Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are soft and pillowy with fresh strawberry flavor and an irresistible cream cheese filling. They’re so pretty and even more delicious!
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Pin RecipeIf you’re in the mood for fruity cheesecake, but don’t want to make an entire cake, these Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies will satisfy those cravings in bite-size servings. However, I can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to stop at just one cookie!!
Strawberry cheesecake cookies combine two delicious sweet treats – strawberry cookies and cheesecake. As a result, you get to enjoy both types of dessert in one delicious bite!
Enjoy them with a scoop of ice cream or a tall glass of milk! Easy to make, they bake in less than 30 minutes! Even better, these cookies are as pretty as a picture. They make the ideal sweet treat for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or another special occasion.
Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies Recipe
These large cheesecake cookies consist of frozen scooped cheesecake filling sandwiched between two scoops of strawberry cookie dough. Sealed around the edges, the cookies bake until golden on the outside.
They’re soft and chewy with a slightly crispy exterior while the center is a sweet and creamy gooey mess! The fresh strawberries in the cookie dough provide a subtle pop of pink color scattered throughout the dough. They also add a delicious strawberry flavor!
If you love the idea of cheesecake-inspired treats, be sure to try my Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars, Red White and Blue Cheesecake Salad, and No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Cups, too!
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Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Cream cheese filling – Softened full-fat cream cheese and powdered sugar form the cheesecake filling. Make sure to use brick-style cream cheese, not cream cheese from a tub!
- Cookie dough – This consists of butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, baking soda, flour, salt, and diced fresh strawberries.
Variations
- You can substitute freeze-dried strawberries in the cookie dough instead of fresh strawberries. You can also use frozen strawberries in a pinch. However, they release excess water once thawed which can make the cookie dough sticky.
- Use strawberry extract in the cookie dough instead of vanilla extract for a boost of strawberry flavor.
- Make gluten-free strawberry cheesecake cookies with gluten-free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill which is a 1:1 substitution.
- Consider adding white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate bars to the cookie dough for extra decadence.
- Try adding pink food coloring to the cookie dough or the cream cheese filling, or both, for a pretty pink hue.
- Make blueberry cheesecake cookies or raspberry cheesecake cookies by swapping out the strawberries for fresh blueberries or raspberries.
- Substitute the regular cream cheese with your favorite vegan cream cheese for a dairy-free recipe.
How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Prepare: Preheat your oven. Then, line a plate and two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Make the cream cheese filling: Combine the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl, and mix until smooth. Scoop 12 heaped tablespoons of the filling onto the plate, and freeze for an hour.
- Make the cookie dough: Beat the butter and sugar, scraping the sides of the bowl. Add the rest of the wet and dry ingredients, except the strawberries. Then, mix just until the dough comes together.
- Add the strawberries: Gently fold in the strawberries once or twice. The cookie dough will be drier than most cookie dough, but it shouldn’t be crumbly!
- Portion the cookies: Scoop 12 heaped tablespoons of cookie dough onto one of the parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Create an indent in the center of each cookie dough ball using the back of a teaspoon.
- Fill the cookies: Place one scoop of cream cheese filling into the indent of each cookie dough ball. Scoop another 12 cookie dough balls and press them on top of the cream cheese filling. Gently press the top and bottom halves of the cookie dough balls to enclose the cream cheese filling. These cookies will be big balls!
- Chill: Place the trays of cookie dough balls in the fridge while the oven preheats.
- Bake: Bake the cookies just until the edges are light golden brown and the tops no longer appear wet.
- Cool and serve: Let the baked cookies cool slightly on the trays. Then, transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Quick Tip
Sealing the dough around the cheesecake filling can get a little messy! I like to have a cloth nearby to wipe my hands before moving on to assembling the next cookie! Chilling the assembled cookies will also help them to firm up after the dough has softened from handling them.
How to Store Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to four days. This recipe is not suitable for storing at room temperature as the cream cheese will go bad!
For a longer-lasting option, freeze unbaked cookies for up to three months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. Or, on parchment-lined baking sheets at room temperature before baking.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these strawberry cheesecake cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. Or, enjoy them alongside a creamy glass of milk or whipped coffee!
FAQs
Absolutely! You can make regular strawberry cookies by leaving out the cream cheese filling entirely. You’ll just need to reduce the baking time to 10-12 minutes. Also, keep in mind that you’ll get more cookies out of this recipe when leaving out the cream cheese filling.
While it’s possible to use frozen strawberries in the cookie dough, I recommend using freeze-dried strawberries instead. The excess moisture from frozen strawberries can affect the consistency of the cookie dough.
Yes! The cheesecake filling makes these cookies soft and pillowy, which is irresistible! The outer edges of the cookie will be slightly crispy and chewy while the center will be soft and gooey!
Yes! Prepare the dough and cream cheese filling up to two days in advance, and store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Then, just combine and bake as normal.
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Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Equipment
- Large plate
- Small mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric hand mixer (or stand mixer with a paddle attachment)
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring spoons or measuring cups
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¾ cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup diced fresh strawberries
Instructions
- Line a plate with a piece of parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until smooth.6 ounces cream cheese, ¼ cup powdered sugar
- Scoop 12 heaping tablespoons of the cream cheese mix onto the parchment lined plate. Place the plate in the freezer for at least one hour to freeze the cream cheese.
- While the cream cheese is freezing, make the cookie dough.
- Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
- Beat the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together until light and fluffy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to evenly blend the butter.1 cup butter, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract to the bowl and blend again.1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the baking soda, flour and salt to the bowl and mix until the dough just comes together. Do not over mix! The dough will be soft but drier than other cookie doughs but it should not be crumbly.1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 ¾ cups flour, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the fresh strawberries, stirring just once or twice so they do not get squished.½ cup diced fresh strawberries
- Scoop 12 heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough onto one of the cookie sheets. Use the back of a teaspoon to press an indent into the center of each dough ball.
- Place one frozen cream cheese filling in the center of each cookie dough.
- Scoop another tablespoon of cookie dough and press it on top of each cream cheese filling. Press the top and bottom cookie dough together, enclosing the cream cheese completely. You should have tall balls of cookie dough (they will be big!).
- Place the trays of cookie dough in the fridge while you preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Once the oven is hot, put the refrigerated dough directly into the oven and bake the cookies for 14-16 minutes. The tops of the cookies should look set and no longer wet. The edges of the cookies will be golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on the tray for 15 minutes then move them to a cooling rack to continue to chill. Enjoy!
Notes
- Frozen strawberries can work in a pinch but fresh is definitely best. The frozen berries contain more water and tend to make the dough very stick as they defrost. Use fresh berries when possible or try freeze dried strawberries.
- Make sure the cheesecake filling is completely sealed by the cookie dough. If not, it will run out of the cookie as they bake.
This recipe looks amazing, can the cookie dough be frozen? And baked from frozen?
Thank you!
Yes! You can freeze unbaked cookies for 3 months. Just adjust the cooking time as needed when baking from frozen. 😊
We would love to know how they turn out for you if you do try them out!