Softbatch 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.
MY OTHER RECIPESI adapted my favorite Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookie 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.
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.
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.
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 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 Softbatch 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’ll can’t wait to start taste-testing and make up for lost time.
Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Replacing some of the butter from my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with cream cheese created cookies that are soft, thick, moist, and tender. Although you can’t taste the cream cheese, the cookies have a richness and depth of flavor like no other cookies I’ve tried. Plus there’s an abundance of chocolate in every bite. The dough can be made in advance, refrigerated, and baked as desired, up to 5 days later. A great option to have for fresh, warm cookies without having to mix up dough. I highly recommend these cookies!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (use cream cheese in a block or spreadable, don’t use fat-free, light or whipped)
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 (I used 1 cup chips and 1 1/4 cups chunks)
Directions:
- 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 (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). 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.
Adapted from Chocolate Chip and Chunk Cookies which also produced Soft and Chewy M&Ms Cookies, Soft and Chewy Snickers Chocolate Chip Cookies, Twix Bar Cookies
Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.
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Thanks for the 20 Favorite Crunchy Snacks and Healthy Chips Maker Giveaway entries and the $500 Apple iPad Giveaway entries
What do you make or bake with cream cheese?
Favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe?
Averie, I am a big fan of yours and I made this recipe. I liked that you could make these, freeze & bake later. They were excellent and chewy. I made two batches and packaged them up with some jelly beans and bow for Easter take-home treats. My family loved them. Recently, I made a recipe for almond shortbread where they substituted cornstarch for some of the flour and the result was great so I was comfortable using it in this recipe.The cream cheese really made the difference. They baked in 8 -9 minutes and were perfect. Making them this weekend for a group of friends.
Thanks for the 5 star rating and glad you were able to make, freeze, bake – and with jelly beans, how fun!
Very delicious, excellent texture. 5 stars!
Thanks for trying the recipe and for the 5 star review!
Has anyone tried this recipe with almond flour? I am diabetic and was curious if anyone has tried the almond flour and used sugar substitutes?
I would not use almond flour here. It has very/no gluten and the cookies will not rise or turn out well, as written.
I made this today I used white chocolate chips baked them as pan cookies. Baked them 14 minutes.
Sounds like a winner!
How would you adapt the recipe to make them bars?
9×9 or 9×13 pan, bake for 20ish minutes, purely guessing though since I haven’t personally tried.
Can you use coconut flour?
No, make as written for best results. Coconut flour is too absorbent and will not work here as written unless you are willing to do lots of testing.
HiMade these soft batch chocolate chip cookies and everyone at home loved them. They turned out so good. I just wanted to ask if there is anything that I can substitute the egg with, and still ger the same soft and chewiness in the cookies. few family members are allergic to eggs. Please help me.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad everyone loved them! I would try an egg replacer, something like EnerG that you can buy on Amazon. https://amzn.to/2Fr8tVz
THE best chocolate chip cookies ever. I will never make another recipe again
Glad you think they are the best and will never make another recipe!
Made the chocolate chip cookies they came out good and tastes really good too. Will make again. Have you tried making banana chocolate chip cookies ? Those are good too would like to find a receipt for them.
Glad you enjoyed these and yes https://www.averiecooks.com/banana-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
After freezing, how long (if at all) do I let them defrost before baking? Thanks
Not necessary, just bake straight from freezer, maybe 1-2 extra minutes.
Thanks so much! Turned out perfect!! My family’s favorite cookie recipe ☺️
Thanks for letting me know this is your family’s fave cookie recipe!
I made these as directed and they were delicious. I wanted to make a cookie cake. Will this recipe work or do I have to make modifications? If I could use this recipe what size pan do you suggest?
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved them!
Cookie cake – you mean like cookies in a pan? https://www.averiecooks.com/category/dessert/cookies/ check out some of the skillet cookies and cookie pies, there are tons to choose from that I have already made. I have never made this recipe as anything other than actual cookies.
Such a great recipe that can be kept in refrigerator for up to 5 days! Loved that part! Who doesn’t live fresh cookies??
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love these cookies!
Do I have to form the cookies into polices or can I just refrigerate the dough and then form the cookies?
If you refrigerate the dough and then try to form cookies it can be very hard and difficult to work with; make as recommended by forming cookies first, then chilling.
I have been searching for the perfect soft chocolate chip cookie recipe for the longest time. These really hit the target. They come out so fluffy, tender, soft and deliciously chocolatey. Definately my new favorite and now the only chocolate chip recipe i will use!
Glad these hit the spot and are your new fave and the only recipe you will use!
I just made these and even though I added salt to taste, the cookies ended up tasting very bland. The only thing I did differently was use 1 cup of BITTERSWEET chunks + semisweet chips.. I followed everything else to a T. Hubby agreed and said something was missing – said it tasted bland. Any idea what I could do differently next time?
I have no idea why they tasted bland to you…this is my most popular cookie recipe and I have never heard that from anyone and I get hundreds of comments a year about these cookies being delicious. Maybe add more salt? Maybe just use semi-sweet chips or chunks. Not sure. Thanks for trying the recipe.
I use salted butter – that may help…
I love these cookies and have made them several times. I tried them with white chocolate and cranberries and those were excellent too. Anyway, so that I never go without them, I would love to have some in the freezer. My question is, do I freeze the dough (in cookie form) or bake the cookies and then freeze?Thanks for your help!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love these cookies! You can do either but I prefer to freeze the dough rather than already-made cookies.
I’ve tried loads of chocolate chip cookie recipes and they never come out as good as these ones do.I only used 1 cup of the chocolate chips and next time I’ll cut down to 3/4cup. I also had to leave them in the oven for 12 minutes. – perfect cookies that are soft on the inside.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you love this recipe more than any others for choc chip cookies!
Best soft cookie recipe. I love how they taste and they came out beautiful. My husband loved them a lot.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was a hit with you and your husband!
Just made them today and they were awesome! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you loved them!
Nice recipe! : ) I just try them and the flavor is just excellent but where I live is 7,000 ft altitud and they turn out no that thick. How can I change the baking soda to turn that thick? Thank you
Being that I don’t cook at altitude, I am not much help here. But ask this question to Google and I know there will be a ton of answers for you.
I made the cookie dough last night and kept it in the fridge and took it out when I got home from work to soften a bit. Suddenly I realized I forgot to add the cornstarch into the ingredients last night. I’m hoping they still bake up the same. I sure hope so because they look so yummy! We shall find out!🤷🤷🤷
It will bake fine. The texture will be slightly different – probably softer with the cornstarch, but they will still be soft.
hi! thank you for sharing your delicious cookie recipe!!its one of the best that i’ve tasted ;)would like to ask though, what kind of oven do you use? mine is an electrical oven; i baked mine for 13minutes at 180degrees celcius. it tasted great fresh out of oven. pale but soft and kind of just melts in my mouth!!but on the next day its became moist. i kept in an airtight container. was wondering if i should bake it longer:/i stay in a tropical country.
In this case because it’s very humid where you live I am guessing you should bake them longer, until they seem more set, whatever that means in your oven and your climate.
Can you use more than 1/4 cup of cream cheese?
I’m sure you could but then you would have to alter other ingredients and play around with the batter and dough and do your own recipe testing.
I did not expect these cookies to taste so good. I kinda expected them to taste like every other cookie recipe out there, but I will never make cookies any other way again. They are the best cookies I’ve ever tasted!
Glad they are the best cookies you’ve ever tasted and that you’ll be loyal to this recipe!