Classic chocolate cookies filled with mint cheesecake and topped with mint chocolate chips. Mint cheesecake on the inside, slightly crunchy mint chocolate cookie on the outside. Chewy, creamy, and delicious – a guaranteed crowd pleaser!
One of my favorite flavor combos is chocolate and mint. If there’s a mint chocolate candy bar that catches my eye in the grocery store, YOU BET it’s in my cart by the time I checkout! Now, I wish these cookies were for sale at the grocery store, too, because I’d buy them every. single. time. The best part about these cookies? They can be made ahead of time and baked from frozen whenever you need a few fresh cookies! When baking from frozen, just add a few extra minutes to the baking time.
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Table of contents
How to make the cheesecake filling
Mint Cheesecake Filling Ingredients
- Cream cheese, softened to room temperature. I use full-fat because it tends to bake & taste the best.
- Powdered sugar – To tame the tang and create a melt-in-your-mouth filling.
- Creme de Menthe Liqueur– A slightly sweet mint-flavored alcoholic beverage, available in clear or green hues. *Substitution: peppermint extract & green food coloring.
Step One: Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and Creme de Menthe in a mixing bowl. On medium-high speed, mix until the sugar and Creme de Menthe are well incorporated (1-2 minutes).
Step Two: On a small sheet pan lined with parchment paper, scoop the cheesecake filling into 20 1-Tablespoon-sized portions . Alternatively, you can pipe the filling out using a piping bag as well. It’s okay if there is a some cream cheese leftover.
Step Three: Place the sheet pan of the cheesecake portions into the freezer until they are frozen and very firm, 1-2 hours. In the meantime, make the dough.
How to make the chocolate cookie dough
This cookie dough recipe comes from my double chocolate cookies. It’s a recipe I’ve been making for years because it works!
Mint Chocolate Cookie Dough Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder*
* To achieve black color: use a 1:1 ratio of black cocoa powder and unsweetened cocoa powder - Baking soda
- Salt
- Butter, softened to room temperature
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Large egg
- Peppermint extract
- Mint chocolate chips – I use the Andes Creme de Menthe chips because of their superb taste and overall visual appeal.
- Sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, set aside. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars for 3 minutes until fluffy. Next, beat in the egg and peppermint extract and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until combined, or mix by hand with a wooden spoon. Don’t overmix – mix just until combined. The batter will be thick and sticky.
- Roll cookie dough into 20 pre-formed balls. Chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. This will help keep the batter less sticky when stuffing your cookies. After chilling, remove from refrigerator and flatten each dough ball into a small disc. If they’re too cold/hard to handle, leave them sit for a few minutes on the counter. Flatten all dough balls into discs.
Assembling the cookies
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Once the cheesecake centers are frozen, peel them off of the parchment paper and place each one onto the center of your cookie dough discs. Seal up the sides of the dough by pinching it together so the no cheesecake is exposed. If desired, dip the tops of the dough balls in a shallow bowl of mint chocolate chips and press down slightly to adhere well. (If freezing the dough balls for later, stop here.)
- Place completed rounded balls of dough (the size of 2 tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches (8 cm) between each cookie. Bake for about 10 minutes, just until the edges start to set and the cookies have spread perfectly. Leave to cool on the pan for 10 minutes and then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for making cheesecake stuffed cookies
- Don’t skip the freezer. It’s important to freeze the cream cheese to achieve the perfect texture. It also helps make assembly a breeze!
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough. Once you add the dry ingredients, be gentle with the dough and only mix until the ingredients come together. Overmixing will make the cookies less soft and more dense.
- Use Dutch-processed cocoa powder. While you can use natural cocoa powder, Dutch-processed has a rich, darker chocolatey flavor which really makes these cookies taste exceptional. To make the cookies black in color, use ¼ cup of black cocoa powder with ¼ cup of unsweetened dutch-processed cocoa powder.
- Underbake the cookies. I like to slightly underbake my cookies for extra fudginess and softness. Mine took 10 minutes exactly in the oven to achieve this result.
FAQs
Creme de Menthe adds a refreshing mint flavor to baked goods, which can complement a variety of sweet treats, including chocolate! It is versatile and can be used in many other delicious mint-flavored desserts and drinks, like pies, cakes, bars, frostings, and Grasshoppers (adults only!). Mint flavors are often associated with holidays, making Creme de menthe a great ingredient for festive baking projects, including St. Patrick’s Day, due to the perfect green hue!
The alcohol content evaporates during the baking process, leaving behind a subtle hint of mint flavor. It adds depth to your baked goods without overwhelming them like accidentally using too much peppermint extract can make your baked good taste like toothpaste (speaking from experience).
I use an airpan cookie sheet! The thin layer of trapped air in the pan ensures the cookies cook evenly. No more scorched bottoms and no parchment necessary! If you’ve ever burned the bottoms of cookies, you’ll know how heartbreaking it is to peel them off the pan in sadness. With my air pans, I’ve saved so much time, frustration, & money (no more wasted ingredients)!
These cookies taste best at room temperature or served cold from the refrigerator. They are even better the day after they are baked!
Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for maximum freshness and food safety! These cookies keep well up to 4 days once baked.
Yes! To freeze cookies (raw or baked), place them in a freezer-safe container or double wrap them in plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the fridge or on the countertop for a few hours.
More of my favorite cream cheese desserts
- Snickers Cheesecake Bars: Creamy cheesecake layered with Oreo crust and Snickers pieces.
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars: Soft yet crunchy layered bars that are the perfect combination of cheesecake and chocolate chip cookie dough.
- Nutella Cheesecake Bars: These rich and creamy cheesecake bars are swirled with gooey Nutella made with a buttery vanilla cookie and hazelnut crust.
- Oreo Cheesecake Bars: Creamy and easy to make Oreo cheesecake recipe that is baked in a square pan and then cut into bars.
- White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars: creamy, rich white chocolate cheesecake is made without a water bath and can be cut into bars or served in cake-form.
Mint Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies
Classic chocolate cookies filled with mint cheesecake and topped with mint chocolate chips. Mint cheesecake on the inside, slightly crunchy mint chocolate cookie on the outside. Chewy, creamy, and delicious!
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz (227g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (50 g/1.7 oz.) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15mL/.5 oz) Creme de Menthe liqueur *substitution: ½ tsp peppermint extract and 3-4 drops of green food coloring
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (130 grams or 4.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (50 grams or 1.7 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder* *achieving dark black color: use ¼ cup of black cocoa powder and ¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick or 113 grams) butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100 grams or 3.5 ounces) brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 grams or 3.5 ounces) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- ¼ cup mint chocolate chips , to top (optional)
Instructions
Make and freeze the cheesecake filling
-
Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and Creme de Menthe in a mixing bowl. On medium-high speed, mix until the sugar and Creme de Menthe are well incorporated (1-2 minutes). Scoop the cheesecake filling into 20 1-Tablespoon-sized portions onto a small sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can pipe the filling out using a piping bag as well. It's okay if there is a some cream cheese leftover. Place the sheet pan of the cheesecake portions into the freezer until they are frozen and very firm, 1-2 hours. In the meantime, make the dough.
Make the cookie dough
-
In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, set aside. Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars for 3 minutes until fluffy. Next, beat in the egg and peppermint extract and mix until combined.
-
Add the dry ingredients and beat on medium-low speed just until combined, or mix by hand with a wooden spoon. Don’t overmix – mix just until combined. The batter will be thick and sticky.
-
Roll cookie dough into 20 pre-formed balls. Chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. This will help keep the batter less sticky when stuffing your cookies. After chilling, remove from refrigerator and flatten each dough ball into a small disc. If they’re too cold/hard to handle, leave them sit for a few minutes on the counter. Flatten all dough balls into discs.
Assemble and bake
-
Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
-
Once the cheesecake centers are frozen, peel them off of the parchment paper and place each one onto the center of your cookie dough discs. Seal up the sides of the dough by pinching it together so the no cheesecake is exposed. If desired, dip the tops of the dough balls in a shallow bowl of mint chocolate chips and press down slightly to adhere well. (If freezing the dough balls for later, stop here.)
-
Drop rounded balls of dough (the size of 2 tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches (8 cm) between each cookie. Bake for about 10 minutes, just until the edges start to set and the cookies have spread perfectly. Leave to cool on the pan for 10 minutes and then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Serving: These cookies taste best at room temperature or served cold from the refrigerator. They are even better the day after they are baked!
Storing: Store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for maximum freshness and food safety! These cookies keep well up to 4 days once baked.
Recipe Notes
*Substitution: 1 Tablespoon of Creme de Menthe can be substituted for ½ teaspoon of peppermint extract. Because creme de menthe is already green, no food coloring is needed to achieve a gorgeous mint green hue. If using peppermint extract in the cream cheese, you could add a few drops of green food coloring if desired.
Freezing Instructions: Cookies can be frozen (baked or raw) for up to 2 months in an airtight container/bag. Extend the baking time by a few minutes if baking directly from frozen.
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