Stuffed Cream Cheese Cookies — Big, soft, buttery cookies with sweet and tangy cream cheese in the middle!! Perfect for cookie exchanges or whenever a cream cheese hankering hits!
Table of Contents
Easy Cream Cheese Cookies
I’ve made cream cheese cookies, twice. But not like these. If you like tangy cream cheese frosting and soft buttery cookies, you’re going to be in heaven.
The cream cheese stays slightly soft, gooey, and tastes much more like cream cheese frosting than it does like cheesecake because there’s no egg. There’s also no slightly dry, crumbly texture that cheesecake can have.
In addition to flour, I also used graham cracker crumbs in the cookie dough. Graham crackers and cream cheese just go hand in hand. The crumbs add another subtle layer of flavor and provide a tiny bit of texture.
I loved the cookies. The contrast of the tangy cream cheese frosting with the uber-soft caramely dough is ridiculously good. I hoarded these.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Cookies
To make these cream cheese-filled cookies, you’ll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cream cheese
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Cream Cheese Cookies
The filled cream cheese cookies come together much like your average cookie recipe. Let’s review the basic recipe steps:
- For the cookie dough, Cream together the wet ingredients, then mix in the dry.
- Form the cookie dough into balls, then hollow out the center of each ball as if you were making thumbprint cookies.
- To make the cream cheese filling, cream together the sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Distribute the filling among the cookies, then chill for at least 2 hours before baking.
- Once the dough’s had time to chill, bake until the edges have set and the cream cheese is just set.
- The cookies need to cool for 15 minutes before they can be eaten!
A Note About the Batch Size
The cream cheese cookie recipe only makes nine cookies and each cookie is fairly large. While you could make the cookies smaller, by the ninth cookie you’ll be sick of smooshing the dough into thumbprint shapes and carefully adding the filling, so keep it easy on yourself and just make nine.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, lite or low-fat cream cheese will work so long as it’s still brick-style cream cheese.
Yes, cookies made with cream cheese can be frozen for up to 4 months (either the baked cookies or the raw cookie dough balls).
This cookie recipe features a cream cheese filling. Normally, when I use cream cheese IN the cookie dough, it acts as a partial butter replacement. It adds a richness and creaminess to the dough that’s amazing.
As a happy accident, I used a combo of light and dark brown sugar in this recipe. I was scraping the bottom of my light brown sugar canister for the last one-quarter cup and so I used some dark brown, too.
Best decision ever because the cream cheese cookies have a caramely, buttery, rich depth of flavor that’ll keep you coming back for more. Dark brown sugar has more moisture than light brown because it has more molasses, creating cookies are supremely soft, tender, and moist.
However, you can use just one type of brown sugar in these cookies and you’ll still get fantastic results!
Tips for Making Cream Cheese-Filled Cookies
When hollowing out the cookies for the filling, make sure not to go too deeply and punch through the bottom. Go just deep enough that each cookie will be able to hold 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling.
Make sure you use brick-style cream cheese for the filling and NOT the whipped kind in a tub.
You can purchase pre-made graham cracker crumbs or you can pulverize whole graham crackers to make them. If possible, use a food processor so the crumbs are very fine.
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Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed (I used 1/4 cup of light and 1/4 cup dark)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1 teaspoon cornstach
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
Cream Cheese Filling
- 6 ounces brick-style cream cheese, softened (lite is okay)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
Cookies:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars (highly recommend using some dark brown sugar), egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form 9 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and using your fingers, hollow out the center of each ball as if you were making thumbprint cookies. In doing so, the cookies will naturally flatten. Make sure not to go too deeply and punch through the bottom but go deep enough that each cookie will be able to hold 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray and place in the freezer while you wash the mixing bowl and make the cream cheese filling.
- Cream Cheese Filling:
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the cream cheese, sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and creamed, about 4 minutes.
- Using a small spoon, equally distribute filling among dough mounds, smoothing the tops lightly with the back of the spoon or a spatula.
- Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 3 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 6 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for about 12 minutes, or until edges have set and cream cheese is just set; don’t overbake for soft cookies (bake a few minutes longer for firmer cookies). Cookies firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 15 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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can I add more flour in sub for graham crackers w cinnamon added?
I haven’t tested this specific recipe but I am sure it’ll be fine. I would start with about 1/4-1/3 cup extra flour, and see if you need more or not. I wouldn’t automatically just add 1/2 cup flour for the 1/2 cup GC crumbs though because flour is so much denser than the crumbs are. And yes good call on a bit of cinnamon, too!
To heaven you sent us. We are cream-cheese lovers but don’t have many cake or cookie recipes including this ingredient here in France. It takes some work but it’s really worth it. I patiently made 15 smaller cookies so they will last longer😊. Thanks Averie for brightening up our meals and keeping us busy in the kitchen during this challenging time (lock-down should finally end for us in 10 days…)
Keep safe!
I hope it does end for you in 10 days! And thank you for the lovely comments and wonderful praise about my recipes and glad these cookies turned out great!
These cookies are delicious and I can’t wait for my family to try them tomorrow! I followed the recipe as stated for the cookies, used 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar and a 1/4 cup of light brown sugar, but I made smaller cookies and ended up with 26 cookies. For the filling, I used 8 oz cream cheese and added about an 1/8th of a cup more sugar. My only complaint is that the recipe did not make more cookies. Thank you!
Glad you loved the cookies and you can always make a double batch next time :)
I discovered your site quite by accident. I always thought that I was not a cookie person but … Boooyyyyy!!! You’ve converted me. I’ve only tried the pretzel chocolate chip cookie. The pretzel is a genius way of adding crunch and saltiness without nuts even though I love nuts. Even my nephew who is picky ask me to make another batch entirely for him. The downside is I think I ate way past my quota. Ha! Ha,. I’m now on a cookie making mission and exited to see what else you have to share. Love your ideas Averie.
Thanks for trying the recipes and glad you’re now a cookie person! Keep me posted what else you try!
I think that the recipe is great
I tried it but with a little bit cacao added ;)
Sounds wonderful!
Hello Averie,
The recipe for cookies is awesome! I will try to prepare it for my family asap! Thank you for sharing <3
Kisses,
Catherine
These look amazing! Is there any substitution for the graham crackers? I am allergic to them! (s0y). Thanks!
Try these! https://enjoylifefoods.com/our-food/crunchy-cookies/crunchy-vanilla-honey-graham/ or these https://www.pamelasproducts.com/products/graham-crackers-gluten-free/honey-grahams-gluten-free/
I’ve had both of them and they’re both great!
I want to try the banana bread!
These looks great :) <3
I will try with cocoa butter!
Great recipe thanks for sharing :)
Great recipes just want to ask something…
Could the cheese cookies be made with blue cheese (I love how it melts)?
I haven’t tried it that way so can’t say for sure – either based on texture/melting situation or the flavor. Blue cheese in cookies would be a very intriguing flavor combo!
ooo, these look so tаsty!