspberry jam over top of them next time.

  6. I’ve been making these cookies for about 3-4 years now and haven’t had a problem. If there’s any such thing as a heavenly tasting cookie, this is it. Absolutely delicious, it’s difficult to eat just one or two that’s the truth. Mouthwatering is an understatement!!!

  7. If you cook them too long they are definitely more like a sweet biscuit. Still delicious, would go well (if made big) with a little marg and/or jam on them while still warm.
    Flavor is kind of bland, and they sort of left a coating on my teeth. If you like plain and very soft-this is the cookie for you.

  8. Very sweet and rich. I was thrown off by how pale they came out. With my oven, I had to cook for about 2-4 mins extra. Definitely tasty but a bit too sweet for me. Great if you want cheesecake flavor but not a whole cheesecake

  9. I made this recipe and i had pumpkin cream cheesed i spread so i used it for the cream cheese and the butter.it came out awesome.it melts in your mouth like cotton candy does.thank you for this recipe.i can’t wait until the pumpkin cream cheese comes out again this fall.

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