Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you crave thick and tender cookies oozing with chocolate chips, then these cream cheese chocolate chip cookies are just for you. The secret ingredient – cream cheese – adds richness and keeps these cookies from spreading.

I always keep some cream cheese in my fridge to smear on bagels or make some frosting for the next cake recipe I’m testing. I had a craving for a thick and tender chocolate chip cookie and had a feeling cream cheese would be a great addition – turns out, I wasn’t wrong!

If you’ve struggled with cookies that spread in the oven or turn out flat and crispy then this cream cheese cookie recipe is just what you need. Using both cream cheese and butter for added richness, these cookies are thick, tender and perfectly moist. A foolproof way to get melt in-your-mouth cookies, this recipe and my vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies are the favorites I keep making for my family, neighbors and friends.

How to Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Unlike my chewy chocolate chip cookies which uses melted butter, this cream cheese chocolate chip cookie recipe starts the way many other cookie recipes do: by creaming the butter and sugar in a mixer. Simply add in the cream cheese along with the butter, beating together with the sugars until light and fluffy. This will take several minutes and is an important step to get thick and tender cookies.

Add in the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Slowly mix in the whisked dry ingredients, beating on low until combined. Mix in the chocolate chips, being careful not to overmix the cookie dough.

You don’t need to refrigerate the dough for these cream cheese cookies, enjoying them anytime that craving strikes. Roll the dough into 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls – I like to use a medium ice cream scoop for consistency – and place on prepared pans 2-inches apart.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, just until the edges begin to brown. They may look slightly underdone in the center but the cookies will continue baking as they cool. Transfer to a cooling rack after 10 minutes and enjoy once they firm up slightly.

Tips for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie

While this cream cheese chocolate chip cookie is mostly foolproof, there are a few things I do to help ensure the texture is soft and tender.

• Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese: Low-fat, spreadable or whipped cream cheese don’t work as well for these chocolate chip cookies.
• Use room temperature cream cheese and butter: This is important for the creaming process when you add air to the dough. Let the butter and cream cheese sit on the counter for 1-2 hours before starting the recipe.
• Optional cornstarch: This keeps the cookies extra-soft, just like in my vanilla pudding chocolate chip cookies where cornstarch is an ingredient in pudding mix.
• Don’t overbake the cookies: Watch the cookies closely, taking them out of the oven just as they begin to brown at the edges.

These cream cheese chocolate chip cookies are perfectly soft and tender. With both cream cheese and butter adding richness and flavor to the cookies, they are irresistible and almost foolproof to make. A delicious recipe to try if you’ve made all the classic chocolate chip recipes out there and are looking for something new.

Other chocolate chip cookies:

• Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Lemon White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

YIELD: 22 cookies

 

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Ingredients

• 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional, keeps cookies softer)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup full-fat cream cheese , softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups (200g) chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line 2 pans with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
3. In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on low-medium speed for 3 minutes. Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add flour mixture and beat just until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.

4. Roll dough into balls, the size of 1.5 tablespoons each (tip: use a medium ice cream scoop to scoop out dough), and place on prepared pans 2-inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes, until cookies just begin to brown at the edges. Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes in the cookie sheet, then gently transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve cookies warm or at room temperature.

5. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, place them in the fridge overnight.