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!!
I made these cookies last week, they are wonderfullllllll. A very big hit that night in the house. Not a single cookie left!!!I am making these again right now!
So glad to hear they were a big hit, gobbled up that night, and that you’re making more! Wonderful!
I love adding cream cheese to dessert recipes because it adds a smoothness to the finished product. Great idea…these cookies look delicious!
Hello!
If I wanted to turn these into Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies do you think I could just add the Oats to the current recipe? If so, any idea how much? I was thinking of just using the same amount you used in your Oatmeal Raison Cookie recipe?
Thanks for the help! :)
If only baking was that easy – sigh, it’s not. You can’t just add oats to a recipe to turn it into something else or base how much you add on another recipe, since the other recipe may have had diff amounts of butter, sugars, flour, etc. combined in different ratios.
I have at least 10 recipes for oatmeal cookies on my site. This is the most recent and probably my fave to date. Others are linked within the post. I would use this one and swap out the butterscotch for choc chips. LMK how it goes!
Thanks for your help! :)
I *love* cream cheese in cookies… actually is there anything cream cheese DOESN’T taste good with?
EXACTLY! :)
I really want to make these and freeze the raw dough to be baked later…. Have you tried freezing the dough with these cookies? I can try it myself with one or two to start, but I thought I’d check with you since I know you freeze cookie dough balls, too! :)
Yes I do it all the time – make dough, form into dough balls, freeze dough balls. When ready to bake, as oven is preheating, put frozen balls on cookie sheet and then bake as normal – maybe need to add 1 min to baking time but that’s about it, even if frozen nearly solid. Enjoy!
Your cookies look amazing. The chocolate chips and chunks look delicious. What brand of chips and chunks do you use? I never know what brand to get and for some reason I cant seem to find a brand I like.
I use Trader Joe’s chips mostly (that’s what you see that’s melty) and the flatter pieces/chunks are from Enjoy Life. They are a specialty item I was sent one bag of and don’t make a habit of using them. If you have a TJs near you, I really love their choc chips!
I saw someone ask about this recipe at high altitude. I tried it just the way you wrote it here in Salt Lake City. While they were soft, chewy, and delicious, they were flat. Not completely flat, but nowhere near the results at sea level. My family and I still thought they were delicious though! I don’t have any suggestions for other high altitude readers to get their cookies nice and puffy – I’ve got the hang of adjusting cakes to this altitude, but not cookies :-)
Maybe add additional baking soda, about 1/2 tsp more.
And also make sure your dough is super chilled going in. And try to keep the shape of them almost like golf balls. They should be like very cold golf balls going into the oven. Those are adjustments that don’t require tweaking the recipe but that I know will help.
But since I am at sea level (looking at it right now!) it’s hard for me to come up with things. Have you read this? https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipe/high-altitude-baking.html
So excited to make these tomorrow! Am I reading correctly that you do not cream the butter and sugar separately? Just want to make sure I’m doing it right :)
Correct. Juts follow Step 1. in the directions, exactly as written. Don’t shortchange the time (5 to 7 minutes) and just follow along exactly as written. Enjoy.LMK how they turn out!
Turned out great!! First batch I overcooked, but second was so soft and yummy. Yay!! Now I have great go-to recipes for both chewy and soft chocolate chip cookies!! (also, so nice not to have to cream the butter and sugar separately and worry about if I’m doing it “right” – is that something specific to this recipe, or just something you have found not to be necessary?)
I’ve been playing around with the texture of pumpkin cookies and your cream cheese technique may be helpful. Thanks!
I just cream butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla all at once unless it’s a really, really fussy recipe – then I will break them up but I don’t make really fussy recipes. It’s more important IMO to cream LONG enough, i.e. a good 5+ mins, rather than cream separately. It all ends up creamed together anyway and I don’t find any adverse effects in 99% of my cookie recipes.
Pumpkin cookies. Hard to nail. The texture tends to get very cakey in a hurry due to the nature of pumpkin but these are the best I’ve found. https://www.averiecooks.com/pumpkin-chocolate-chip-cookies-kitchenaid-stand-mixer-200-williams-sonoma-gift-card-giveaway/
I am NOT A baker and these came out PERFECT! In fact, I have NEVER left a comment until now because it takes too much time, but these are the BEST cookies ever and you need to know they have changed my life. I can finally bake a cookie for a gift or to take to a gathering and they will be good! YES! Thanks.
Jen I am thrilled to hear these are life changing cookies for you and that you can bake these with confidence and take them to events and gatherings and hold your head up high. That is awesome. Love stories like this!
These were, by far, the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever baked. They have a wonderful consistency and taste amazing. I can’t wait to try some of your other cookies.
That is AWESOME! I love hearing things like this – best choc chip cookies you’ve ever baked! Wonderful consistency and taste. So happy to hear that. Please LMK what other recipes you try!
They are delish!!! Genius idea.
Hi Averie!
Just a quick question…I don’t have any kind of electrically powered mixer. Do you think that mixing it by hand and pure elbow grease will do the trick? Or will the cookies not be as soft, chewy, and wonderful?
Thanks!
Chi
They may not be AS fluffy and soft but as long as your butter is really well-softened to room temp (and cream cheese too), just beat it as best you possibly can with elbow grease. And then, make sure to chill the dough before baking and I think you’ll be fine. Please LMK how it goes for you!
By far the BEST chocolate chip cookie recipe ever! Finally a cookie that stays soft like it just came out of the oven days later!! Thanks for sharing!
I love this comment and field report! YES I agree! They stay soft for days and days and so glad you’re a fan, too!
“Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Like these will last more than 10 minutes in my house. Even less, if I share them with my husband.
Can’t wait to try these!
I only had neufchatel cream cheese, and it actually worked out great! I made the dough and let it chill overnight. When I formed the cookies I left them a little more ball-shaped and they didn’t spread too much. Also, I completely forgot a SilPat or to grease the sheet and they came right off.
They just came out of the oven and not only do they look perfect, they are so soft! I love this recipe. Knowing that I can sub neufchatel is awesome.
Thanks for the detailed report about what you used and that it worked wonderfully for you! So glad they look perfect and that they’re soft and that you love the recipe!
Hello ~ wondering if you use a baking stone or what kind of cookie sheet? I love my baking stones, but they do change the baking time.
Normal baking sheet lined with a Silpat. Always. The Silpat is a big key to getting puffier cookies because they have traction and don’t slip and slide on a greased cookie sheet. I never use a baking stone b/c I don’t have one!