Cream cheese cookies are the most heavenly little bites of sweetness! They’re addicting; you’ve been warned!
Cream Cheese Cookies
If you have never tried cream cheese cookies, you’re in for a TREAT! Something magical happens when you add cream cheese to a cookie! You get this soft, moist, chewy cookie that feels like you’re eating a cloud. They puff right up, and they’re addicting!
I “fussed” quite a bit with this recipe to make it absolutely perfect. First, it was too dry and we can’t have that. Second, it wasn’t fluffy enough. Finally, I found the perfect combination of all of the ingredients! Let me let you in on a little secret, there are THREE secrets in these cookies. Three. Pay close attention.
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The 3 Secrets to Cream Cheese Cookies
- The cream cheese. Naturally. It’s the “key” ingredient that makes these cookies so good! Don’t leave it out! Well, except out on your counter to come to room temperature before baking, of course. ;)
- Cake Flour. You can find in the regular flour section. I tend to buy Swans Down brand (red box). This is the key to making a soft cookie that feels like a cloud!
- Baking time! This will vary by a lot of factors for your oven from altitude to what type of pan you use but this trick will help you! Watch for the very edges of these cookies to begin turning a golden brown, then pull them!
Now that we have the two secrets out of the way, let’s get on with more reasons why I love these cream cheese cookies.
These cookies are not an overly sweet cookie so they do lend themselves to being glazed or iced. You can also keep it simple and just dust with powdered sugar. You don’t even have to do that, but if you want an extra touch of sweetness, go for it. You only live once.
My daughter helped me with this shoot, my little apprentice is home all summer. Not only did she help me bake these cream cheese cookies, but she stood over my shoulder to watch behind the camera so I could teach her about lighting and photography. She is also 4, so she was really doing all of this so she could get in on the “eating” action.
After we wrapped up the shoot, I let her frost some with buttercream frosting (and of course, her weight in sprinkles). I noticed that the flavor reminded me of the grocery store “Lofthouse Cookies”, do you know the ones I’m talking about? Heavenly. These cream cheese cookies take just fine on their own, but we enjoyed the frosting!
You’ll notice I used vanilla and almond extracts. This combination is my personal preference, but play around with your favorite extracts. Stick to all vanilla, all almond, add in a little lemon. You can’t go wrong.
Keep in mind that the dough DOES need to be refrigerated for at least an hour, so plan ahead! It’s worth the wait!
Cream Cheese Cookies
Pillowy soft cookies that melt in your mouth!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 3/4 cup cake flour
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream together butter and cream with electric mixer.
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Add sugar and beat for 1 minute. Add egg and beat to combine. Add extracts and beat until combined. Add in baking powder and cake flour (in three sections), mixing to combine.
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Once incorporated, refrigerate dough for at least an hour.
Dough is sticky so use flour on your hands to roll out 1-2 inch balls. You can use the bottom of a cup/glass dipped in flour to gently flatten the balls. Don't flatten too much or the cookies won't puff up.
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Bake for 9-11 minutes. Important: Pull them out when you see the underside edges turning golden! This might vary for your oven and altitude. Watch these cookies carefully.
There you have it! Cream cheese cookies! The dough stores very well in the refrigerator so you can prep it a couple of days in advance if needed. I hope you enjoy these as much as my family does. I am already looking forward to the Christmas baking season so we can add these cream cheese cookies to the rotation this year!
If you’re looking for more dessert ideas, check out these other faves:
How many eggs? They’re not in the list
Look again. 1 egg
about haw many cookies will this make
It made 34 cookies for me
It seems delicious! I pin it for later. Thanks for the recipe. :-)
Salted or unsalted butter??
I used unsalted butter
These sound delicious! Can you tell me about how many cookies this recipe makes?
Hi Patricia! I’ll have to remake to get an exact count, but I believe it was not quite 2 dozen. I love any excuse to make these, haha, so stay tuned!
You forgot to account for the refrigeration time in your recipe card. My bad for not reading ahead, but it would have been nice to see that part at the beginning, and not get caught by surprise in the middle of everything…
can I freeze these cookies?
Hi Diana! I haven’t tried to freeze them yet but I don’t see a reason why they wouldn’t freeze well!
For anyone without cake flour, remove 2 TB of flour, replace with 2 TB of cornstarch. It works (;
Hand mixer or stand mixer? Does it matter?
I used a stand mixer. I imagine that you could use a mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer just the same though.
You misread the recipe there is one cup of sugar listed
I sincerely apologize. I totally missed the cup of sugar in the recipe. Please delete my comment as it was my error. Thank you!
Thanks Ginnee, I appreciate it.
These look heavenly!! Can’t wait to try them out!
If not using the almond extract, should I increase the vanilla or leave it at one teaspoon?
Barb, you can go either way. I’d likely increase because I love the extra boost of flavor.
If you wanted to give this a lemon twist, would you leave out the almond flavoring and use lemon zest?
Hi Janet! Yes, I’d leave out the almond, add lemon zest and perhaps lemon extract, depending on how “Lemony” you wanted it.
I didnt refrigerate dough and they still turned out. Very moist almond flavored cookie. Reminded me of the mexican wedding cookie….
Thanks Christine!!
These are delicious but mine came out skinny and flat. Not to mention the mess I had making them. They were delicious but the mess in my kitchen as incredible. I just found them impossible to roll in m hands. I had flour everywhere.
Mine also turned out flat. Yummy tho’. What can I do to make them puff and not flatten!
When i made these cookies Last weekend I increase the cream cheese to an 8oz block I added one and a half cups of sugar 2 eggs and 2 and 1/2 cups of flour. I also refrigerated it for a bit longer and had no problem rolling the dough into balls. I however did not flatten them out when I bake them and they turned out very nice thick soft pillowy delicious cookies
I flattened mine to about 3/8″. If you flatten too much they won’t be puffy.
Can this recipe be successfully doubled….does not look like one batch will suffice at our house!
Hi Nancy, I haven’t doubled it myself but I imagine it should work out just fine. :)
May I know if my top and bottom heating element should be on? I have an electric oven without fan
Great cookies, thanks for the recipe. I will be making more pretty soon…
GREAT COOKIES! Easy to make. Froze well. A new favorite!
Thank you Bridget, so glad you loved them!
These cookies, with out a doubt, are the best I’ve ever made. My whole family absolutely raves over them.
So glad you loved it, Jan! Thank you!
Can’t wait to make them
Have you tried sprinkling cookies with colored sugar, red and green for Christmas, orange for Halloween, red, white, and blue…..?
I didn’t believe you when you said these cookies are addicting. I believe you now. I just made a batch and will need to double it next time or no one else will get any. I love soft cookies and these are the best.
So glad you loved them!
ran out of the cookies this morning and my granddaughter needed more of them to take to school in her lunch. Thanks again for a wonderful recipe.
So glad you love it! ;)
Thank you so much for the great recipe i have already made twice and it’s just wonderful it’s easy to make and yummy to eat 👍👍👍👍
Great recipe, I don’t care for almond flavor so I substituted the almond extract with lemon. They came out perfect. Just the right amount of lemon flavor. Just and fyi for those who have commented on flat cookies. I rolled mine into balls, used a small glass coated in flour to flatten just a little. I also make sure the edges are not flat I shape them with the glass they come out with the right amount of puffiness and shape.
Thanks, Desiree! Love the idea of the lemon swap in!
BUENOS DÍAS QUE GALLETAS TAN LINDA SE VE BIEN RICA. LA HARÉ PARA LA CASA GRACIAS
This cookies are simply perfect!! I made it just a moment ago! Doesnt need even powder sugar!!!
Thank you, Maria! :)
I had a heck of a time with the baking time and am not sure I got them 100% right, but it was a fun experiment and they’re tasty nonetheless! Thank you for the fun recipe!
How do you “ roll “ dough into a “ball”? ?
You put a little in your palm and put your other palm over that and roll it around into a ball. Remember every playing with play dough and making balls?