Big, soft, buttery cookies with sweet and tangy cream cheese in the middle!! Oh my....Best thumbprints ever!!!
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Chill Time2 hourshrs
Total Time2 hourshrs32 minutesmins
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheesecake cookies, cookies made with cream cheese, cream cheese cookies, cream cheese filled cookies
Servings: 9
Calories: 332kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
Cookies
½cupunsalted buttersoftened (1 stick)
½cupbrown sugarpacked (I used 1/4 cup of light and 1/4 cup dark)
¼cupgranulated sugar
1large egg
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1 ¼cupsall-purpose flour
½cupgraham cracker crumbs
1teaspooncornstach
½teaspoonbaking soda
pinchsaltoptional and to taste
Cream Cheese Filling
6ouncesbrick-style cream cheesesoftened (lite is okay)
¼cupgranulated sugar
Instructions
Cookies:
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the butter, sugars (highly recommend using some dark brown sugar), egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until creamed and well combined, about 4 minutes.
Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute.
Using a large cookie scoop, 1/4-cup measure, or your hands, form 9 equal-sized mounds of dough, roll into balls, and using your fingers, hollow out the center of each ball as if you were making thumbprint cookies. In doing so, the cookies will naturally flatten. Make sure not to go too deeply and punch through the bottom but go deep enough that each cookie will be able to hold 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling.
Place mounds on a large plate or tray and place in the freezer while you wash the mixing bowl and make the cream cheese filling.
Cream Cheese Filling:
To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large mixing bowl and electric mixer) combine the cream cheese, sugar, and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and creamed, about 4 minutes.
Using a small spoon, equally distribute filling among dough mounds, smoothing the tops lightly with the back of the spoon or a spatula.
Place mounds on a large plate or tray, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 3 days. Do not bake with unchilled dough because cookies will bake thinner, flatter, and be more prone to spreading.
Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat or spray with cooking spray. Place dough mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 6 cookies per sheet).
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until edges have set and cream cheese is just set; don’t overbake for soft cookies (bake a few minutes longer for firmer cookies). Cookies firm up as they cool.
Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for about 15 minutes before serving. I let them cool on the baking sheet and don’t use a rack.
Notes
Storage: Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days (I’m comfortable storing items with baked cream cheese at room temp; store in the fridge if you prefer) or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.