These cream cheese cookies are pillowy soft with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Tangy cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar make them perfectly sweet and irresistible.
Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe
These cream cheese cookies are quick and easy to make with only 10 minutes of prep and one bowl needed. If you’ve never added cream cheese to cookie dough before, you’re in for a treat.
Cream cheese gives these cookies a soft, cloud-like texture that’s perfectly chewy and moist. Similar to my gooey butter cookies, these sweet cookies have a subtle tang and an irresistible puffy bite.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Tender and creamy: The butter, cream cheese and powdered sugar make them both simple and sweet!
- Versatile. An understated every day cookie, they can be Christmas cookies during the holidays, or a snack on any given day during the week.
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- All-purpose flour: For an even softer texture, you can swap in cake flour or DIY it by replacing 2 tablespoons of flour with cornstarch per cup.
- Baking powder: Helps the cookies puff up and stay light and tender.
- Salt: Just a pinch enhances flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cookies and gives them structure when creamed with the butter and cream cheese.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a rich yet cozy flavor.
- Unsalted butter: You’ll only need one stick, since some of the usual butter is replaced with cream cheese in this recipe. Make sure it’s at room temperature so it blends smoothly into the dough.
- Cream cheese: Gives the cookies a signature tang and ultra-soft, moist texture. Soften cream cheese quickly if you’ve forgotten to bring it to room temp.
- Egg: A large egg at room temperature blends smoothly into the batter and helps hold the cookies together.
- Powdered sugar: Also called confectioner’s sugar, it’s dusted on top of the Philadelphia cream cheese cookies for light, sweet finish after baking.
How to Make Cream Cheese Cookies
Start by whisking together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to evenly distribute the baking powder and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. This step builds the soft, creamy base of your cookies.
Add the sugar and beat again until the mixture is pale and airy, it will be light and have a whipped texture. Mix in the egg and vanilla then add the dry ingredients and mix on low until everything just comes together.
Pop the dough in the fridge to chill. Tthis helps the cookies hold their shape and enhances the flavor.
Once the dough is chilled, use a large cookie scoop to portion it out. Lightly dampen your hands and roll the dough into rough balls. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie so they have room to spread.
Bake at 375°F for 10 minutes, or just until the edges are lightly golden. Don’t over bake for soft and pillowy cookies! Cool on a wire rack then dust with powdered sugar.
Tips and Variations
- Don’t skip scraping the bowl! Scrape not only the sides but the bottom too just to make sure everything is well combined. Just be careful not to overwork the dough.
- Add cream cheese frosting or a glaze for extra pizzazz.
- Roll the cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar before baking for a warm flavor.
- Switch up the flavor in this cream cheese cookies recipe by adding some lemon zest to the cookie dough; or make freeze dried strawberry cookies!
- Swap the vanilla extract with almond extract like I do in my almond cookie recipe.
5 star review
“LOVE these cookies!!! I make a double batch and freeze half for emergency cookie hunger.”
Linda
Storing Cream Cheese Cookies
- Store: Store these cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days. They don’t need to be refrigerated right away, but because of the cream cheese will need to be moved to the fridge after that.
- Freeze: Flash freeze cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet until solid then store them in a freezer bag. Bake straight from frozen adding a minute or two. You can also freeze baked cookies up to 3 months.
More treats with cream cheese include cream cheese mints, easy Valentine’s Day cookies, and sugar cookie truffles.
More Cookies Recipes
Browse all
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
Cream Cheese Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup (255 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 4 ounces cream cheese , at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg , at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar , for dusting
Instructions
- Dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream 1/2 cup butter and 4 ounces cream cheese together on medium speed until fluffy. Add 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until pale and airy. Mix in 1 large egg and 1 Tablespoon vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom of the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Combine and chill dough. Mix in the dry ingredients on low until just combined. Chill at least 1 hour.
- Line pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Scoop dough and bake. Using a medium cookie scoop (2 Tablespoons), place the dough onto the baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes, or until the edges just starting to turn golden.
- Dust with powdered sugar. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Christmas, Cookies, Holiday Cookies, Nut-Free
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
LOVE these cookies!!! I make a double batch and freeze half for emergency cookie hunger. Found the recipe when searching for Christmas cookies and have made them several times since. Definitely a keeper!
Love that you keep these cream cheese cookies on hand for emergency cookie hunger Linda! :)
Thank you for sharing this easy recipe
Can’t wait to get more recipe and to make them … HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU 😘🥰😇
Thank you, glad you are enjoying the recipes and Merry Christmas to you too!
What can I use to mix this with since I do not have a kitchen aide mixer with paddle attachment?
A hand mixer should work.
These were so easy to make! They came out perfect and had a little cream cheese tanginess. These will be perfect for my cookie exchange party this Christmas. Thank You!
Perfect cookie for an exchange :)
Wow! These cookies are so soft and delicious! My family really enjoyed them and I really loved how easy they were to make!
I’m so glad you loved them!
These cookies are amazing! The texture is perfect. The best part is that my son despises cream cheese and loved these cookies!
these are simple to make and very good. I made a jar for snacking during my long work hours. adding this to my favorites.