Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
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!
The Best Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
I’ve been wanting to bake cream cheese into cookies for ages. I finally did. And I’m in love with the results.
In my cookbook, I have a recipe for Carrot Cake Cookies with cream cheese baked in, but I’ve never tried it with chocolate chip cookies or as a way to substitute for butter until now. 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 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. They’re so soft, moist, and with a richness to the dough like no other cookies I’ve tried.
The dough seems more buttery, which is ironic since there’s actually less butter used, not more. I can’t taste the cream cheese, but it adds depth, density, and richness that my regular chocolate chip cookies don’t have.
Use cream cheese in a block or the spreadable kind. Smoosh it into a one-quarter cup measure and cream it with the butter and sugars. I used a combination of 2 1/4 cups of chocolate chips and chunks to ensure plenty of chocolate in every bite. And then some.
The 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. Cornstarch is my secret weapon for creating super soft cookies. The reason pudding cookies turn out so soft is because ‘modified food starch,’ or cornstarch, is one of the first ingredients in pudding mix. Same principle here, minus using actual pudding mix.
After trying these cookies and not being able to keep my hands off of them, it’s made me wonder what’ll happen if I replace some of the butter with cream cheese in some of my other favorite cookie recipes. I can’t wait to start taste-testing and make up for lost time!
What’s in This Homemade Cookie Recipe?
For these addicting cream cheese chocolate chip cookies, 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
How to Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
To make these soft batch cookies, you’ll first need to 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. DO NOT overbake the cookies! They’ll continue cooking on the inside as they come to room temperature, and you definitely don’t want them to become too firm. Remember: you’re making soft batch cookies here!
Can I Use a Cornstarch Substitute?
Honestly, I’m not sure if a cornstarch substitute would work in this recipe. To make these cream cheese chocolate chip cookies soft batch-style, the cornstarch is needed. Technically, you can omit the cornstarch, but your cookies won’t turn out as soft.
Can I Chill the Dough and Then Roll it Into Balls?
I wouldn’t recommend it. The dough firms up a lot in the fridge and becomes crumbly, which makes it tough to roll after being chilled. You really need to form the cookie dough balls and then chill them for best results.
Can I Freeze Cookie Dough?
Yes, this cookie dough freezes incredibly well. Just roll the dough into balls as if you were going to bake them, but store them in the freezer instead. You don’t have to thaw the dough before baking it, just bake it straight from frozen (note that you may need to bake these cream cheese cookies 1 to 2 minutes longer if baking from frozen).
Tips for Making Soft Batch Cookies
Don’t 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.
Make sure to chill your dough for at least two 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!
More Cream Cheese Cookies:
- Softbatch Glazed Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies — These super soft, very lemony cookies are topped with a lemon glaze that adds to the pucker-up power. Cream cheese keeps the cookies soft, moist, tender, and makes them taste more buttery.
- Cream Cheese Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies — Cream cheese keeps them super soft! Say hello to your new fave chocolate cookie!!
- White Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies — Move over butter, cream cheese makes these cookies thick and super soft!
- Classic Cream Cheese Cookies — If you like tangy cream cheese frosting and soft buttery cookies, you’re going to be in heaven. The cream cheese stays slightly soft, gooey, and tastes much more like cream cheese frosting than it does like cheesecake.
- Cream Cheese Black and White 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.
Softbatch 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!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened*
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
- 2 1/4 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.
Notes
*Use cream cheese in a block or spreadable, don’t use fat-free, light or whipped.
**I used 1 cup chips and 1 1/4 cups chunks.
***The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark. They have chewy edges with soft, pillowy centers.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
28Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 170 Total Fat: 8g Saturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 3g Cholesterol: 17mg Sodium: 77mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 1g Sugar: 14g Protein: 2g
Even More Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes:
Soft and Chewy Snickers Chocolate Chip Cookies — Of all the candy-bar stuffed cookies, these are my favorite
Twix Bar Chocolate Chip Cookies — Chocolate chip cookies are even better with Twix baked in. This cookie dough is my favorite chocolate chip cookie dough base, producing cookies that are so soft, moist, and tender with perfectly chewy edges.
Caramel Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies — There’s more add-ins than dough in these extremely well-stuffed cookies. If you like eating caramel corn by the handful, baking it into cookies is even better
The Best Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies — One of my absolute favorite recipes for chocolate chip cookies thanks to a special ingredient!! Just one bite and I think you’ll agree!!
Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies — The cookies have the flavor of banana bread, the chewy texture of oatmeal cookies, and the soft and gooey factor of chocolate chip cookies.
Delicious! Put them in for 10-12 minutes instead.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad these were delicious!
I would like to try these but I have no cornstarch. Do I absolutely need it or is there a substitute?
For this exact recipe to get it to be softbatch style soft, you do need it. You can omit it and they will be ok just not as soft with the intended texture.
What if you use arrowroot??
not sure
This is my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe, they turn our perfect every time! I do a mix of Ghirardelli milk and dark chocolate chips, so yummy!
Quick question though, can you replace the chocolate chips with M&M’s?
Glad you love them so much and they are your go-to recipe!
Should be fine on the M&Ms.
I have made these several times and today, as my husband was watching he snarkily asked “you’re putting cream cheese in those?!” 🤣 silly man (who also knows nothing about baking). Anyways, they are my “go-to” recipe. I want to make them for my mom or grandma and let them “ooh ahh” and ask some questions – they are both excellent bakers and will definitely want to know the secret! Thanks for a fantastic recipe
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad this is your go to recipe now!
I’ve made these cookies several times and each time they’ve come out amazing! and I receive a lot of compliments from them….so thank you for sharing this recipe! I do have a question about making ahead. I know you said that the dough can be made in advanced and left in the fridge for up to 5 days but what about freezing the dough? Have you done that before? Making the dough and then rolling the dough into balls and then freezing. I’m asking as I will be making a huge batch and would like to get the dough out of the way. Thanks in advanced!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad you love the cookies.
Regarding freezing the dough, just roll into balls as if you were going to chill/refrig the dough balls but put into the freezer instead. Bake maybe 1-2 extra mins, no need to thaw in advance of baking.
I am making this recipe, just wondering if the flour is sifted or not before measuring. I bake a lot and the directions don’t say sift and the video the flour didn’t looked sifted before measuring. I am sure I will be done baking before anyone sees this since it is so late. Looks great
I never sift, no need to bother here :)
We love these cookies. Always come out so well. I make large ones so don’t get 28 though does make a lot of dough. Have frozen dough too and bake up just as well when thawed. Fantastic recipe.
Thanks for the five star review and I’m glad you love these cookies!
Very yummy . Texture is soft and not crumbly at all. Forgot to smush the dough so my cookies were pretty globular. Didn’t chill the dough and turned out good. Baked for probably 10-12 minutes. Definitely WAY too many chocolate chips though. There was practically more chocolate than dough, and wasted many chocolate chips that just couldn’t get incorporated. Will use probably 1 cup next time.
Easy to reduce the amount of chocolate chips if that is your preference next time. Many people love them with all the chocolate chips.
Gooooooooooood!
Awesome!!
can i use laughing cow cheese wedges instead of cream cheese??
no
I’ve been making these cookies for a couple years, and I’m sad to say I’m just now leaving a review and a thank you!These cookies are insane.We make them for the neighbors, teachers, bake sales, parties, etc.They never cease to amaze people. Thank you so much for the recipe! I wouldn’t change a thing!!!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and I’m glad that you’ve been making these for years and that they’ve amazed lots of people!!
Oh my! So very good. Can’t tell you how long I’ve looked for the perfect CC recipe. Of course I’ve had fun eating the near misses but these CC cookies are absolutely the best. I only tried them because of the cornstarch in the recipe. Hadn’t seen that elsewhere and I thought, why not try it? Made a second batch today (just as perfect as the first!) and froze the dough (in cookie portions) for use later. Honestly, I thought if I didn’t freeze some, I’d eat them all. Family agrees. This is a 5 star cookie. Thank you!!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love these so much and that you have a freezer stash waiting, too!
Love this recipe. Both my kids (11 and 8) asked for these instead of birthday cakes last year. I’ve made them in the past mixing butterscotch chips with semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, which were amazing! Thanks again for the great tips!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad your kids asked for these instead of bday cakes for their birthdays – that’s awesome!
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!
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.
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!
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?
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 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 :)
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 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!
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!