Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Magic of These Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies, Explained

• Two desserts in one. As someone who bakes daily, with this recipe, I never have to choose between cookies and cheesecake. Now, I can have both, without the effort of actually baking a full cheesecake.
• Chewy cookies, soft cheesecake. This recipe takes a soft-baked chocolate chip cookie to a whole new level! Each cookie is stuffed with a layer of creamy cheesecake filling. It’s ooey, gooey, and the perfect tangy contrast to the sweet cookie dough.
• Easy to make. For all their luxurious flavor and out-of-this-world texture, cheesecake stuffed cookies are surprisingly simple to make. Chill the filling while you prepare the cookie dough, then stuff the cookies and bake!

You’ll Need These Ingredients

The ingredients for these cookies are super basic, and no fancy equipment is necessary. No water baths, no springform pans. Just a baking sheet! Make sure to scroll to recipe card at the bottom for the measurements and instructions.

• Cream Cheese – The trick to making the cheesecake filling is keeping the cream cheese cold. SO start this recipe with cold, cubed cream cheese. It will mix up just fine, you don’t have to worry if there are any small lumps, and it will save you chill time.
• Powdered Sugar – You want the cheesecake filling to be sweet, and the easiest way to do this is powdered sugar! I don’t recommend using granulated, as it will be grainy in the filling.
• Butter – I always use salted butter, unless otherwise specified. I know this is a little taboo when it comes to baking experts, but I honestly just prefer it. If you are sensitive to salt, absolutely use unsalted, or go ahead and leave out the added salt in the cookie dough.
• Light Brown and Granulated Sugar – These are both standard ingredients in chewy chocolate chip cookies. Pack the light brown sugar when you are measuring it.
• One Egg + an Egg Yolk – This is a trick I use when I’m making cookies that I want to be on the thicker side. The extra yolk gives a slight richness to the dough, while adding a little more moisture, but not too much.
• Vanilla – I always use pure vanilla extract or vanilla paste. The flavor can’t be matched!
• All-Purpose Flour – Don’t worry about mixing flours for this recipe. The texture comes from the crisp edges of the cookie and the soft cream cheese filling.
• Salt and Baking Soda – These are two more standard cookie ingredients. Like I said above, if you are sensitive to salt, and are already using salted butter you can omit the extra salt in the recipe. I am a salty girl, though, which is why I include it.

How to Make Cheesecake Stuffed Cookies

Filling these homemade chocolate chip cookies with the cheesecake mixture is easier than you think. Follow the steps below.

1. Make the cheesecake filling. As stated in the recipe start with cold cream cheese. You will mix this with powdered sugar until it’s smooth, but it will still be cool. Once you mix that together, scrape out the mixing bowl and place the cream cheese mixture in the fridge to keep it cold while you make your cookie dough.
2. Mix the cookie dough. In the same mixing bowl, cream the butter and both sugars together. Next, mix in the egg, yolk, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Lastly, mix in the flour, followed by the chocolate chips.
3. Portion the cookie dough. Once you’ve mixed your cookie dough up, use a MEDIUM cookie scoop (which holds slightly less than 2- tablespoons) to scoop out the dough. This will ensure that all your cookies are the exact same size. I like this cookie scoop.
4. Portion the filling. Once you have the dough scooped out, flatten it out. Scoop out 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese mixture and place it in the center of the dough. I have a 2 teaspoon measuring spoon, but if you don’t, after you measure out 2 teaspoons a few times, you will get the feel of the amount and most likely won’t need to measure it anymore.
5. Wrap the dough around the filling. Form the cookie dough around the cream cheese mixture, making sure to seal it up. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just do your best!
6. Bake. Roll the dough into a ball and place the balls onto a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake at 375ºF for 9 minutes until they’re golden at the edges and just set on top. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then move them to a wire rack.

Tips for Bakery-Worthy Cookies

• Don’t overbake. Overbaking makes the cookies crumbly and the cheesecake filling dry. These cookies should be just set and slightly golden when they come out of the oven. It’s fine if they’re underbaked, as they’ll continue to set up while they rest on the baking sheet.
• If they come out of the oven misshapen, use a spatula to form them back into a circle. This dough doesn’t spread a whole lot, but if you feel like you need to, just use the spatula to mold them as soon as they come out of the oven before they’ve cooled at all!
• Make them picture-perfect. Reserve some of your chocolate chips when you add them into the dough. Just set them aside for when the cookies come out of the oven and place a few extra chips on top to give them that “perfect”, bakery-style cookie look.

Storing and Freezing

• Refrigerate. These cookies are filled with cream cheese, so it’s best to keep them in the fridge if you’re storing them for longer than one day. Store the cookies in an airtight container and let them come back to room temperature before serving.
• Freeze. You can freeze these cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw them at room temperature if you’re serving them right away, otherwise, thaw them in the fridge overnight.

More Stuffed Cookie Recipes

• Stuffed Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Cookie Dough Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Fluffernutter Cookies
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies
• Carmelita Cookies