Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are no ordinary chocolate chip cookies! Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies are made with a block of cream cheese, creating a slight tangy flavor that’ll make everyone wonder what your secret ingredient is.
There are a million and one chocolate chip cookie recipes out there (Toll House Cookie Bars are a particularly popular one). So why another recipe?
Simply put, these Soft Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies deserve a place of their own in the cookie hall of fame!
Most recipes for chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese have only a small amount of cream cheese in them. These, however, use an entire block of cream cheese for a rich texture AND a classic cream cheese flavor.
Discerning palates will be able to pinpoint the cream cheese in these cookies, but others will be asking about your secret ingredient!
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Why are these the best cream cheese chocolate chip cookies?
- This recipe calls for a whole block of cream cheese. The flavor is just right—you can taste the tangy cream cheese without it being too in-your-face.
- The cookies are soft without being cake-like or crumbling all over the place. And, they stay soft for DAYS!
- There are no eggs in this recipe, so it’s great for those with egg allergies or for when you’re out of eggs. There is also no cornstarch in this recipe.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese is the star here—use a full-fat variety!
- I used semi-sweet chocolate chips, but use your favorite variety. You can really taste them in these cookies, so use a brand that you enjoy! I almost always use Guittard chocolate chips.
Scroll down to the recipe card below for a full list of quantities and ingredients!
How to make soft cream cheese chocolate chip cookies
Before you begin, allow the butter and cream cheese to come to room temperature. Here’s a how-to on softening butter if you’re short on time (it works with cream cheese, too).
If you have time, two hours at room temperature will do the trick!
Place the softened butter and softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (a hand mixer works, too). Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about two minutes.
Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine. Then, scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
Refrigerate for at least two hours (or up to 3 days), then scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired. It really does make them look extra pretty when you take them out of the oven!
Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom and the cookies no longer look wet in the center.
Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from the baking sheet to cool completely.
How to get perfectly round cookies
If you’re after some photo-worthy cookies, try this tip! Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, take a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie, place it over the cookie so it touches the pan, and swirl it around the outside of the cookie in a circular motion.
The edges of the cookie will move toward the center and you’ll end up with a perfectly round cookie. It’s important to do this immediately after the cookies are removed from the oven (when they’re still hot) for best results.
See the video on this post to watch me do it!
Make ahead/storage instructions
You can make the dough for these Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies up to three days in advance. Just scoop and bake when you’re ready to enjoy them.
After baking, the cookies will last at least one week on the countertop or in the refrigerator (they don’t have to be refrigerated) in a tightly covered container.
You can also freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies for up to three months.
Variations
The mix-in variations for these soft Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies are endless! Here are a few to try as a substitute for the chocolate chips (either part of the chocolate chips or all):
- Butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips
- M&Ms
- Chopped nuts (I love the combo of chopped pecans + chocolate chips; use one cup of each)
- Mini chocolate chips
- Toffee bits
- Raisins, dried cranberries, or dried cherries (who doesn’t love cherry cheesecake?!)
- Crushed cookies (like Oreos)
- Chopped candy bars
- DO NOT use low-fat cream cheese. The cookies will spread too much.
You can also make these into bars. Follow my guide for pan sizes and cooking times in these Toll House Cookie Bars.
📖 Recipe
Soft Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chocolate chips (reserve ⅓ cup for the tops of the cookies)
Instructions
- Place the softened butter, softened cream cheese, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until combined, then add the chocolate chips and stir until the chocolate chips are evenly dispersed.
- Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoon sized balls (I used a cookie scoop) and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 10–13 minutes, or until the cookies no longer look wet in the middle.
- Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove from the pan to cool completely.
I can’t find the video mentioned in the recipe, showing you using cookie cutters to shape the cookies into a round shape.
Hi Bob! The video gets placed where you are most likely to see it (so that technology definitely didn’t work—I’m sorry about that!). So there isn’t one place I can point you to. However, if you load the page and scroll slowly toward the bottom, it’ll appear somewhere in the post (or perhaps even the recipe card). It’ll be a horizontal image with an arrow (“play”) button in the middle.
can I substitute 1/2cup pecans for 1/2cup chocolate chips?
Yes!
2 sticks is only 1 cup! Which is correct?
Correct! The ingredients say “1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened”. Let me know where you are seeing something to the contrary and I’d be happy to correct it. It’s definitely 2 sticks.
This recipe ended up being very easy and quick. They came out well but I did have to cook them longer then said. Liked this cookie 👍
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed these!
So heartwarming to hear you like old cookbooks! The really good, foolproof, reliable recipes are rare to find. Thank you for your cookie recipe and thanks for sharing such a wonderful thought!
I agree—my family’s favorite recipes are mostly from old cookbooks. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
really no eggs?
Really!
What is the oven temperature? I have already made the dough and can’t seem to find the temp.
350°F! I’m sorry about that—the recipe is now updated. I hope these turned out well for you!