Ridiculously soft and pillowy cookies that have slightly chewier edges and a tender centre. One bowl and 10 minutes is all you need to whip up these chocolate chip cheesecake cookies!
Some recipes come together seamlessly. I’ll have an idea; scribble it down on paper; work out the details; put it to the test; fall in love with the result; make it again just to be sure; and call it a success.
This was not one of those recipes.
This was one of those recipes that failed after the first batch. And the second batch. And the third batch. And… a couple more batches after that.
This was one of those recipes that I would have sacked had it not been for pride and my ridiculously stubborn nature. Admitting defeat to a gooey lump of butter, sugar, [cheese], and flour? Nuh uh. Not me.
And it’s a good thing, too, because this was (is?) one of those recipes that’s well worth the trouble… even if I did end up shedding some tears during the whole process ordeal. I may not cry over spilled milk, but apparently I will cry over a solid mass of melted cookies. Just being real.
I did learn some valuable lessons, though.
Lesson #1. Cream cheese behaves like butter. If you’re like me and not willing to chill the dough (ain’t no one got time patience for that!), then you need to reduce the butter or you’ll end up with melted cookies. Try again.
Lesson #2. Adding more flour does.not.work. Try again.
Lesson #3. Do not attempt to get “one last batch in” at 11 PM before you “pass out for the night.” You will be so tired that you’ll inevitably forget to add a very important ingredient (like sugar), and end up with savoury cheesy biscuits. Which, while still good, were not what you were after. Try again.
Lesson #4. Now is not the time to experiment with arrowroot powder. Try again.
Lesson #5. Persistence.pays.off.
They’re so fluffy I could die.
These may just be some of the softest, doughiest, most pillowy cookies that I’ve ever had. They’re slightly firmer and chewier around the edges, and get softer as you make your way towards the middle. The flavour of the cream cheese isn’t too pronounced, but you can definitely pick up on it, especially if you know it’s in there. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi that you can’t help but want to decipher by taking more and more bites…
These cookies aren’t overly sweet or greasy, but neither do they taste or feel lightened up in the least. I played around with the amount of butter and sugar quite a bit, and I think I found a happy medium — they’re the perfect blend of “oh.my.god these taste amazing and they’re not even too bad for me.”
Plus they’re loaded with chocolate in every bite, which is never a bad thing in my books…
I’d love to know if you make this (or any!) recipe! Tag @runwithspoons on Instagram and Twitter, and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy and delicious recipes straight to your inbox!
Print
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 12 – 16 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 1/4 cup unrefined granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand-held mixer, combine butter, cream cheese, sugar, and honey, beating on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, and continue beating until everything is well combined, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto your prepared baking sheet, topping each cookie with a few additional chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges begin to set and turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
* I used full-fat cream cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
Looking for more delicious cookie recipes? Try one of these!
Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
Woah! What a yummy sounding combination. Too bad for my kids that I don’t bake LOL.
Oh man!!! These look unreal!!!! I am so making these for Valentines Day for my friends!
I have so many kitchen fails…mainly that I microwave oatmeal and it alwayssss over flows! Such a mess to clean to…
Oh man I don’t even bother trying to figure out how to cook in the microwave. I just use mine to store extra dishes 😆
I swear cookies are the hardest type of food to get right! I had similar cookie difficulties with my latest recipe. But persistence definitely pays off – these look delicious! 🙂
Ummm yes I want a cookie right now! Those look pretty amazing!!!!
Those look dangerously yummy! I can almost taste that gooey warm chocolate. Now I’m hungry 🙂
I was daydreaming about chocolate chip cookies last night & how I want to bake something this weekend. I think it’s a sign!
I think so too 😉
I admire you lady. For your patience, and for being so persistant – I’d have thrown in the towel loooong before!! I’d take a batch of these though however – seriously drooling over here.
that’s what happened to my mesquite cookies! haha but persistence does pay off! i’d remake these time and time again just to lick the bowl!
I am droooooooling over here. Glad you didn’t give up on the final product!!!
My dad loves cheesecake like it’s his firstborn child. Pumpkin pie like his second born. Me and my brother come third and fourth 😉 I want to put this on my list of things to make for him! Looks delish.
Oh wow – these look pillowy, and dreamy good! Thanks for sticking with it till you reached perfection cos now I have an easy job replicating these!
Haha – Lesson #3 – yes I am so so guilty! Did it to a cake once! Happy Wednesday! xx
These look so yummy. I mean you have chocolate and you have cheesecake. What can be better ? 🙂
Soft and pillowy is probably my favorite way to describe a cookie. YUM.
Cheecake COOKIES?! You can’t really get me interested in cheesecake but these? Oh yes.
Not my last but my worst – I think? – kitchen fail so far were brownies. Gluten-free vegan refined-sugar free cashew marbled brownies to be exact. The lengthy title says it all: never try to squeeze too many [dietary] labels in one little baked good. The bad part about this experience is that I haven’t really dared trying my hand at the creation of sweet recipes much since. And that sucks.
Aww that definitely sucks 🙁 But if it makes you feel any better, I’ve had my fair share of fails when it comes to modified brownies. To this day I refuse to bake with beans…
Looks like the sweat and tears paid off finally! I love the impulsive “one last batch at 11pm” because I learned my lesson with that sort of thing too. Also the dough chilling/adding more flour thing is a good tip too that I’ve learned over the years. They look incredible and really perfect!
Freshman year of college. Made brownies in a stove which probably wasn’t used in years. Brownies caught on fire. Fire alarms. Everyone evactuated. Yeap, my best memory of freshman year. Hahaha.
So you’re saying that hard work pays off in the form of incredible sweet deliciousness? Got it! 🙂
Exactly 😉
GIRL- you are after my heart with these cookies!
Yum….Yum….Yum!!!
We should have a recipe fail party! I’ll bring my mushy cupcakes and you can bring your melted cookies, haha! Yeah, the last batch at 11pm? Been there done that. Le sigh.
But clearly persistence is key because these look to-die-for!! Nice work, girly!
😆 Would you be terribly offended if I skipped out on that party? 😛
Holy smokes these all look so delicious!
Oh wow! These look like utter perfection! I’ll have to try a dairy free version – I wonder if they’ll be as good.
IT”S SO FLUFFAAAYYYY. These are certified to be as good for you as vegetables, right? I think so. I don’t often try recipes more than once–generally because I don’t bake that often, and thus I tend to wing it more. So I guess that you could say that I do make and tweak recipes often, but not in a systematic fashion.
These sound amazing!
I’m happy tor ead that it took you several batches to perfect and finally post the recipe…not that I wouldn’t wish you your ideas turn out well immediately. But I often have the feeling that bloggers (or also on onstagram) peopl try something and post the recipe without trying it once again to ensure that it wasn’t a coincidence. I don’t know, I feel a bit tricked by that. I can do this on my own…try out something, call it perfect, and expecting everyone to love. Do you even know what I mean? 😀 It’s weird. Anyway, the cookies sound awesome and I like that there is not so much sugar and butter in them!
I definitely hear ya. There are definitely times where its possible to strike gold on the first try, but I always like to make at least one more attempt to make sure it wasn’t an accident.
I need to only read your blog when I am super full or something…your ideas and pictures and recipes look way too good to look at first thing in the morning! haha! Keep em coming girl! Yummo
😆 I totally know that feeling — that’s me with reading blogs in general.
Oh my GOSH, yum! Those look sooooooo good! Definitely pinning that so I remember that later when I’m not trying to lose weight. 😉
OH! I can right away decide I’ll love these! You know when you “get” the ingredients and your brain automatically conjures up the effect the cream cheese -in this instance- brings to the cookie? Yeah that.
Gah I’ve got to whip up that skillet cookie again – it’s been ages.
I was actually just looking at that one the other day and wondering if I should make a chocolate version of it! But I didn’t want to make a huge one — I need a mini skillet.
I adore cheesecake. I adore chocolate chip cookies. And these look perfect! Totally trying them 😀 Thanks for all the trial and error!!
The melty chocolate chips…I can’t even. GAH!! Your hard work paid off, my dear. We shall call them better-than-boyfriend cookies 🙂
OMG. I love cheesecake and I love cookies and here you’ve “married” them together into these delicious sounding morsels from heaven. Amazing! 🙂
Thank you for your persistence in getting them right. I think Lynne’s gonna love these for valentines day! 😀
I wish I a) liked cheese cake b) could actually eat cheese/butter because it sounds like these deserve to be tried after all the hard work you put into them. Yay for finally getting it right tho 😀
p.s. This was totes my life a couple weekends ago when I was testing some cookies for SS. Except the number of tries inched into double digits cuz I’m such a texture snob when it comes to cookies haha
I’m not a fan of cheesecake either, but these are kind of the opposite — light and fluffy rather than heavy and cloying. And you could always try Toffuti or Daiya cream “cheese” 🙂
Wow this looks INCREDIBLE! I want some now!!
These look delicious! I used to love cheesecake but don’t really have it so much anymore because it can be so heavy. This could help me revisit it – plus I love anything chocolaate. Have a great day!
I’m not a fan of cheesecake for exactly the same reason, but these aren’t actually heavy at all! If anything, they’re just softer and fluffier.
Cheesecake cookies?! Oh I bet the cream cheese in this recipe makes these sooo fluffy, rich, and delicious! Up next: red velvet cheesecake cookies? 😉
WOW those cookies!!!! I love cheesecake so I am sure I will love those.
My last kitchen fail was pathetic: I tried baking salmon in the oven (super basic, I know) and it turned out horrible! Overcooked on the edges and raw in the middle. Since then I have learned that it’s better to broil it and I have gotten better results with this method.
If it makes you feel any better, I’m retry sure I’d butcher salmon as well — I’ve never cooked it before!
Cheesecake cookies!?! Very creative and delicious sounding- perfect for a new kind of v-day treat!
Cheesecake anything is a winner to me. These look amazing!
Ha! I almost never make a recipe more than once. It’s good or it isn’t. I throw in the towel when it comes to kitchen experiments.
These look worth the work!
Everyone is on the same wavelength! Chocolate covered Katie just posted cheesecake cookies too. I guess I need to jump on the bandwagon
It really does kick the cookies up a notch! I definitely recommend giving it a try 🙂