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.
Laura Nichol says
Just made a double batch of these, and they are deeeelicious! I decided to do them like crinkle cookies so I added a touch of baking soda and rolled them in the powdered sugar before I put them in the oven. They’re awesome, BUT! They’re still not quite as tangy as I’d like them to be. I was looking at other recipes, and this one already contains more cream cheese than the others I saw…do you think it would work to replace even more of the butter with cream cheese for extra tang? Thanks so much for your awesome recipes and chipper videos! ❤
Laura says
Hey there from Germany,
Tried out the recipe today, using 50 gr less Sugar and vanillasugar instead of extract, they were delicious and we eat them all at once. Thank you for sharring your recipes with us. Found your channel on YouTube and love to whatch you bake.
Greets
Laura
John Kanell says
Thank you Laura!
Eva Dorsey says
Cookies are so delicious I shared some with my neighbors. Everyone loves them! Thank you!
Mandy says
I baked these beauties yesterday and absolutely LOVE them!! They’re fluffy and light, delicious, just sweet enough and oh so creamy. My family loved them too!! We basically ate the entire batch in a day and a half.
I just printed out the recipe since it’s going in my file to have at hand for the next time I make them.
So easy to make and so so worth it!
Your recipes are lovely and I can’t wait to try to follow other ones you have posted.
Thanks!!
Soha Yassine says
Holy shit these were good. I put chamomile tea leaves in the butter and it was a nice touch. Next time I’ll try lemon zest or lavender 🤤
Simone says
I have just made it. So nice and easy!
Sandra says
Hi John,
I stumbled across your Youtube Channel and ended up with making these delicious cookies. My daughter loved the dough (unfortunately she’s not much into finally baked goods – except for German style cheesecake). And although these cookies are on the “almost too sweet” side, they are – as I said – absolutely delicious.
Thank you for sharing your recipes with weight measurements. I know, that baking with cups has a long “approved” history – but it always feels strange to not use scales 🙂
John Kanell says
Thank you Sandra!
Marguerite says
Wonderful recipe, amazing taste! My boyfriend devoured the whole batch in minutes. Thank you so much for also including the metric measurements, it’s very considerate and made a world of difference to me. You definitely have a new fan!
Brooke says
These turned out perfect! So delicious and easy to make.
Angela says
Just finished baking them first time. Hope it tastes good. Think I may over sprinkled the powdered sugar lol. My spouse thought my cookies weren’t done, that it looks under baked.I told him that’s what it’s supposed to look like, and he doesn’t have to try it if he thinks that way. More for me to enjoy. Thank you John for the recipe and video.