Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies — 🍪🙌🏻🤎These soft batch cookies are made with a combination of butter and cream cheese, which makes them extra rich and delicious! I like to make mine using a combination of chocolate chips and chunks, and you can even use M&M’s in these!
Table of Contents
Soft Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Cream Cheese!)
I’ve been wanting to bake cream cheese into cookies for ages. I finally did. And I’m in love with the results.
I adapted my favorite Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies recipe and replaced some of the butter with cream cheese and am in love with the results.
My favorite recipe calls for 3/4 cup of butter, and for these soft batch chocolate chip cookies I used a combination of 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup cream cheese. You wouldn’t think that just a simple quarter-cup swap of butter for cream cheese would effect results that much, but it did.
These chocolate chip cream cheese cookies are so soft, moist, and with a richness to the dough like no other cookies I’ve tried.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’ve never made chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese before, you’re in for a treat! You’ll need just a handful of pantry staples:
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese
- Light brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
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 Chocolate Chip Cookies
The steps for this chocolate chip cookie recipe with cream cheese couldn’t be simpler!
- Cream together the cream cheese, butter, sugars, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture on medium-high speed until it’s light and fluffy. Don’t just mix it all together, it must be light and fluffy before moving onto the next step!
- Add in the dry ingredients and scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets incorporated.
- Scoop the cookie dough into large balls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before baking.
- Bake the cookies for no more than 10 minutes, then let cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray before transferring to a wire rack.
Cookie FAQs
It makes them super soft and moist! In this particular recipe, the dough seems more buttery — which is ironic since there’s actually less butter used, not more. The cream cheese cookies are super soft without being cakey, and remind me of soft batch cookies. The edges are slightly chewy, and the thick interiors are soft, tender, and moist.
I can’t taste the cream cheese, but it adds depth, density, and richness that my regular chocolate chip cookies don’t have.
Use full-fat cream cheese in a block. Do NOT use light, fat-free, or a whipped cream cheese because your dough will become runny. I tried the recipe with some light cream cheese I had on hand, and the cookies baked thinner and spread.
You can use a hand mixer and a bowl if that’s all you have, but I prefer using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment because you can prepare other parts of the recipe while it’s busy mixing. I use the Kitchenaid 7-quart tilt head mixer, which you can get on Amazon. They’re worth the investment in my opinion!
Technically, you can omit the cornstarch, but your cookies won’t turn out as soft. To make these cream cheese chocolate chip cookies soft batch-style, the cornstarch is needed.
I made these as classic chocolate chip cream cheese cookies, but I bet you could add extra mix-ins if desired. Chopped nuts, M&M’s, or your favorite chopped up candy bar would all be good additions. Just be sure to add no more than 2 1/4 cups mix-ins total. 
Yes, if you want to make soft batch chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese you MUST chill the dough first. Make sure to chill your dough for at least 2 hours before you bake to ensure your cookies bake thick and puffy. Warm, limp dough bakes into limpy and wimpy cookies. I want my cookies to be thick, with puffy centers that are overflowing with chocolate.
I used a 2-inch cookie scoop to make my cookies because I like them really big. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a large spoon and your hands. Just try to make your cookies all the same size so they bake evenly!
Recipe Video Tutorial
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Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup cream cheese, softened*
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- 2 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks**
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese (measure it by smooshing it into a 1/4-cup measure), sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use an electric hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Add chocolate chips and chunks, and beat momentarily to incorporate, or fold in by hand.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds (I made 28). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or spray with cooking spray and place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.***
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Cookies Made with Cream Cheese:
ALL OF MY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE RECIPES!
Cream Cheese Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies — Cream cheese keeps them super soft! Say hello to your new fave chocolate cookie!!
Black and White Cream Cheese Cookies — These cookies combine two favorites in one! Soft, moist, buttery, creamy Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies are paired with fudgy, intensely chocolaty, and not overly sweet Dark Chocolate Dark Brown Sugar Cookies.
Cream Cheese White Chocolate Chip Cookies — These soft and chewy white chocolate chip cookies use two special ingredients to achieve their pillowy texture: instant pudding mix and cream cheese!
Cream Cheese Cookies — Big, soft, buttery cookies with sweet and tangy cream cheese in the middle!! Oh my….Best thumbprints ever!!!
Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies — Big, bold lemon flavor packed into super soft cookies thanks to the cream cheese!! Tangy-sweet perfection! Lemon lovers are going to adore these easy cookies!!
One question. I am interested in looking into the cornstarch idea. When you create a cookie recipe, do you simply add 2 tsp. cornstarch? Or do you replace 2 tsp. of flour with 2 tsp. cornstarch?
It depends on the recipe and what I am doing and how my dough looks, feels, etc. To be honest, 2 tsp of flour, one way or the other, isn’t going to matter much in an entire batch of cookies. That’s less than 1 tbsp for a big batch of cookies.
2 tsp of cornstarch on the other hand IS going to matter, tons.
I love that idea Averie! Cream cheese in cookies is SO good. I must do it more often. Your photos are gorg as usual!
Mmmm! I love the idea of cream cheese in a chocolate chip cookie!
My grandma always puts a little cream cheese in your cookie recipes! And suddenly, I’m craving cookies….
OH MY GOOOODNESS! This is like…revolutionary!
Wow, I never thought of putting cream cheese in cookies before! I bet the texture is absolutely perfect- so soft and chewy.
Cream cheese in cookie heaven!! Yum!!
I actually have cream cheese right now and have been brainstorming the best…ie sweetest…idea to use it for. I just found a winner with these cookies.
Please LMK how they go for you!
Hello chocolate chip cookie! Yum yum. I’ve never tried a ccc recipe using cream cheese,but I have tried it with a cake box mix so it totally makes sense. Gorgeous looking. :)
Cream cheese/cake mix cookies. Hmmm! Now that’s one I don’t know if I’ve heard of. I bet they’re super simple and good!
I love a soft batch cookie! Can’t wait to give these a try.
Those cookies look so soft and moist and good! I will definitely have to try ccc’s with cream cheese!
BTW: Your ‘on click’ popup ad is very annoying… I click on the comment form to leave a comment and all of a sudden I get a popup ad on top of the form stealing focus…
Thanks for LMK about that ad, Kevin. I was unaware that such a thing was even running! I will talk to my ad provider and tell them to remove it!
As for the cookies, thanks and yes they are so soft & moist!
Obviously, when I say “sour cream” I mean “cream cheese,” but the same sentiment still applies. (Sour cream must be on the brain.)
I am not even joking when I say that my eyes looked like saucers when I saw this post in my Blogger reader. I love sour cream in all forms, and especially in cookies. Count on these being made. Tonight.
Sour cream, cream cheese, it’s all good! If you try them, please LMK!
They were fantastic. I’m making them again today. Should I be embarrassed? I’m not.
I am so glad to hear you loved them so much that you’re making Batch #2. Now THAT’S a sign that the recipe was a success :) Thanks for trying it and telling me!
Whoa, I would never have thought to add cream cheese into cookies but your description and photos have totally sold me. Soft chocolate chip cookies are basically my favorite dessert, I’ll definitely be trying this soon!
Cream cheese is great addition to cookies. I discovered this be accident when I first made this kind of cookie.
The addition of big chocolate chips are great. Would love to cover these in fudge icing!
Oh that’s great to hear you’ve tried cream cheese in cookies before! Then I don’t need to tell you how good these things were! Fudge icing on top of the 2+ cups of chocolate chips I used – can never have too much, right! :)
These look absolutely incredible! I MUST try cream cheese in my cookies sometime! I don’t like cream cheese plain, but I love mixing it in to things. It just adds a little something different.
It sure does! And it keeps everything so soft & moist!