Cream Cheese Cookies
These cream cheese cookies are soft and melt in your mouth delicious! They take only 20 minutes from start to finish. No dough chilling and only one mixing bowl needed. These cookies have a delicious cheesecake flavor. Add your favorite toppings or decorations for fun and festive cookies!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These cream cheese cookies are quick and easy.
- Only 20 minutes needed.
- No cookie dough chilling.
- Only one mixing bowl.
- Great for Christmas, birthdays, holidays, Valentine’s Day and more! For another fun treat, make these Hogwarts Cookies!
- They are light and fluffy.
- These cookies are so soft.
- They have a unique cheesecake flavor.
- This recipe can be made with gluten free flour.
- They are naturally nut free.
- Check out these Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies for another delicious dessert!
Ingredients & Substitutions
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for cream cheese cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients list and instructions.
Use room temperature cream cheese. I recommend using regular cream cheese, not low fat.
Use room temperature butter. Do not use melted or cold butter. Be sure to mix the cream cheese and butter until completely creamy.
Granulated white sugar adds sweetness. I have not tried this recipe with coconut sugar or monk fruit sweetener.
Vanilla extract adds a classic cookie flavor.
Only one egg needed. In this recipe, you may be able to replace the 1 egg with ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce. For egg free baking, try these Eggless Cookies.
Both regular all purpose flour and gluten free 1 to 1 flour work well. Do not use almond flour, coconut flour or oat flour.
Add in a pinch of sea salt if desired.
Lastly, a little baking powder helps leaven these cookies. They remain tall and thick.
Taste & Texture
These cream cheese cookies have a delicious flavor! They taste like a mix between vanilla cheesecake and sugar cookies. They are sweet, buttery and tasty.
These cookies are thick, soft and fluffy. They are much softer than traditional chocolate chip cookies. They are not chewy or crispy. These cookies are like soft pillowy clouds.
How to Make
Step 1
First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add room temperature cream cheese and butter. Mix on high for 2 to 3 minutes, until completely creamy. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl as needed.
Step 3
Then, add in granulated sugar. Stir until light and fluffy.
Step 4
Add in vanilla and egg. Stir to combine.
Step 5
Then, add in flour, sea salt and baking powder. Stir to combine.
Step 6
Use an ice cream scooper to scoop balls of cookie dough onto lined baking pan.
Step 7
Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are just barely golden.
Step 8
Finally, remove pan from oven. Allow cream cheese cookies to cool on pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing.
Expert Tips & Tricks
Carefully measure all ingredients.
Use room temperature cream cheese and room temperature butter. Do not use cold ingredients.
Mix butter and cream cheese until fully creamy and fluffy.
Cream cheese has the tendency to stick to the sides of mixing bowls. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl.
The cookie dough will be more light and airy than regular dough.
Use an ice cream scooper to scoop balls of cookie dough. This prevents having to touch the dough.
In addition, this yields round cookies.
These cookies do not spread much while baking. If you want, press down slightly on dough balls before baking. This creates less thick cookies.
Since they are soft, be careful handling after baking.
Flavor Variations & Add Ins
Consider these flavor variations and additions to your cream cheese cookies.
Add in lemon zest. Use a drop of lemon extract.
Use almond extract instead of vanilla extract.
Add in mini chocolate chips.
Add in regular chocolate chips.
Use white chocolate chips.
Add in a pinch of cinnamon.
Roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar before baking. They will taste similar to a Snickerdoodle cookie!
Roll in sprinkles before baking.
Top with frosting or icing.
How to Serve & Store
Serve cream cheese cookies once cool enough to handle. They are soft and gooey!
Top with your favorite frosting or icing once completely cooled.
They are delicious with coffee, tea, hot chocolate or ice cream!
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze for 1 month if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, these cookies do not have to be refrigerated. They are delicious when chilled though!
Use gluten free 1 to 1 flour to keep them gluten free.
These cookies taste like a mix between sugar cookies and cheesecake. The cream cheese flavor is detectable, but not in a weird way.
Cream cheese can sometimes be used instead of butter in cookies. It depends on the recipe.
You May Also Like
- Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Red Velvet Cookies
- Gluten Free Sugar Cookies
- Hershey Kiss Cookies
If you make this cream cheese cookie recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Join my exclusive Facebook Group for a behind the scenes look. I would love for you to follow along! For more ideas, check out these Dessert Recipes.
Get the Recipe: Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 ⅔ cups flour, all purpose or gluten free flour
- pinch sea salt, optional
- ½ tsp baking powder
Instructions
- First, preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add cream cheese and butter. Mix on high for 2 to 3 minutes, until completely creamy. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl.
- Then, add in sugar. Stir until fluffy.
- Add in vanilla extract and egg. Stir to combine.
- Then, add in flour, sea salt and baking powder. Stir until combined.
- Use an ice cream scooper to scoop balls of dough onto lined pan. Since these cookies do not spread much while baking, feel free to press down slightly for a less thick cookie. Otherwise, place pan in oven.
- Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are just barely golden.
- Finally, remove pan from oven. Allow cookies to cool on pan for 10 minutes before carefully removing.
Notes
- Make sure both cream cheese and butter are room temperature. They will not mix together if they are cold.
- Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed. The cream cheese tends to stick to the bowl.
- The cookie dough is more light, fluffy and airy than traditional cookie dough.
- Use an ice cream scooper to scoop balls of dough. This creates evenly sized, round cookies.
- These cookies stay thick and tall. If you want more traditionally shaped cookies, gently press down on dough balls before baking.
- These cookies are soft and fluffy. Be careful handling after baking.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 1 month.
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3 Comments on “Cream Cheese Cookies”
Hey Addison! I’ve been making these regularly. I find that adding loads of chopped walnuts and rolling them in powdered sugar makes these taste a lot like a soft version of a sable cookie. These are terrific!
Hi Paige! I am so happy to hear that. I will definitely try adding the walnuts to my next batch. Such a yummy idea!
These cookies are so soft and delicious!