Soft and chewy Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are a fun and easy twist on a classic recipe. These bakery-style cookies are swirled with fresh strawberries and stuffed with a tasty cream cheese filling. You’ll have these irresistible cookies ready in under 45 minutes!
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Soft & Chewy Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Hello Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies! They’re soft, chewy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious! I love traditional cheesecake with fresh strawberries on top, but even more, I love making a simple recipe that’s ready in less than 45 minutes. And what’s better than having a yummy handheld dessert to help yourself to?
These large cookies are stuffed with a simple, 2-ingredient filling and swirled with diced fresh strawberries in every bite (similar flavors to this fresh strawberry sheet cake)! As a busy mom of three, these cookies are a go-to summertime treat! The kiddos love helping make these cookies (and, of course, eating them before they cool!).
All The Ingredients You'll Need
Nothing fancy here. Just simple baking ingredients that transform into the most delicious cookies. Here’s what 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. I don't recommend using frozen strawberries because they will add too much moisture.
Note: You can play around with flavors. Use your favorite berries to mix in or use a combo! Fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries all work well in this recipe.
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.
Note: Want to skip the filling? You can absolutely omit the filling and just bake a batch of delicious fresh strawberry cookies!
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 the egg and yolk, and then mix in the vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add dry ingredients. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients just until a dough forms with no streaks of flour.
Fold in strawberries. Gently fold in the strawberries. Do not overmix.
Scoop dough. Fill a 2-oz scoop halfway with dough and add a cheesecake ball.
Finish cookie. 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 for 10-12 minutes.
Don't Forget These Tips For The Best Cookies
Because these strawberry cheesecake cookies are stuffed with a filling (like these festive birthday cake cookies), there are a few extra steps compared to standard cookies. But nothing complicated, I promise! Here are a few tips you’ll want to follow:
- Do not add extra berries. It’s tempting to throw in extra strawberries and normally, I wouldn’t mind. But for this recipe, extra berries can cause the cookies to become too soft and fall apart.
- Gently mix in strawberries. I love using a rubber spatula to carefully FOLD the strawberries into the dough. You don’t want to overmix, or else the strawberries will bleed into the dough.
- Keep the filling cold. If you see the cream cheese filling is softening, pop it back into the freezer for a few minutes 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 about 10-15 minutes.
- Bake crispier cookies. If you prefer crispier cookies, you can omit the yolk and replace ¼ cup of brown sugar with ¼ cup of granulated sugar.
The Best Way To Store Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
We love these cookies when they are fresh and the edges are crispy (they will soften over time!). Keep these strawberry cheesecake cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze any extra cookies (completely cooled) in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When the craving hits, let them thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Strawberry Recipes You'll Love
- Strawberry Banana Cupcakes
- Fresh Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
- Strawberry Peach Crisp
- Easy Strawberry Filled Cupcakes
- Strawberry Shortcake Parfaits
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 (⅓ cup) powdered sugar
Strawberry Cookies
- 315 g (2 ¼) cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 165 g (¾ cup) light brown sugar
- 55 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 yolk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 85 g (½ 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
Kristy says
Love love this recipe!! These cookies were a huge hit. The leftovers did soften up the next day but they were perfect served with a scoop of ice cream.
Maria Pagiotas says
Hi Kristy! So happy you love this recipe! Such a fun way to serve these cookies 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Joanna says
This cookies are delicious! I've always preferred soft and chewy cookies to crispy cookies and these were perfect. I did have to put the dough in the fridge for a bit to firm up since my kitchen was hot. I'll definitely be making again. Loved the filling!
Maria Pagiotas says
Hi Joanna! I'm so happy you liked these cookies. I agree, soft and chewy is the best 🙂
Sarah R says
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 says
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!