Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Classic chocolate chip cookies are made softer and even more decadent with the addition of cream cheese! Make these cream cheese chocolate chip cookies for cookie swaps, potlucks, or the next time a cookie craving hits.
Like my chocolate chip cookie recipe, this cream cheese version results in cookies that are chewy around the edges and soft in the center. Cream cheese may sound kind of strange, but it makes the cookies even richer in flavor and softer in texture.
Because the cream cheese is mixed together with the butter, it gets fully mixed into the cookie dough. I don’t think anyone who eats these cookies will be able to tell that there’s cream cheese in them — they’ll just wonder what the secret ingredient is that makes them taste so good!
These cookies are also perfect for just about any occasion. You can even keep a stash of the cookie dough in your freezer to bake whenever you need a freshly baked cookie.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: I always use unsalted butter for baked goods, because the amount of salt in salted butter varies by brand. If you only have salted butter on hand, just reduce the salt in the recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure to use brick-style cream cheese for these cookies. Spreadable cream cheese is too thin and will cause the cookies to spread all over the baking sheet. You won’t be using the whole block of cream cheese either, so feel free to save the rest for later or use it in any of my cream cheese recipes.
- Sugar: I prefer using a blend of granulated and brown sugar to make these cookies. Brown sugar adds flavor and moisture to the dough and also keeps the baked cookies soft.
- Egg: You’ll need just one large egg for this recipe. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before getting started.
- Vanilla Extract: Be sure to use pure vanilla extract and avoid using imitation vanilla.
- Flour: This provides the structure for your cookies. When you are measuring your flour, avoid scooping it from the container. This can cause it to become compacted and you’ll wind up with cookies that don’t spread very much in the oven. Instead, spoon your flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the back of a knife. I have a full blog post on how to measure flour correctly.
- Baking Soda: This provides a little lift to the cookies.
- Salt: To balance out the sweetness of the cookie dough.
- Chocolate Chips: I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you may use milk, dark, or even white chocolate chips if preferred.
How To Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth, then mix in the brown sugar and granulated sugar until fully combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla and continue mixing, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix it into the wet ingredients. Add the chocolate chips to the cookie dough and stir or mix gently to combine. Cover the cookie dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 90 minutes.
- Scoop into balls using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop. Bake the cookie dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until the edges are lightly golden and the centers are just set.
Recipe FAQs
Cream cheese adds richness to the cookies and also makes them incredibly soft!
No, you need to use both butter and cream cheese to make these cookies. The combination of the two makes for soft chocolate chip cookies, but not too soft.
Yes! The cookie dough can be scooped into balls and frozen until ready to bake.
You can either bake from frozen and add an additional one to two minutes to the baking time or thaw the dough overnight in the fridge and bake as directed.
Yes, you’re welcome to add up to 1 3/4 cups of mix-ins. Feel free to use a blend of chocolate chips, baking chips, dried fruit, chopped nuts, etc.
Baking Tips
- Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature before making the cookie dough. That includes the egg, butter, and cream cheese.
- Brick-style cream cheese is a must for this recipe. Use full-fat for best results, and skip anything labeled as “low-fat” or “whipped.”
- You’ll know the cookies are ready to come out of the oven when the centers have just barely set. Remember that the cookies will finish firming up as they cool on the baking sheet.
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened (170 grams; 1.5 sticks)
- 3 ounces brick-style cream cheese softened (85 grams)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (200 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled (345 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips (340 grams)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese together until smooth.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix for 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, then mix in the chocolate chips on low-speed until fully incorporated into the cookie dough.
- Cover the cookie dough tightly and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 ½ hours.
- Once the dough is almost chilled, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line three large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and drop onto the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to leave a little room between each ball of cookie dough because they will spread some as they bake in the oven.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden brown and the tops are set. Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
I love all your recipes 😍
Hi can you please give the gram measurement for this cream cheese cookie i want to try them on small batch 🙏 thank you
All of the gram measurements are in the recipe card towards the bottom of the post. If you’re having trouble finding it, there’s a jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
It makes 40 cookies.
what happens if i do not refrigerate cookie dough before baking
The cookies will spread more as they bake in the oven.
I think these would be great as mini cupcakes. About how long to cook?
Hi, Jennifer! Are you wanting to bake the cookie dough in a mini muffin pan? If so, I would use a little over 1 tablespoon of cookie dough per cavity and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F.