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!!
Hello! How do you measure your flour pls? Spoon and level or do you dip the measuring cup and sweep and level? Would like to bake them with the correct flour measurement :)
I dip the measuring cup and sweep and level but also use a light hand. Overall though, my recipes are not written to the point you need to be perfect down to the gram. They are not that fussy.
Note that in the summer and more humid times of the year, you may need to use a bit more flour to compensate for the extra moisture in the air.
Been making these for years now. I’ve tried them with the Snickers morsels and most recently with bacon crumbled up in them. They’re always a hit. My family gets excited when I make them. I always forget the chill step and then overcook the first batch for some reason. One of these days I want to make a bunch and freeze them so I’ll always have some on hand to bake. I always direct people to your page when they ask for the recipe. Thanks! :)
Been making these for years now. I’ve tried them with the Snickers morsels and most recently with bacon crumbled up in them. They’re always a hit. My family gets excited when I make them. I always forget the chill step and then overcook the first batch for some reason. One of these days I want to make a bunch and freeze them so I’ll always have some on hand to bake. I always direct people to your page when they ask for the recipe. Thanks! :)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you’ve been a fan of these for years and have experimented with different add ins and toppings! You are definitely the first person who’s commented about incorporating crumbled bacon.
Thanks for directing people to my page for the recipe, I really appreciate that!
thank you o for the recipe i can’t wait to try them i made the crustless blue berry pie yesterday and every one raved abut it so good thanks Michele
I am glad that the crustless blueberry pie got rave reviews!
I LOVE these cookies!! I have been looking for a good recipe for a while. I like how soft the cookies are and how easy the recipe was.
I LOVE these cookies!! I have been looking for a good recipe for a while. I like how soft the cookies are and how easy the recipe was.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved the cookies!
Just made these after searching for a chocolate chip cookie with creamcheese, these are so amazing!!!!! Will be my go to recipe.
So glad they turned out amazing and that this will be your go-to recipe!
I have been cooking these since Christmas 2016. Can’t believe I haven’t left a review til now. They are perfect! I had to do some estimating with the oven temp due to not being sure whether or not it was fan-forced or not (our oven is only fan-forced), and how to cook them from being frozen… I just cooked them on a lower temp and on the same temp from being frozen but for a little longer and they still turned out incredible. My family is obsessed. Thankyou:)
I have been cooking these since Christmas 2016. Can’t believe I haven’t left a review til now. They are perfect! I had to do some estimating with the oven temp due to not being sure whether or not it was fan-forced or not (our oven is only fan-forced), and how to cook them from being frozen… I just cooked them on a lower temp and on the same temp from being frozen but for a little longer and they still turned out incredible. My family is obsessed. Thankyou:)
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you have been baking these for nearly 3 years and that these are an obsession for you and your family :)
This is my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe and I get compliments every time. What are your suggestions for storing and transporting via car a large amount (400)? Not sure that I’ll have space to do single layers, and I’m nervous to stack them since they’re soft and chewy.
This is my go to chocolate chip cookie recipe and I get compliments every time. What are your suggestions for storing and transporting via car a large amount (400)? Not sure that I’ll have space to do single layers, and I’m nervous to stack them since they’re soft and chewy.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it’s your go-to choc chip cookie recipe!
Wow…I have never transported that many cookies at once. I would probably accept that they will not arrive ‘perfectly’ in tact but I would just put them in big but semi shallow cardboard or plastic boxes or tubs, layer parchment paper between the layers, and stack them. You’re going to have to I would think. Google for ideas on this too…this is beyond what I have ever done but I’m sure caterers have tips and tricks out there.
I’ve baked a million cookies and these turned out a little “chalky” for me. I could taste it in the dough before I baked, but was hoping it would even out in baking. Texture and rise were totally fine. Any ideas?
I would say cut back on the flour a smidge if you think at all that could contribute to the taste. But since the rise and texture were fine, I am not sure. You don’t want to mess with the flour too much or they could spread but you could test that out. Also sure your baking soda is ok? That may have been the culprit, too.
Me too! Taste okay but a bit chalky and not very sweet like a typical chocolate chip Toll House type cookie. I followed the recipe very carefully. What did I do wrong?
It’s possible that your cream cheese made the dough chalky, you could have over floured the dough, I am not sure…. And these cookies are not going to have the same intensity of sweetness because by its very nature, cream cheese will add tanginess, not sweetness. You could try to add an additional 1/4 cup granulated sugar next time. Or just make these which I think is what you’re looking for https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
These made up yummy and soft. Placed dough in freezer for 30 minutes before baking!
These made up yummy and soft. Placed dough in freezer for 30 minutes before baking!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they were soft and yummy!
Because of room constraints in my fridge, would it be okay to chill the bowl of dough, THEN make them into balls right before baking?
I would not because then you have to chisel out rock hard dough that will be on the crumbly side and difficult to work with and will make things challenging.
Thanks so much.. I feel choc chip cookie drunk.. this is my 5 different recipe looking for the perfect one…
This is the best!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad that these are perfect and are the best for you!