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!
Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe … 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.
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 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.
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 soft batch chocolate chip cream cheese 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 Does Cream Cheese Do for Cookies?
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.
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 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.
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients
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
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.
Tip: 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 the Cookies Be Made with Low-Fat Cream Cheese?
No, 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.
Can I Add Mix-Ins to the Cookie Dough?
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.
Do I Have to Chill the Cookie Dough?
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 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.
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 chocolate chip cream cheese 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 Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cream Cheese
Cookie scoop: 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!
Cookie cake: I’ve never tried this myself, but a few readers have asked if they could transform the cookie dough into a cookie cake. My gut says most likely! Use this chocolate chip cookie pie recipe as a reference for bake times.
Make ahead: As I mentioned already, the cookie dough freezes incredibly well. If you plan on making the cookies ahead of time to freeze for later, I recommend freezing the dough rather than the baked cookies.
But that’s just my personal preference as I prefer enjoying freshly baked cookies rather than thawed and reheated ones!
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Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
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.
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!!
These are sooooo amazing, thank you so much for the recipe!!
Glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have struggled making chocolate chip cookies for decades. I made 2 batches of these this weekend for my son’s band concert cookie reception on Tuesday. They are moist with my perfect bit of gooey- which was easily altered to satisfy my “gooey ick” husband.
This recipe is my new go-to!
Glad this is your new go-to recipe and that this recipe ends your decades-long struggle with CCC’s. That’s awesome news!
Hi Averie! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I found it on Pinterest and made it yesterday, and I think I’ve eaten about half of the product already. ;) They are absolutely delicious! I followed your recipe exactly except that I only had 1/3 less fat cream cheese on hand. I’m happy to say that the cookies did not spread at all…I didn’t allow the dough to come up to room temperature before baking, so maybe that helped. I will most definitely be making these again! And here I thought my original chocolate chip cookie recipe was the very best. I was wrong! :)
So glad these are your new fave and even beat your existing choc chip cookie recipe AND that you were able to pull them off with 1/3 less fat cream cheese – so awesome!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS RECIPE! It made like, 40 cookies for me (in addition to all the dough eaten!). The rest of my family really enjoyed them too because they weren’t too sweet. I want to try using some Greek yogurt in substitution for some of the remaining butter, maybe melting it (butter), using sour cream, and maybe adding some whole wheat flour instead of all the regular flour.
I beat the corn starch in with the butter mixture and only used about half of the chocolate chips called for (they were still very chocolatey). Nine minutes in the oven proved to be not enough, but ten was perfect and they looked just like the pictures!
I put my dough into balls how I would want them to turn out (because I knew they wouldn’t spread). They still looked like drop cookies because I didn’t handle them too much and I think that is the trick. Letting them cool for five minutes on the tray was vital because they cooked some more on the hot tray.
I love this recipe as a base for cookie ingredient experimentation and they tasted fantastic on their own! Thanks again Averie! This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Glad this recipe is a keeper for you and that the cookies came out just perfectly…and I’m impressed you got like 40 out of the batch! I get too impatient to roll my cookies small and just make them bigger usually :)
Me and my mom tried this excellent recipe. At first they were doughy with 8 minutes but the second time we added 4 minutes and pushed them down. When they came out they were extravagant. The inside was baked to perfection. All together we had 13 minutes. Thinks for the recipe.
Glad you enjoyed these and found the perfect baking time in your oven!
I’m going to give these a try. I use cream cheese in my mashed potatoes with great results so perhaps this will be good too.
I noticed that your other chocolate chip cookie recipe takes 2 cups of flour, but this recipe takes 2 1/4 cups of flour. Is that correct?
All doughs are slightly different and yes for this dough, you want to make the recipe as written with 2 1/4 cups.
Made these over Christmas, with 1 1/2 cups semisweet chips and 1 cup Heath toffee bits. They were wonderful, and a big hit with my (at times critical) in-laws. Thanks for a great recipe! :)
Mmmm I love Heath bits and can see where they’d be great in these! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Just want to let you know that I made them today very good I might of add a tish to much salt but that was my bad..just want to give you a little positive vibe :)
Thanks :) and glad you enjoyed them!
I tried these tonight and due to lack of time and patience to chill the dough, so I tested just a few cookies to see how “thin and flat” they would come out. I have to say I had the complete opposite issue. They were very fluffy and round. So I flattened them the next batch and had good results, even without chilling the dough. Overall not bad, not what I expected, but still tasty.
So good if directions are followed properly! Very delicious and soft!
Thanks and glad they came out great!
I too have discovered this cream cheese secret. Love the results. Have you tried the cream cheese swap in snicker doodles yet? Equally amazing. Glad I found your blog. Think I’ll look around a bit. :)
I have a white chocolate version but haven’t done it with snickerdoodles…yet.
https://www.averiecooks.com/soft-and-chewy-white-chocolate-cream-cheese-cookies/
i really want to try making these today but noticed your notes say not to use light cream cheese. Is there anyway of getting around this? It’s all I have in my fridge at the moment. Thanks for your help!
It can make the dough runnier, thinner and yield inconsistent results. Some people have used it successfully, others haven’t. You can try and see what happens – never know til you try!
Look forward to trying these. My favorite choc chip cookies are made with half butter/half Crisco – yikes! So… I’m happy to replace with cream cheese. My oven cooks oh so slowly. Ten mins would never be long enough. Sigh. Do you use convection for cookie baking?
I don’t have a convection oven so just regular! All ovens vary, as do climates, so that can definitely impact baking time.
I made these tonight for my husband. He usually hates it when I make new versions of chocolate chip cookies, he just wants the regular kind, but I like to experiment! And he loved them! I added extra salt on top of them before I even read the comments about lack of flavor, and he seemed to think the flavor was great. (I didn’t eat any so I can’t vouche for his palate) I had to bake them about 3 minutes longer, over the 10 minute warning, but they still stayed soft and looked nice and I was pleased with the result and would make them again to take a party or something.
Glad they worked out great for you and your husband loved them!
I had such high hopes for this recipe. My whole family did, in fact. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out as described. Even a second batch failed miserably. I double checked measurements, but each time they weren’t fluffy, but pancakey. So sad!
I’m sorry they didn’t work out. When you say pancakey, do you mean flat? Are you baking with King Arthur flour? Baking on a Silpat? Those things REALLY make a different – see this post for tips https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/