Soft and chewy strawberry cheesecake cookies are a fun and easy twist on a classic cake recipe. These bakery-style cookies are made with fresh strawberries mixed into the dough with a simple cream cheese filling.
As a busy mom of three, I love making easy desserts packed with bold flavors and fresh ingredients. Come strawberry season, these strawberry cheesecake cookies along with my fresh strawberry sheet cake and strawberry filled cupcakes are just that!
You can achieve the flavors of cheesecake without the time consuming process with these easy cookies. They’re soft and chewy with pieces of fresh strawberries throughout and filled with slightly sweetened cream cheese.
As you bake these strawberry cheesecake cookies, the sweet smell of strawberries will permeate your kitchen as the berries slightly roast, similar to my roasted strawberry ice cream.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Strawberry cheesecake flavor: the creamy filling and cookie dough with fresh strawberries creates a delicious twist to the strawberry cheesecake classic.
- Large-sized cookies: these strawberry cheesecake cookies are made with a 2-oz cookie scoop for large cookies that are bakery worthy.
- Chewy texture: brown sugar and an extra egg yolk create a chewy cookie that pairs well with the creamy filling.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Cream cheese. Use the block type of cream cheese and not the whipped cream cheese. No need to bring it to room temperature!
- Powdered sugar. Adds sweetness to the filling. Powdered sugar also ensures the filling is creamy.
- All-purpose flour. Creates the perfect cookie texture (not too dense or chewy)!
- Baking soda. Leavening agent that helps the cookies spread and adds chewiness.
- Salt. Enhances the sweetness of the cookies.
- Unsalted butter. Melt in the microwave or on the stovetop. Use unsalted to control the amount of salt added to the dough.
- Sugar. Adds sweetness to the cookies. Brown sugar adds a slightly caramelized flavor and contributes to the cookies’ spread. Granulated sugar ensures the cookies hold their shape and don’t spread too much.
- Egg plus yolk. Adding an extra yolk adds flavor and a chewy texture.
- Vanilla. Always use pure vanilla extract when possible for the best flavor!
- Fresh strawberries. Select plump, bright red strawberries with fresh green leaves. Wash, hull, and dice the strawberries.
How To Make Cheesecake Filling (Step-By-Step Instructions)
- Beat cream cheese and sugar. In a bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Portion filling. Scoop 16 heaping teaspoons of cream cheese mixture and arrange on a parchment lined plate. Freeze until ready to use.
How To Make Strawberry Cookies (Step-By-Step Instructions)
- Whisk dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Cream butter and sugars. Use a mixer to beat the butter and sugars until a light paste-like consistency forms.
- Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in egg and yolk, and then mix in the vanilla. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add dry ingredients. Beat in the dry ingredients on low speed just until a dough forms with no streaks of flour.
- Fold in strawberries. Gently fold in the strawberries. Do not overmix.
- Scoop dough and fill. Fill a 2-oz scoop halfway with dough and add the filling.
- Add dough. Add enough dough to fill the rest of the scoop and press to seal the edges.
- Arrange cookies on a tray. Space the cookies 3 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Gently mix in strawberries. Carefully mix the strawberries into the dough. Overmixing can cause the strawberries to bleed into the dough.
- Keep filling cold. If the cream cheese filling begins to soften, pop it back into the freezer to firm it up.
- Work quickly. While working with the dough, it will begin to soften. Work quickly to avoid this. If the dough becomes super sticky and too soft, chill it in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
- Bake crispier cookies. If you prefer crispier cookies, you can omit the yolk and replace 1/4 cup of brown sugar with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar.
Recipe Variations
Strawberry cheesecake is a classic flavor combination, but here are some ways to tweak this recipe for some fun variations.
- White chocolate strawberry cheesecake cookies. Fold 1/2-3/4 cup chopped white chocolate into the cookie dough.
- White chocolate drizzle. Drizzle the cookies with melted white chocolate.
- Ice cream sandwiches. Omit the cream cheese filling and bake strawberry cookies. Sandwich the cookies with homemade vanilla ice cream and freeze for a fun summer treat!
How To Store
These cheesecake cookies are best enjoyed fresh while the edges are crispy. They will soften over time.
- In the refrigerator. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- In the freezer. Store completely cooled cookies in a freeze-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
FAQ
Yes, you can, but I would not recommend it. Because of the extra liquid, frozen strawberries will release water into the cookie dough, and their color can bleed.
Yes, you could substitute the strawberries with diced blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries!
Yes, you can leave out the filling and bake just the dough for a delicious strawberry cookie.
Because these cookies soften over time, I suggest making them the day you want to serve them while the edges are still slightly crispy.
Please leave a starred rating and comment below if you make these Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies. I love reading your feedback! And if you’d like to make this recipe later, don’t forget to pin it on Pinterest! Happy Baking!
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Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 cookies 1x
Description
Soft and chewy strawberry cheesecake cookies are a fun and easy twist of a classic recipe. These bakery-style cookies are made with fresh strawberries mixed into the dough with a simple cream cheese filling.
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 170 g (6 ounces) cream cheese
- 60 g (1/3 cup) powdered sugar
Strawberry Cookies
- 315 g (2 1/4) cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 170 g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 165 g (3/4 cup) light brown sugar
- 55 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 85 g (1/2 cup) diced fresh strawberries
Instructions
Cheesecake Filling
- Using a handle-held mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Line a plate with parchment paper and scoop 18 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture. Freeze while preparing the cookie dough.
Strawberry Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/191°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until smooth and becomes a light paste-like consistency, 2 minutes.
- Mix in the egg and then the yolk until combined. Add the vanilla and mix.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients and beat until a dough forms and the flour is completely incorporated. Gently fold in the strawberries.
- Fill a 2-oz cookie scoop halfway with the dough and press a cheesecake ball into the center. Fill the rest of the scoop with cookie dough and press to seal the edges. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough allowing for 3 inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookie edges are golden brown.
- Allow to cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Store completely cooled cookies in a freeze-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
Keywords: strawberry cheesecake, strawberry cookies, cheesecake filling
Sarah R
Very tasty but could use a few "quality of life" improvements. Block cream cheese where I live comes in 8oz, not 6oz, so I had to scale up every measurement. Also my strawberries were very juicy, even while folding gently, and made the dough very sticky, like a cake batter. I wonder if other bakers would benefit from draining the diced fruit in a sieve or patting down with a paper towel. Finally, the cream cheese filling scoops didn't get anywhere near solid for the half hour they were in the freezer. Maybe do them the night before?
Tasty cookies, though we did not get consistent filling disks on account of the sticky/wet/loose dough and filling. Would make again with some adjustments. I think some blitzed biscoff/speculous cookies in with the flour would give it a malty graham cracker crust flavor that the brown sugar doesn't quite bring home on its own.
★★★★
Maria Pagiotas
Hi Sarah! I'm so happy you thought these cookies were tasty! I would recommend using strawberries that are bright red, firm and not too soft. They will be sweet and juicy, but not so juicy that it affects the batter. Also I would recommend saving the extra 2 oz of cream cheese for another use. It's difficult to scale up on the egg and yolk when it's not in whole increments so that could affect the overall consistency of your cookie dough. In terms of the cream cheese, it does not have to be solid. You just want to keep it in the freezer while preparing the dough to chill it. I recommend working quickly with the dough because the more it's handled the warmer and sticker it'll get. You can always pop it in the refrigerator to chill down if that happens. Hope these tips help!