Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
These strawberry cheesecake cookies are soft, sweet and so delicious! The cream cheese filling tastes exactly like creamy cheesecake. Make these any time of the year for the best little dessert. These cookies are over the top delicious and great for holidays and birthdays!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These strawberry cheesecake cookies are gooey, creamy and delicious!
- The cream cheese filling is so smooth and creamy.
- They are bright and fresh.
- Great for any season, any occasion and any holiday.
- The fresh strawberries add a pop of color and flavor.
- They are very similar to these Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies and these Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies!
- They are way better than the similar Subway cookies!
- This recipe can be made gluten free or not.
- Use gluten free flour for gluten free cookies.
- Check out these Raspberry White Chocolate Cookies for another fun fruit filled cookie!
Ingredients & Substitutions
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for strawberry cheesecake cookies. See recipe card below for full ingredients list and instructions for strawberry cheesecake cookies.
Regular cream cheese or light cream cheese can both be used. I have not tried this recipe with dairy free cream cheese, but I have never had trouble using dairy free cream cheese in the past.
The butter must be cold. Slightly softened butter will yield cookies that spread while baking. Use butter straight from your fridge. The stand mixer will do the work to beat it into the sugars.
Brown sugar creates perfectly sweet cookies without being gritty. Coconut sugar or Keto sugar can be used, but may yield slightly more gritty and grainy cookies.
Applesauce is a great egg substitute if and only if absolutely necessary. For each egg, replace with 1/4 cup applesauce. Since these cookies are made with 2 eggs, use 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. See these Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies for more tips about egg free baking.
Both gluten free 1 to 1 flour and all purpose flour will work. I do not suggest using any other flours.
Use fresh ripe strawberries for best results. I do not recommend using frozen strawberries. Even thawed frozen strawberries contain too much liquid and will yield very runny strawberry cheesecake cookies. For frozen berries, try these Strawberry Cookies.
For the pumpkin version, make these Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies!
Cream Cheese Filling
The cream cheese filling is made from cream cheese and powdered sugar. It is smooth, creamy and sweet.
Use either regular cream cheese or light cream cheese.
Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until completely mixed. Beat until no clumps of cream cheese remain.
The mixture will be a little sticky so use a spoon to scoop balls of mixture onto parchment lined pan.
Allow the balls to freeze for at least 30 minutes. This will help firm them up and they will become easier to work with.
For another fun idea, check out these Stuffed Cookies!
Taste & Texture
These strawberry cheesecake cookies taste like strawberry shortcake! The cream cheese filling tastes like vanilla cheesecake. The strawberries add a pop of fresh fruit flavor.
For a chocolate chip version, check out these Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies.
These cookies are soft and thick. They are not dry! These cookies are also buttery.
How to Make
Step 1
First, make the cream cheese filling. In a stand mixer, beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy.
Step 2
Scoop out 1 teaspoon sized balls of cream cheese mixture. Place on parchment lined baking pan. Repeat for all cream cheese mixture. Place pan in freezer while making the cookie dough.
Step 3
To make the cookie dough, add cold butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a clean stand mixer. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes or until no clumps of butter remain.
Step 4
Add in eggs. Stir until combined.
Step 5
Add in remaining ingredients except strawberries. Stir until a thick cookie dough is formed.
Step 6
Carefully fold in diced strawberries. Place bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Step 7
After 30 minutes, remove dough from fridge. Remove cream cheese balls from freezer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking pan with parchment paper.
Step 8
Use spoon to scoop large balls of cookie dough. Place on lined baking pan. Use thumb or back of spoon to press an indent in the center of cookie dough. Place a ball of cream cheese mixture into indent.
Step 9
Form the dough into a ball around the cream cheese. Be sure it is completely sealed inside.
Step 10
Continue for all cookie dough and cream cheese balls. Space at least 3 inches apart on baking pan.
Step 11
Bake strawberry cheesecake cookies for 11 to 12 minutes or until cookies are just set in the middle.
Step 12
Finally, remove strawberry cheesecake cookies from oven. Allow strawberry cheesecake cookies to cool on pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Expert Tips & Tricks
Use softened cream cheese for best results. It creams easily, yielding no clumps of cream cheese in the filling.
Use a spoon to scoop balls of cream cheese mixture onto lined pan. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Cold butter is vital. Softened butter and especially melted butter will yield cookies that spread too much while baking.
Use fresh ripe strawberries for the best flavor and texture.
When forming the stuffed cookies, fully enclose cream cheese balls in the cookie dough.
Bake until strawberry cheesecake cookies are just set in the middle. These are meant to be slightly gooey!
How to Serve & Store
Serve strawberry cheesecake cookies once they are cool enough to handle. They are delicious both warm and chilled. They are great with a tall glass of milk!
These are great served with ice cream. For a delicious dessert, try them with chocolate ice cream. The chocolate strawberry combination is so tasty. Try these Strawberry Brownies too!
Since they contain cream cheese, store cookies in the fridge for up to 4 days.
These cookies also freeze well! Freeze for up to 1 month.
They can be eaten pretty frozen solid. Or, let them thaw.
Frequently Asked Questions
Regular or light cream cheese are both great options.
Yes, definitely! Make these cookies as written in the recipe and omit the cream cheese filling. It is still important to chill the dough before baking.
No. Frozen strawberries contain so much liquid which would yield runny cookies.
Use gluten free flour to make sure they are gluten free.
Sure! Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries work well.
These cookies taste like a soft sugar cookie with chopped strawberries. The filling tastes like vanilla cheesecake. For a stronger strawberry flavor, try adding in freeze dried strawberries to the cookie dough.
You May Also Like
If you make this strawberry cheesecake cookies recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along! For more ideas, check out these Dessert Recipes.
Get the Recipe: Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Cookies
- 1 cup cold butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- 2 eggs
- 3 ⅔ cups gluten free 1 to 1 flour, or all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup finely diced strawberries
- pinch sea salt, optional
Instructions
- First, make the cream cheese filling. In a stand mixer, beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy.
- Scoop out 1 teaspoon sized balls of cream cheese mixture. Place on parchment lined baking pan. Repeat for all cream cheese mixture. Place pan in freezer while making the cookie dough.
- To make the cookie dough, add cold butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar to a clean stand mixer. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes or until no clumps of butter remain.
- Add in eggs. Stir until combined.
- Add in remaining ingredients except strawberries. Stir until a thick cookie dough is formed.
- Carefully fold in diced strawberries. Place bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
- After 30 minutes, remove dough from fridge. Remove cream cheese balls from freezer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line baking pan with parchment paper.
- Use spoon to scoop large balls of cookie dough. Place on lined baking pan. Use thumb or back of spoon to press an indent in the center of cookie dough. Place a ball of cream cheese mixture into indent.
- Form the dough into a ball around the cream cheese. Be sure it is completely sealed inside.
- Continue for all cookie dough and cream cheese balls. Space at least 3 inches apart on baking pan.
- Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until cookies are just set in the middle.
- Finally, remove from oven. Allow cookies to cool on pan for 10 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Softened cream cheese is much easier to beat than cold cream cheese. Beat until no clumps of cream cheese remain.
- The balls of cream cheese mixture do not have to be perfectly round.
- This recipe needs very cold butter. Use butter straight from your fridge. Softened butter will yield runny, thin cookies that spread too much while baking.
- This recipe can be made with either gluten free 1 to 1 flour or all purpose flour.
- The cookie dough will seem thick. This is purposeful so that the cookie dough can securely hold the cream cheese filling.
- Bake until cookies seem just barely set in the middle. They will be soft when they first come out of the oven.
- Due to the cream cheese filling, store cookies in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- These cookies are large!
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100 Comments on “Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies”
I’ve made these cookies 3 times now over the last year or so. I always end up making the cookies too big so I end up with 12 instead of 15. I find they need to cook for closer to 15-17 mins, but that is probably because I make them so big.
I also add in some red food color to the filling to make it pink just for fun! This time I totally froze the filling before making the cookies and that helped a ton.
So delicious!
That is such a fun idea! Thank you for loving these cookies as much as I do. I really appreciate your support!
Can I use a hand mixer instead?
Yes, that should work! As long as you are able to fully mix the butter and sugars, that is fine. Enjoy!
hiii i just have a question, should the eggs be cold or room temperature?
Either works! It won’t matter either way. Enjoy these cookies!
Hi girly, my sibilinos and I tired this recipe yesterday and we lived recreating it. They are used to a harder back for bottom/back of the cookie, what do you recommend to achieve this?
Hello! Are you looking for a crispier cookie? These are pretty soft.
Hii I saw this recipe and tried it, but my cookie dough isn’t firm it’s a little gooey. How do I fix it?
Hello! For firmer dough, try adding just a little bit more flour until it looks like the step by step photos above. Or you can chill the dough in the fridge for a few hours to firm it up. Hope this helps!
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but I’m really excited because it’s for my brothers birthday and he LOVES cheesecake. I was wondering how long the cookies can last in room temperature?
Hi Lali! I hope you both love them! I’d say they can last up to 8 hours or so at room temperature. If they are outside and it’s really hot out, I’d say no more than a couple hours. The cookies themselves are fine, it’s the cheesecake filling I’d be worried about. Enjoy!
I had the same problem that another person posted where the dough was too crumbly to form around the cream cheese. It is supposed to be 3 and 2/3 cup flour? And does it make a difference with all purpose vs gluten free flour?
Hi James! Yes, it is supposed to be 3 and 2/3 cups of flour. It is a lot of flour, but these cookies are meant to be thick and doughy. All purpose flour and gluten free flour are interchangeable in this recipe. Maybe try to reduce the flour to 3 cups and try it. Thank you for the feedback!
Is all 3 2/3 cups flour just poured in at once or is it like with most other cookies and you put in a little at a time until it’s all incorporated?
I pour it all in at once. If it’s too thick for you, I’d add half, mix, then add more. I do include step by step photos above for you to see what the dough should look like. Hope this helps!
Hi! Im just trying this recipe out and im super excited. Made 1 batch and im wondering Exactly how long can I leave the dough in the fridge and the cream cheese in the freezer?
Hi Maheen! I hope you love them. I would not leave them in the fridge or freezer for more than 24 hours. Hope this helps!
Hello! Question about the flour measurement. Is it 3 cups and a 2/3 cup of flour or is it 3 measurements of 2/3 cups?
Hello! It is 3 and 2/3 cups flour. This is a lot of flour, but the recipe needs it. The cookie dough has to be thick to hold in that cheesecake filling. Hope you love these!
Hi, I want to try your recipe but I’m not sure if I want to use all purpose flour is only 1 cup or 3 2/3 cups ? Please qualify thanks
Hi! Please use 3 2/3 cups flour. It is a LOT of flour, but it’s necessary to hold up the cheesecake filling inside. I hope you love them!