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!!
Best chocolate chip bar cookie recipe I’ve ever made!!! I am always hesitant of making new recipes. I’m so thankful I did.
A+++++
Best chocolate chip bar cookie recipe I’ve ever made!!! I am always hesitant of making new recipes. I’m so thankful I did.
A+++++
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad this is the best chocolate chip bar cookie recipe you’ve ever made!
Hi, I am making these for the first time and the batter when completey mixed seems more like cake batter than cookie batter. Is this normal?
Thank you!
No that’s not typical. It’s definitely a typical cookie batter in the sense that it’s a pretty thick and not thin like cake batter.
Is there any chance you mismeasured your flour?
cant wait to try these! just wondering why is the egg mixed in with everything else first? usually i see cookie recipes mix butter and sugar first then add the egg after.
Because in this recipe, it really doesn’t matter. You can cream the butter and sugar first if you want, then add the egg. Or save a step and do it as I wrote it. Either is fine.
I made the cream cheese chocolate chip cookies. They were so easy and delicious.
I left out the 2 teaspoons of corn starch and instead added 2 teaspoons of flour. They were perfect! I don’t like corn starch in my cookies because to me they don’t help keep the cookies soft, instead it dries them out.
I made the cream cheese chocolate chip cookies. They were so easy and delicious.
I left out the 2 teaspoons of corn starch and instead added 2 teaspoons of flour. They were perfect! I don’t like corn starch in my cookies because to me they don’t help keep the cookies soft, instead it dries them out.
I am glad they came out great for you and they were perfect!
Made the cream cheese chocolate chip cookies delicious everyone loves them thanks for the recipe
Made the cream cheese chocolate chip cookies delicious everyone loves them thanks for the recipe
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad everyone loves the cookies!
These are delish! I didn’t refrigerate them prior to baking and they came out perfect!
These are delish! I didn’t refrigerate them prior to baking and they came out perfect!
I am glad that they turned out perfect even without chilling prior to baking!
I made these cookies with light cream cheese and they were divine! So soft and fluffy in the center! My only comment is that I would add more sugar next time. I don’t like thigs overly swee so I used scant measurements when doling out the sugar, next time I will try heaping measurements of sugar!
A must try!
I made these cookies with light cream cheese and they were divine! So soft and fluffy in the center! My only comment is that I would add more sugar next time. I don’t like thigs overly swee so I used scant measurements when doling out the sugar, next time I will try heaping measurements of sugar!
A must try!
I am glad you enjoyed the cookies and will make them again. I think that if you simply measure the sugar like I wrote it and not be scant and lighthanded, they will be exactly to your liking.
I found lots of interesting information here. Such a Great work. I like this blog. Thanks for sharing wonderful information.
Avery, can you please organize your Pinterest like you have your website? Into boards by category. I get your emails and thought to look you up on Pinterest. I’d love to be able to go to a category instead of having to scroll all through your Pinterest board looking for recipes. Thanks so much. I love your website and appreciate you so much.
This board of mine on Pinterest in only my recipes, I pin the new ones there, and no one else’s recipes are pinned there other than mine (I don’t pin other stuff or share other things on that board) https://www.pinterest.com/averie/averie-cooks/
I’ve been baking for about 12 years and this has got to be the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had, it’s unexplainable! The cookie literally melts in your mouth! I love it and I will be making them again!
I’ve been baking for about 12 years and this has got to be the best chocolate chip cookie I’ve ever had, it’s unexplainable! The cookie literally melts in your mouth! I love it and I will be making them again!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad that these are the best CCCs you’ve ever had!