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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.
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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 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.
How To Make Cheesecake Cookies
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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. 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.
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
Cheesecake 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
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
what type of flour do you use, Self rising or all Purpose
all-purpose flour
I wonder what would happen if you substituted a little bit of cornstarch for the flour. I hear cornstarch softens the harsh proteins in flour. I would have no clue the ratio though. Just a thought. I have heard that using cornstarch in a chocolate chip recipe will soften the finished cookie and stay soft. I also have heard of using cornstarch in sugar cookie dough, the kind you roll out for cutouts and you can keep rolling out scraps and it won’t change the texture.
This cookies are delicious, I only used 1 cup of sugar, and with the powdered sugar at the end they taste really nice without being too sweet. Which is the best way to store them? Thanks for sharing the recipe ?
I tried these with almond and they were amazing!
Almond flour or almond extract?
Hi!
I am of South America and our measures to Cook are different to the American, would be great than in the recipe you put the amount in grams, so it would be much easier.
Thank you
Do these need to be refrigerated?
No.
Just made these cookies last night and they are yummy. My husband loved them. Somewhere between a light cookie and a little pillow of deliciousness. I used vanilla. Will try lemon next time which may be tomorrow! Thanks.
How do you store these cookies? Do they need to be in the refrigerator?
I just these cookies. I substituted the Vanilla for fresh lemon juice. I also added crushed graham cracker crumbs to the top of cookies before baking. I also used a 1 1/2 scoop , I prefer bite size cookies. DELICIOUS!
Re TIPS to prevent OVERBAKING & dryness. I would like to add 1 more tip by emphasizing something ALREADY stated in your recipe. You say to remove cookies from cookie sheet after 1-2 minutes & place on cooling rack. If you don’t remove the cookies within 1-2 minutes, they will continue to “cook” on the hot cookie sheet! We Bakers sometimes get so focused on getting the next batch ready to go in the oven, we can lose track of time & wait too long to remove the baked cookies from the cookie sheet. So I always set my microwave timer to remind me because 1-2 minutes passes so quickly! Also never place cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet! You need to either use 2 cookie sheets, which is my preference, or wait for cookie sheet to cool. Placing raw dough on a hot cookie sheet can cause them to “melt” & spread out. It definitely alters the consistency of the baked cookies. These tips apply to just about all cookies, not just to this recipe. Hope these tips are helpful!
Thank you so much for your feedback and tips Donna!
Just made these last night. Simple to make, but I added 1 1/2 cups of sugar instead of the 1 1/4 cup and let’s just say they came out “melt in your mouth” delicious. These are just as pretty as they are good. Not bland nor too sweet but PERFECT!
I just made these and followed the exact instructions! The first 6 came out very buiscuit like, you may want to add to the instructions I had to bake mine at 325 for 10 mins and had to roll them into balls instead of plopping them down with a ice cream scoop.
Just made these cookies with Neufchâtel- don’t know how much that matters but the cookies are like cake and very bland. Very disappointed!
The Neufchatel can make a difference in the flavor for sure. If you can, try them again with regular cream cheese and maybe add a little lemon juice.
COULD YOU PUT A DAB OF JELLY ON THESE BEFORE BAKING?
I’m not sure that would work.
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.
I can’t recommend anything for that situation…you’d have to really know that person to know what is acceptable.
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.
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.
Has anyone tried freezing these and if so, how were they after thawing?
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.
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.
What if all you have is unsalted butter??
What kind of chocolate did you dip them in?
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.
Thanks for your feedback Kimberly!