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!!
Made these for my mom who is a life long baker and she gave the recipe a 10/10. Having a little larger scoop and using Airbake sheets I ended up having to bake them for 12 minutes minimum, but they were “soft and pillowy”.
Made these for my mom who is a life long baker and she gave the recipe a 10/10. Having a little larger scoop and using Airbake sheets I ended up having to bake them for 12 minutes minimum, but they were “soft and pillowy”.
Thanks for the 5 star and glad they were soft and pillowey and your mom gives them a 10/10!
Good recipe but maybe the most cancerously designed site I have ever seen. Can you possibly fit any more adds into one page?
This crashed my iPhone and iPad multiple times but the cookies were tasyty.
Omg…. Fantastic recipe…. I’m always searching for a better chocolate chip cookie recipe and I feel like I can stop looking after making this recipe!!!
The texture is amazing and the recipe goes together quickly!!
Omg…. Fantastic recipe…. I’m always searching for a better chocolate chip cookie recipe and I feel like I can stop looking after making this recipe!!!
The texture is amazing and the recipe goes together quickly!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad you can stop looking for better chocolate chip cookie recipes after finding this one!
YUM x infinity. This is the best recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies ever! They stay as good as just out of the oven for several days and freeze well, so double the recipe and make extra.
YUM x infinity. This is the best recipe for soft chocolate chip cookies ever! They stay as good as just out of the oven for several days and freeze well, so double the recipe and make extra.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad to hear these are the best CCC’s ever for you!
Hi
I have a question. You said not to use the whipped cream cheese. Why not?
Thanks nina
It’s basically air and water. That is not good for baking. It spreads, runs, and doesn’t work.
Love these Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies, these are actually so delicious , specially my kids love these .
Love these Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies, these are actually so delicious , specially my kids love these .
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad the cookies are a hit for you!
Your way of explaining the whole thing in this post is genuinely good, everyone that is capable of reading will simply understand your writeup, Thanks a lot.
The greatest chocolate chip cookie ever made. Followed the recipe
entirely. I used one cup of Tollhouse chocolate chip , one half cup Ghirardelli mini chocolate chips and one half cup pecan nuggets. Cookies are expertly described in recipes.
Made additional batch with half the sugar and bitter sweet dark chocolate chips with pecan nuggets. Just as good.
The greatest chocolate chip cookie ever made. Followed the recipe
entirely. I used one cup of Tollhouse chocolate chip , one half cup Ghirardelli mini chocolate chips and one half cup pecan nuggets. Cookies are expertly described in recipes.
Made additional batch with half the sugar and bitter sweet dark chocolate chips with pecan nuggets. Just as good.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these are the greatest chocolate chip cookies ever made! Amazing praise and thank you! Glad all your subs and swaps worked beautifully, too!
I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your blogs really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back in the future. Many thanks
Best chocolate chip cookies! I followed directions & they came out perfect. Soft a little chewy & so good. I made smaller cookies 1 inch scoop 10 minutes in the oven was perfect. I only added the chips no nuts or M&Ms. They only lasted a day so I can’t say how long they stay fresh.
Best chocolate chip cookies! I followed directions & they came out perfect. Soft a little chewy & so good. I made smaller cookies 1 inch scoop 10 minutes in the oven was perfect. I only added the chips no nuts or M&Ms. They only lasted a day so I can’t say how long they stay fresh.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad they are the best chocolate chip cookies for you and perfect!