Cream Cheese Cookies
These cream cheese cookies have pillowy interiors and a strong vanilla flavor. My friends described them as the cookie version of gooey butter bars!
They have just a few ingredients and come together so easily. Dust them with powdered sugar for a perfect presentation.
Tips
Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. As with cream cheese frosting, the cream cheese won’t mix in well if it is straight from the refrigerator.
Mix the butter and cream cheese for about two minutes. Then, as you add the other ingredients, don’t overmix the cookie dough or the cream cheese can become gummy.
Slightly flatten the tops of the cookie dough balls before baking to give the cookies a nice shape, but don’t flatten them too much or the insides won’t be soft and light.
Be careful not to overbake the cookies. If you overbake them, they will become more crunchy instead of nice and soft like they are supposed to be. You’ll know they are done when the bottoms of the cookies just begin to brown.
It’s very important to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack as soon they are out of the oven. If you don’t move them off of the hot cookie sheet, they will continue baking.
Variations
- Press a few nuts into the top of each cookie before baking.
- Drizzle with chocolate ganache and caramel instead of dusting with powdered sugar to make a turtle cheesecake version.
- Dust with cinnamon and sugar before baking for a snickerdoodle-like cookie.
- Mix some chocolate chips into the batter.
Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Mix butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until fully combined and light and fluffy (about two minutes).
- Mix in sugar until just combined.
- Mix in egg and vanilla.
- Mix in baking powder.
- Mix in flour a little bit at a time until just combined.
- Scoop 1.5-tablespoon sized balls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving about 1.5 inches in between each ball.
- Flatten the tops of the balls just a little bit.
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies just begin to brown.
- Immediately transfer to cooling rack.
- When cool, dust with powdered sugar.
Notes
Nutrition

WOW! Made the first batch over the weekend as a trial and the 2nd batch last night for a special celebration. Topped with my first homemade caramel and homemade chocolate sauce. Must have made mine a little smaller than yours. Got 15 out of the first run and 20 on the second. Found that a slightly flatter cookie baked more evenly and had a better texture. They were plenty big enough. May try chilling the dough some next time before forming cookie. Was a little sticky when first mixed.
No disappointment here. Everyone was smacking their lips and licking their fingers and ordering more for the next party.
Thanks for sharing!
Loved the recipe! Easy, the 1st batch was a bit dry, so the next batch I added 3Tablespoons of butter and that did the trick, i also had to extend the baking time, but better to extend then to over bake! It’s great for people who can’t have eggs!!!!! Thanks!!!!!!!
This turned out really yummy, and hardly took any time to make. I had to bake it at 170C for slightly longer time. On the first day it tasted quite dry and dense, then the flavour improved dramatically after that! Very cheesecake-y and the caramel adds a nice touch. Did not drizzle with chocolate. Thank you for the lovely recipe :)
You’re most welcome. I’m glad that you enjoyed them!!
Thank you!!!!!!
This is amazing! I was unsure of no egg being added but went thru with it. And boy was I thrilled with the out come! Absolutely delicious!!!
Just made these. Oh my. They are fabulous. Soo easy.
Yay!! I’m so glad that you liked them!!
This cookies sounds fantastic!!