I love everything with cream cheese from Carrot Cake to Red Velvet Cupcakes and Homemade Red Velvet Cake so it will come as no surprise that I am OBSESSED with these cookies. So soft, like clouds and the flavor is just on point, not too sweet, just right with lovely notes of cream cheese and vanilla.
How to Make Cream Cheese Cookies
1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set the bowl aside. You can always sift the dry ingredients out (I do) but it’s not a must for this recipe.
2. Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large bowl using an electric hand mixer.
3. Add sugar to butter mixture and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract then scrape the bowl down and mix once more.
4. Dump the flour mixture into the bowl and beat until just combined. You can use a spatula to give one final mix, scraping the bottom and making sure there are no unmixed bits hanging around. Cover bowl and chill for at least an hour.
5. Preheat oven to 375F and portion out pieces of dough about two tablespoons in size. Dampen your clean hands and roll into a ball. The cookie dough will be sticky and you may need to wash your hands halfway through but they will bake perfectly!
6. Place each ball about two inches apart on a parchment paper or silicone-lined baking sheet. Transfer cookie sheet to the middle rack of you oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes. The cookies are done when the edge is set and just starts to turn color. The cookies will continue to set as they cool so just let them come to room temperature before enjoying.
Pro Tips for this recipe
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Scrape the bowl down before beating the dry mixture in, you want a nice homogenous mixture without beating for too long.
- These balls of dough will be sticky but worth it! Dampen your hands before rolling and take a wash up break if they get too caked with cookie batter.
- You can dust cookies with powdered sugar after baking or drizzle lightly with melted white chocolate for a bit of visual interest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do they need to be refrigerated?
This type of cookie can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature for two days. Things with lots of cream cheese like cheesecakes and baked goods with cream cheese frosting should definitely be refrigerated.
Can you freeze them?
These cookies can be frozen just like other cookies. Wrap well and keep in an airtight container. I will say like all other cookies there taste best warm out of the oven.
Can you use cream cheese instead of butter in cookies?
Cream cheese will work instead of butter in most cookie recipes! You can even sub in some cream cheese in pie crusts. I would recommend a subbing in half of the butter for cream cheese but in a pinch you can do a full swap out. Keep an eye on the oven as bake times will differ.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Cream Cheese Cookies recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Cream Cheese Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 113g, room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese 113g, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract 10mL
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 210g
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the sugar in and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla in and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl down and mix one more time to combine.
- Add the dry mixture into the wet and mix on low until just combined. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom and give the mixture one last mix then cover and chill for at least an hour.
- Heat oven to 375F then portion out roughly two tablespoon-sized pieces and roll into a ball. The dough will be sticky so It's best to dampen your hands a bit and just wash them when they get a bit covered. Place about two inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are set and just turning golden.
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Scrape the bowl down before beating the dry mixture in, you want a nice homogenous mixture without beating for too long.
- These balls of dough will be sticky but worth it! Dampen your hands before rolling and take a wash up break if they get too caked with cookie batter.
- You can dust cookies with powdered sugar after baking or drizzle lightly with melted white chocolate for a bit of visual interest.
MARLANE BERSANE says
Yummy! So light and fluffy too. My husband prefers them with no toppings as I prefer powered sugar. It was a quick and easy mix. I made batter last night & baked this morning to enjoy with our coffee.
H Jones says
Simple and delicious. I made a second batch with brown sugar instead of white, rum flavor instead of vanilla, and added cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Amazing!! Thanks!
Michelle says
My cookies turned out really soft. The taste was superb but it wasn’t really a cookie. It was more like a cake. Did I under bake my cookies? I used the recommended time and oven temp.
John Kanell says
Maybe an extra minute in the oven or maybe your oven is a bit coooler?
Liz Elorta says
So fluffy, yes it is real! This recipe leaves my family wanting for MORE. 😋
Loretta Brown09 says
Made these cookies with a half teaspoon of almond flavoring and just a small amount of vanilla glaze.Very,very,very delicious!
Karrie says
So good it was a bit of a work because I did it by hand but boi if it wasn’t good
Ma. Cecilia says
I’m gonna try to bake next week amd try my new oven!! I’ll try your recipes especially the brownies and cookies!!❤
utarng says
These cookies are absolutely divine. Maybe my new favorite.
Aditi says
Hi! Tried this today and the cookies turned out lovely – soft and moist. I used brown sugar, so it has a lovey caramel colour. Approved by my toddler as well!
Many Thanks
Aditi
Dawn M Robertson says
Super delicious and quick to make! I made these with Bob’s 1 for 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. Mixed them on my lunch break and baked them in the afternoon. They turned out great! Very light snd ‘cakey’ inside, like John’s. I also folded some sprinkles into the dough before putting it in the fridge. I found that they bake better on silpat mats. The pan I baked on a metal pan with parchment got too brown on the bottom. I made a simple confectioners sugar icing and drizzled the cookies when they cooled off. So far I’ve eaten 4. Hopefully I can stop for the day. I promised myself that I wasn’t going to bake any sweets this week but then I watched John’s video for these last night and that promise went out the window!
Melissa B says
Super delicious! Instead of dusting with powdered sugar, I let the ball get covered before shaping it so it wasn’t as sticky. I also added mini chocolate chips! Awesome favorite in our household!