Kristin Maxwell
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Cheesecake Cookies
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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.
CHEESECAKE COOKIE RECIPE
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.
This particular recipe has been pinned over 1 MILLION times and has been the most popular cookie on my site since it’s 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.
HOW TO MAKE CHEESECAKE COOKIES
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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.
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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.
- 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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
CHEESECAKE COOKIE RECIPE TIPS & FAQS
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. Over-baking 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, it’s just stirred for enough time to incorporate it. Over-mixing the flour can also result in a dry or crumbly cookie.
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!
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:
- Fudgy Dark Chocolate Brownie Cookies
- Magic Bar Cookies
- Chocolate Chip M & M Cookies
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
If you’ve made this recipe, please come back and leave us a star rating or a comment below. Or, tag us on social media @yellowblissroad or #yellowblissroad for a chance to be featured.
Cheesecake Cookies
Creamy, fluffy cookies with a delicate powdered sugar topping
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 20 mins
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
I absolutely love these cookies. I’m sorry but if you have tried making them and it didn’t turn out it’s because you can’t follow instructions. She is specific about everything. I want to add apple and caramel. But I’m not sure how. The recipe is very delicate
Thank you for the kind words. I think a drizzle of caramel would be delicious, but the apples would be too soggy.
Tried this recipe for my coworkers and it was a big hit. Thinking about some variations like sandwich cookie or glazed.
Just wondering, I know they are shelf stable, but for how long?
They should remain fresh for at least 4 days stored in a covered container at room temperature.
These are a Christmas cookie must have in our house! My family loves them. They are super light and so delicious. Plus it’s a super simple recipe to make with 2 young girls! First batch is in the oven as we speak! 🌲🎅🌲
Nice! Thanks for stopping Megan.
I tried this recipe 2 different ways and had a “taste test” with friends and family. For one batch, I added a bit of almond flavoring (just because I love it) and one with a bit of fresh lemon. Overall, people preferred the lemon. It didn’t taste like lemon, but did give it a more “cheesecake-y” flavor, as was suggested. But to be clear – they were both delicious! As far as people concerned about the dough’s soft texture, it definitely is, but it was super easy to scoop and release with my cookie scoop (and much quicker and easier than recipes that require you to roll the dough into balls). I’m taking these to a Christmas cookie exchange this week; they are very different than typical cookies and it will fun to bring something unique. 🙂 Thank you!
You are so welcome Amy! Fantastic feedback, thank you for taking the time to share.
Delicious cookies! Although I don’t know that I would call them cheesecake cookies because they are so light and fluffy. Sticky dough is an understatement lol. So I used one of your review remarks rolling them in the powdered sugar they’re fabulous.Definitely will make them again
Awesome feedback Valerie! Thank you so much for stopping by to share.
I baked them with my kids and they loved them they taste like tiny cakes hahaha i enjoyed them a lot with a nice coup of coffee and I love that you can control the sweetness, even my husband enjoyed them and he likes everything sweet .. oh yeah and I only used 1 cup of sugar.
Awesome feedback Aries! Thank you so much for stopping by to share.
These cookies are amazing! This is the first time I’ve made them and everyone agrees that they are the new “must have”
Thank you so much for the wonderful comment Jill!
Don’t waste your money making cheese cake cookies, they taste like nothing. I didn’t even finish baking mine. I threw my mix away. So disappointed!!
So you didn’t even finish the recipe yet came back to give it a poor rating? Maybe you lost your sense of taste because this recipe has hundreds of reviewers who absolutely loved it.
SO GOOD. I did a cup of granular sugar and 1/4 of brown because I ran out of regular sugar and squeezed the juice of a third of a lemon. Divine. This is a staple from now on. I swear my daughter ate a whole cookie worth of batter by herself. So yum.
Almost like a sour cream cookie but better.
Wondering once these cookies are baked, whether keeping them in the freezer for a few weeks over the holidays and pulling them out as needed is doable? do they keep well frozen?
The cookies do freeze well. My only advice would be to dust with powdered sugar after you thaw them.
Can I freeze them after I dip them in chocolate? Also, can I package them while still frozen or do I need to defrost them?
Thank You!!
Freezing the chocolate can cause condensation, so make sure they are fully cool before dipping.
I’ve made these at least 10 times since finding this recipe & they’re always great. Is it possible to make the dough ahead of time & keep it in the fridge/freezer for a couple days?
Yes, just thaw it in the fridge overnight before baking.
Soo good! And super easy to make. They’re a favorite for my family, made em about 4 times already!
Thank you so much!
You are so welcome Sara! Thanks for stopping by.
These are a favorite of everyone I make it for. The little girl next door is always begging me to make these. lol. For those of you having issues. As stated in the recipe you cannot over bake these or they will get dry. They will look undone when they come out. Also you need to leave them on the pan. I usually leave them for at least 8 minutes. I did like them a tad sweeter so added 1/2 cup of sugar, but I have made them without adding the extra sugar and they are still yummy.
Awesome feedback Mary! Thank you so much for taking the time to share.
We LOVE these cookies. They have become a family favorite for birthdays, picnics, Christmas or just to have for something delicious. I haven’t met anyone who has had them that doesn’t love them.
Nice! Love the feedback Cindy! Thanks for stopping by.
they came out flat and hard but soft and doughy on the bottom.
For those complaining the dough is too sticky… I simply drop spoonfuls into the powdered sugar before baking. They turn out beautiful and delicious!
Love the feedback Janet! Thanks for sharing.
Hi,
Can I make balls with the cookie dough?
Thank you!
Hi Lynne, the dough is very soft and tacky, it wouldn’t stay in a ball form.
I won my family’s annual cookie challenge with this recipe this year! I added white chocolate, Graham cracker crumbles and a strawberry slice on top… amazing! Thank you!
That’s fantastic Jeffery!! You are so welcome! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi Jeffery….did you add the graham cracker crumble before or after baking? Please and thank you.
My family ate them right up! They are so easy to make and perfect dessert for any occasion. Recommend for any level of bakers.
That’s awesome Heather! Thanks for stopping by.