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!!
This was my second time making these cookies. They are BY FAR the best chocolate chip cookies – and possibly THE BEST cookies – that I’ve ever made, and I’ve made tons! These beauties are soft and chewy, and stay that way for several days. I only used 2 cups of choco chips, but it was plenty! A rare occasion when lots of chocolate chips is not overwhelming. Trust that 8 minutes is enough for baking even though it may not seem like it at the time!
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad they are the best cookies that you’ve ever made!
These came out fabulous! This is exactly how I like my cookie (much to my husband’s dismay–he prefers his cookies thin and crisp!). I think next time I will use fewer chocolate chips since I like more cookie in mine, but otherwise they’re perfect! It’s so nice to have a chocolate chip cookie recipe where they don’t spread!
These came out fabulous! This is exactly how I like my cookie (much to my husband’s dismay–he prefers his cookies thin and crisp!). I think next time I will use fewer chocolate chips since I like more cookie in mine, but otherwise they’re perfect! It’s so nice to have a chocolate chip cookie recipe where they don’t spread!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these came out fabulous and didn’t spread!
These cookies 🍪 are awesome!! I baked them yesterday and my family loves it! There are almost finish I’m going to have to whip up another batch.
These cookies 🍪 are awesome!! I baked them yesterday and my family loves it! There are almost finish I’m going to have to whip up another batch.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad that they were so good you’re going to make another batch soon!
I’d really like to half this recipe and make only about 14 cookies – how do you suggest I cut down the measurements?
I’d really like to half this recipe and make only about 14 cookies – how do you suggest I cut down the measurements?
I would just halve them down the middle if that’s what you want to do. Mix the egg, then use half.
Or, just make the full batch, freeze half the dough balls, and bake them off at a future date.
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever come across!!! I baked these on Easter Sunday and my family absolutely loved them. Definitely my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on. Averie is the BEST!!
Hi.
Recipe looks delicious. I only have almond flour and coconut flour. Will either of those work?
Thanks!
Unfortunately, no. For various reasons, including gluten (lack of) as well as how they absorb moisture (coconut flour is like a sponge), they won’t work here. Sorry.
Hello,
I made these cookies and they are delicious and followed the recipe exactly as directed. The dough was refrigerated over night. However, the cookies flat and thin and not chunky. Would you know why this would be the case? Thank you for your time!
First read this post, it has lots of tips and tricks for cookie baking https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Second, I am thinking that if they fell flat and thin there was either not enough flour (if the dough was overly sticky/moist) that would cause them to spread. Or possibly baking soda not as fresh as possible and didn’t rise well. Or possibly the cream cheese you used wasn’t full-fat, original brick-style cream cheese. If the second two options can be ruled out, then I go back to flour. I would add an additional 1/4 cup, see how the dough looks, if it’s overly sticky, add a smidge more. It’s an eyeball thing based on how the dough looks since climates, humidity, ingredients, vary.
If you remake, LMK how it goes.
I don’t have unsalted butter could I use salted butter?
yes
The best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever come across!!! I baked these on Easter Sunday and my family absolutely loved them. Definitely my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe from now on. Averie is the BEST!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are the best chocolate chip cookies you’ve come across! Glad they were an Easter hit with your family!
Amazing cookies. Soft and chewy… and they don’t go hard. Just perfect. As always, thanks for another gem of a recipe!
I cannot wait to try these! They look amazing! Can I substitute the egg, as I don’t have any on hand? With quarantine and all, it’s tough getting out to the shops.
Gosh…I have never tried to make these without an egg. In some recipes you could use a banana but I really don’t think that would be comprable here.
Although this recipe does call for an egg, you’d have more luck adding an extra half banana or so to the bananas called for in this one in replacement of the egg
Cream cheese can be used as a substitute for egg as well as ground flaxseed.
Can you use gluten free f?
I never have but you can give it a try and see what happens.
I tried it with Red Mill gf flour and they turned out a bit grainy.
I have not made these cream cheese chocolate chip cookies yet but I am anxious to try them. My question is, since they are baked with cream cheese, do they have to be stored in the refrigerator after baking?
No. Same principle as with butter. We bake with it but later on don’t need to store the baked goods in the fridge.
I did not like this cookie recipe, less butter makes them more powdery and less cookie-like.
Sure, they are “soft”, but the minute you bite into them, the cookie falla apart to a powdery mix. I cooked the first batch cold, pulled the uncooked cookies right out of the fridge and cooked them for 10 minutes. The second time i let the uncooked cookies warm up to room temperature and then baked them for 10 minutes, and the results were the same. Dry, powdery cookies.