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! 

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! 

1. 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!
2. Add in the dry ingredients and scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets incorporated.
3. Scoop the cookie dough into large balls and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before baking.
4. 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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4.53 from 1053 votes

Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

By Averie Sunshine

These soft batch cookies are made with a combination of butter and cream cheese, which makes them extra rich and delicious!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 18 minutes minutes

Servings: 28 cookies

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 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**

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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

Serving: 1, Calories: 189kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 72mg, Potassium: 107mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 144IU, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 1mg

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!

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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!!