Cream Cheese Cookies

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These cream cheese cookies have pillowy interiors and a strong vanilla flavor. My friends described them as the cookie version of gooey butter bars!

They have just a few ingredients and come together so easily. Dust them with powdered sugar for a perfect presentation.

Stack of cream cheese cookies

Tips

Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature. As with cream cheese frosting, the cream cheese won’t mix in well if it is straight from the refrigerator.

Mix the butter and cream cheese for about two minutes. Then, as you add the other ingredients, don’t overmix the cookie dough or the cream cheese can become gummy.

Cream cheese cookie dough

Slightly flatten the tops of the cookie dough balls before baking to give the cookies a nice shape, but don’t flatten them too much or the insides won’t be soft and light.

Cream cheese cookies about to go in the oven

Be careful not to overbake the cookies. If you overbake them, they will become more crunchy instead of nice and soft like they are supposed to be. You’ll know they are done when the bottoms of the cookies just begin to brown.

Broken open cookie

It’s very important to transfer the cookies to a cooling rack as soon they are out of the oven. If you don’t move them off of the hot cookie sheet, they will continue baking.

Cookies cooling on cooling rack

Variations

  • Press a few nuts into the top of each cookie before baking.
  • Drizzle with chocolate ganache and caramel instead of dusting with powdered sugar to make a turtle cheesecake version.
  • Dust with cinnamon and sugar before baking for a snickerdoodle-like cookie.
  • Mix some chocolate chips into the batter.
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Stack of cream cheese cookies
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Cream Cheese Cookies

These cream cheese cookies have delightful, pillowy interiors and a strong vanilla flavor.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 24
Calories 130kcal
Author Stefani

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar for decorating

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 F.
  • Mix butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until fully combined and light and fluffy (about two minutes).
  • Mix in sugar until just combined.
  • Mix in egg and vanilla.
  • Mix in baking powder.
  • Mix in flour a little bit at a time until just combined.
  • Scoop 1.5-tablespoon sized balls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets, leaving about 1.5 inches in between each ball.
  • Flatten the tops of the balls just a little bit.
  • Bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies just begin to brown.
  • Immediately transfer to cooling rack.
  • When cool, dust with powdered sugar.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days.

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 192IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
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