Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
A combination of cream cheese, butter and one more special ingredient makes for a simple dough and perfectly tender cookies. This recipe for Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies is my go-to when I’m craving a cookie.
A combination of cream cheese, butter and one more special ingredient makes for a simple dough and perfectly tender cookies. This recipe for Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies is my go-to when I’m craving a cookie.
Note: This post first appeared on May 27, 2015. The recipe has been updated from the archives with updated content and photographs, as well as improved kitchen notes and recipe annotation. I hope you enjoy this favorite from my kitchen.
“I’m tired of wearing jeans,” she confessed this morning. “Me, too,” I agreed, as I handed her a freshly ironed shirt. It was secretly comforting knowing that my daughter and I are on the same page. The colder weather has become tiresome, almost annoying, especially with Memorial Day behind us. I distinctly remember “June Gloom” when we lived in LA, but I’ve now dubbed this month Moody May. I am so very ready to retire the jeans and the sweaters, and socks have definitely lost their glam.
It’s easy to bore of most anything, and I almost hesitated whether or not I should share yet another chocolate chip cookie with you. But who gets tired of a chocolate chip cookie? No one.
I hope.
After I granted my daughter’s wish for ribs last week, I turned to my son for his special request. Chocolate chip cookies were his heart’s desire. Now who am I to deny him a cookie?
What is the secret to soft and chewy cookies?
I’ve been making cookies with cream cheese in the cookie dough for a while now, but each time I find myself tweaking it just a bit more to make it simpler and tastier.
These cookies not only have a blend of cream cheese and butter, but a special ingredient to insure a soft and tender crumb. Rather than going out and buying cake flour, I have learned that you can achieve the same results by incorporating some cornstarch with all-purpose flour. Less fuss for me, and more cookies for all!
Moody May just got a little sweeter, don’t you think?
How to Make Tender Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is one of the simplest chocolate chip cookie recipes, and my personal favorite. The blend of butter and cream cheese, along with a touch of cornstarch in the flour makes it tender.
The dough can easily be made in minutes, with the help of a hand mixer (or stand mixer if you have one!).
The other important element is chilling the dough. Since we’ve got lots of butter and cream cheese, the dough is very tender, so we need to chill the dough for at least an hour (ideally, overnight) so that they don’t melt into puddles in the oven. Or, you could pop the dough after forming into cookie balls into the freezer so you can bake them whenever you’ve got a cookie craving!
Give the cookies some time to rest on the tray after pulling them out of the oven. The residual heat form the baking tray will continue to bake them, plus, if you try to transfer them to a wire rack too soon, they might fall apart! Just give it a few minutes to cool first!
Once they’re on the wire rack, it’s fair game! Enjoy them warm and gooey, or completely cool. Happy baking!
More Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cranberry Oat Cookies
- Coconut Shortbread Cookies
- Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip and Currant Oatmeal Cookies
- Cardamom Snickerdoodles from Bojon Gourmet
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick or 110g), softened at room temperature
- 1/2 cup cream cheese (1/3 less fat) (4 oz or 115g), softened at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups + 1/3 cup all purpose flour (244g)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz)
Instructions
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and cream cheese on high speed until thoroughly mixed and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the granulated and brown sugars until fully incorporated. Beat in the egg and vanilla and mix thoroughly again.
- In a separate bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Slowly add this to the mixer and beat until just incorporated. Do not over stir. Fold or stir in the chocolate chips.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (or overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. and place the racks in the center of the oven. Prepare your baking pans with parchment paper.
- Take a medium ice cream scoop (equivalent to about 2 tablespoons) to scoop out the dough and roll into a ball. Place the cookie dough 2-3 inches apart, about 8 per cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through to insure even baking.
- When the cookies are golden brown on top and a nice amber color on the bottom, remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to settle on their trays for a few minutes; they will be very soft initially. Gently transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Video
Notes
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookie Tips
- Can I make the cookie dough ahead of time? Yes! The cooking dough can be scooped and chilled in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then transferred to an airtight container and chilled up to a week in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the cookie dough. Bake from frozen, adding a touch more baking time, if necessary.
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet before transferring them to a tray to cool completely. The cookies will come out of the oven very soft. Giving them a little time to rest on the cookie sheet allows the cookies to settle and flatten, cook a little more from the ambient heat of the tray, and firm up so that you can easily transfer them to a cooling tray. Otherwise, they may fall apart if you transfer them when they’re too hot.
Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
I can’t wait to try these!! Question; Do you use salted butter or unsalted butter for this recipe?
Hi Carla, I use unsalted butter for these cookies! Enjoy!
Hello! Just wondering how do you measure your flour? Do you spoon and level or scoop and level?
Hi Camille! I like to stir up my flour a bit to kind of loosen it, then scoop and level. Hope that helps!
I need to try making these asap!
Let me know how it goes, Carolyn!
I adore watching your videos, Liren. They just make me happy :)
Cheryl, that warms my heart, I’m so glad you enjoy the videos!! xo
These look perfect!
Thanks, Ashley! They’re my favorite!
These looks seriously perfect, Liren! Craving a chocolate chip cookie majorly now.
Thank you SO much, Gina! I try to keep this cookie dough in the freezer at all times so I can always satisfy the craving!
What if i were to use full fate cream cheese? is that ok?
Full fat cream cheese would make these even more amazing, Fiza!
Can I freeze after I bake them to keep for Christmas?
Hi Joyce, to be honest, I haven’t tried freezing the cookies after baking, since my preference is to freeze the cookie dough and bake at my convenience. But, I know that you can freeze baked cookies, and it should work with these because of the fat content! If you try it, please let me know how it comes out.
Corn starch! How brilliant! I don’t bake all that often, so this is news to me (and a trick I’m definitely going to use in the future). Also, cream cheese in the batter? I definitely have to try that!
Love that you’ve added cream cheese. Can’t wait to try these Liren. Pinned.
Never can have too many chocolate chip recipes! I’ve heard of using sour cream to create soft cookies but never cream cheese – love it. Hope it warms up in your area soon!
Oh Liren, why? Why, why, why did you have to publish the most scrumptious, delicious, amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe just when I’m on a diet??? I love the idea of cream cheese mixed with the butter in these cookies, and your idea of adding corn starch (called corn flour in the UK and fecule de mais in France) is totally intriguing. Wish me luck to lose a few more pounds so I can reward myself with a batch of these beautiful babies!
My hubby would be happy if our cookie jar was always full of chocolate chip cookies! Thanks for a new, wonderful recipe to try :)
Ha- I’ll take a year of Moody Mays if there are chocolate chip cookies involved! ;)
I never get tired for trying new chocolate chip cookie recipes either. These sound wonderful.