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Cheesecake Cookies (updated recipe)

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

*This recipe was originally created and shared in 2014. See the original HERE. Looking to fill your chocolate fix? Try our Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies! And be sure to check out the NEW Christmas Cheesecake Cookies version, too!

*This post contains affiliate links.

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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.

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

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.

  •  Flavor/Sweetness. 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.
  • 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.

  • Sticky batter. 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.

  • “Biscuit-like and Crumbly” – As stated in the original recipe, it is imperative NOT to 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 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 the 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 in our house. I hope you’ll give these awesome cookies a try – they really are super delicious!

Watch this video to see how to make Cheesecake Cookies:

Cheesecake Cookies (Re-do)

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 44 cookies

100 votes

Print

Ingredients

  • 8 oz 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

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets; batter will be sticky.
  5. 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.
  6. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  7. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar or dip in chocolate once cooled.

Notes

  • The vanilla smooths out the flavor, but for a more tart, cheesey 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. 

These cookies are also amazing when dipped in chocolate, like in the original recipe:

Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake Cookies

For more delicious cookies, try these:

Kristin

Hi! I’m Kristin, the creative mind behind Yellow Bliss Road where you will be inspired by tons of easy to follow recipes, lots of free printables, and a little sprinkling of life thrown in for good measure.

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  1. Followed the recipe perfectly and they turned out delicious!! Super soft and hubby loved them. He loves cheesecake and I don’t as much. They were perfect for both of us

    Reply

      • Odd. I was always taught to use unsalted in baking unless it specifically called for salted butter. Exactly the opposite! Per my high school culinary teacher: “You can always add more salt, but you can’t take it out.” Lol! Cream cheese is already salty enough. I’d think that adding salted butter would be overkill, especially since she is adding 1/2 tsp in this recipe.

        Reply

    • Regular butter IS unsalted butter. The recipe doesn’t call for salted. Also, the recipe calls for salt in the ingredients so in my opinion that would be quite a bit of unnecessary salt. If they wanted salted they would have written that in the ingredients. In my personal experience with baking, never use salted butter unless it specifically asks for it. I hope that helps! Xox

      Reply

    • I’ve been gluten free only a few years, but I would suggest Pamela’s Artisan Flour or any blend. and add xanthum gum if the particular flour doesn’t add it. The bag of xanthum gum should tell you how much of it to use; if not, googlet it. 🙂

      Reply

  7. Looks delicious – I can’t wait to try them and
    then try them with lemon instead of vanilla and maybe dip in a lemon glaze mmmmm

    Reply

  9. Want to try these goodies~is parchment paper or silicone mat necessary? Can they just be baked on my cookie sheet? Thanks!😊

    Reply

  19. Thought they would have more of a cheesecake taste. They are okay cookies, but not over the top that I would make them again.

    Reply

  20. I saw this recipe and it piqued my interest. I whipped them up and must say these are a pleasant tasting cookie. I did reduce the sugar to one cup as we are not fans of overly sweet baked goods and I think they were just right. When they get an approval and a put these on your make again list from the husband then you know you have a hit on your hands. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  22. K~ haven’t made these yet but the recipe looks divine and took my imagination on a whirlwind path; years ago, in NYC, a friend and I got together regularly to make cheesecakes “every which way you can”. I can see these cookies with finely ground hazelnuts, or vanilla pod seeds, finely snipt dried apricots, or cranberry n pistachio, or flecks of orange rind with Cointreau or Grand Marnier instead of/or with the vanilla, or try a wee dab of jam on top while baking. My aunt used to incorporate some cottage cheese in her cheesecake and it gave it some extra height, I’ll try that too.

    Anyway, so glad I stumbled on your site, I’ll send pics if I can ?
    Thank you for such an inspirational recipe – you’re the bomb !

    Candice

    Reply

  24. HI a friend and I get together each year after thanks giving and bake and we tried these this year. We both love them; we do have a question… Should you refrigerate them? We ask only because we make tons and take them to work and can have them left over for Christmas and New Years.

    Thank you
    Robin

    Reply

    • If you want them to last that long, yes I’d try refrigerating. However, I can’t say that I’ve done that for too long. I would say 2 weeks tops in the fridge. But try freezing them!

      Reply

  28. We have a “Giving Plate” at work right now. I can’t wait to make these cookies this weekend to present to a co-worker on Monday! Will post how well they are received. Thanks for your time & efforts in the recipe & posting!!

    Reply

  29. I make something like these called Snowballs where 1.5 cups of finely chopped pecans are added. I use a tablespoon to scoop up a ball, I roll it bake 12 to 18 min the let cool 3-4 min and roll in powdered sugar. Delicious !!

    Reply

  32. Yes! I made these incredibly delicious cookies. Insted of 2 1/2 cups of flour, I put 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup corn starch, they came out nice and light. Thank you so much Kristin for this recipe. You have a new fan here.

    Reply

  34. Tried these this evening. They are incredible! I added lemon juice instead of vanilla and doubled the recipe. Softest cookie you’ll ever eat! And easy!!! A hit at my house!!! Great thing about these cookies, I would guess, is that you can add a little of this or that or switch this for that and they will still be excellent! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  36. Is it a big deal if I use the neufschatel creeam cheese (1/3 less fat)? Only because I have so many bars of that right now and looking to use them ASAP

    Reply

  38. I made these last night to send most to my soldier , and his fiancé. Now I do not like cheese cake at all , but these were not only easy to put together , and easy to bake . They are light , and airy , and not overly cheesy , but you can tell they are definitely cheese cake . They are good with or without the powdered sugar . In fact the sugar kinda covers the cheese flavor , and makes them a little to sweet for me . Definitely a recipe for all to try , and definitely will be one that I add to my cookies I bake yearly .

    Reply

  39. Just made two batches of these but dipped bottoms in chocolate instead of using powdered sugar. With or without chocolate or powdered sugar, these are FANTASTIC!!!!! My new favorite cookie. Thank you for posting this recipe!!

    Reply

  40. Hey! I made these and they turned out pretty good only that they have a little bitter aftertaste. Did I do something wrong? I would love to make them again but without the bitter.

    Reply

    • Hmmm I’ve never had a bitter aftertaste so without being in your kitchen with you it’s hard to guess what could have happened. My only guess would be to wonder if maybe one of your ingredients was bad?

      Reply

  41. I made these cookies for a cookie swap. A very good recipe for a cookie swap. Instead of the Vanilla, I used 2tsp of lemon juice. I used a ‘cookie scoop’ but then decided that the cookies were too big, so I just rolled them instead. I didn’t have any problems with the cookies being “dry & crumbly”, nice and moist in the middle.

    Reply

  44. These look so delish. I think that I would like to use strawberry or blueberry cream cheese instead of the plain one and a different flavored extract other than vanilla, will update once made.

    Reply

  45. We did not like these cookies at all. They are very blah tasting…I was expecting more flavor with the cream cheese. They looked exactly like the picture, & your tips were all followed. Will not make again.

    Reply

  47. The batter tasted sweet and cheesy, and I was excited for the final product. Unfortunately, baking seems to mellow a lot of the cheesy oomph. The cookies are bread-y or cake-y with a mild complexity from the cream cheese. They’re not bad, but they don’t taste like cheesecake. These cookies would be a good carrier for citrus (as another commenter states) or used as a base for strawberry shortcake because they are so tender. This is a solid base recipe ripe for further experimentation.

    Reply

    • I just wanted to update that these cookies got better on day two! The flavors and texture developed a more over time. I would update my original comment to 4 stars.

      Reply

  48. I have been gluten free for a few years; thus, it’s difficult for me to judge a good gluten cookie. This Christmas, I’m making cookies for someone who has trouble swallowing: Would these be “acceptable “ in that situation?
    Thanks.

    Reply

  50. Just made these cookies with Neufchâtel- don’t know how much that matters but the cookies are like cake and very bland. Very disappointed!

    Reply
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