Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

Name: Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 74 min
Ingredients: 2 3/4 cup flour; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 cup salted butter ((softened)); 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 eggs; 1 tsp vanilla; 1/2 cup diced strawberries ((roughly chopped)); 8 oz cream cheese ((softened)); 1 cup powdered sugar; 1/2 tsp vanilla; 1 cup finely diced strawberries; 1/2 cup sugar; zest of 1 lemon; juice of 1 lemon

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Indulge your taste buds with these delightful strawberry cheesecake cookies!

This easy cookie recipe combines the sweet flavor of strawberry with the tang of cream cheese, resulting in chewy, soft cookies that have a delicious cream cheese filling.

With just a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time, you can create these adorable crispy crinkle cookie exteriors with the perfect texture.

So I was working on my list of favorite summer cookie recipes and until today my favorite cookies were either my oreo red velvet cookies or lemon half moon cookies.

But I felt like I was craving something sweet and vibrant with a slight tang. That's how these cookies were invented!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE

All of the flavors of strawberry cheesecake without any of the headache of making a whole cheesecake!
Ready in less than 30 minutes!
Loaded with fresh strawberries making it the perfect summer cookie recipe!

KEY INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Strawberries: these delicious berries provide the base flavor profile for these strawberry cheesecake cookies. I prefer to use fresh strawberries but you can use frozen strawberries. Just make sure to thaw them in the refrigerator overnight and to pat them dry with a paper towel before using.
Brown sugar: a good balance between brown sugar and white sugar is necessary in order to create the perfect cookie. Brown sugar crisps up when exposed to heat which helps to create the crunchy golden brown edges on these cookies.
Salted butter: I'm a salted butter girl and I will say it loud and proud! The extra salt in salted butter helps mellow out the sweetness in most desserts. For example in this cheesecake cookie, we have a sweet cookie dough base with a sweet cream cheese swirl, topped with a sweet homemade strawberry jam! That's a lot of sweetness! I promise that the salted butter will help bring together all of these amazing flavors.
Cream cheese: I love using cream cheese in desserts and this one is no exception. It provides such a delicious tang. I use regular cream cheese but if you are trying to watch those calories, you could use a low fat cream cheese instead.
Vanilla extract: this ingredient is a necessity in every cookie dough recipe. The vanilla flavor provides the perfect base to layer other flavors on top of.
Lemons: we will be using the juice and zest from one whole lemon to create our fresh strawberry jam.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

The cookie dough

Step one: In a large bowl, cream together salted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar using an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add your wet ingredients such as eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.

Step three: In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, which include flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients above, mixing on low speed until just combined.

Step four: Gently fold in your diced strawberries to your batter and be careful not to crush or mash them. If you want to get fancy you could even fold in some white chocolate chips or chunks to enhance the strawberry flavor.

Step five: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.

Step six: Using a small cookie scoop or a tablespoon, scoop out the cookie dough balls and place them onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving enough space between each cookie for spreading, about 2 inches apart. I typically get 14 balls of dough out of this recipe. Using the back of a tablespoon, press an indent in the center of each cookie.

Step seven: Place your cookies in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

Pressing down middle of cookies to put cream cheese filling

Cheesecake filling

Step one: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat your cream cheese until soft and airy. Add your powered sugar and beat until combined. Add your vanilla and beat until combined.

Step two: Once chilled, remove your cookies from the refrigerator. Scoop out and divide your cream cheese mixture into the centers of your cookies.

Step three: Bake your cookies at 350 degrees for 14 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown and the centers appear set. Allow them to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

filling cookies with cream cheese filling

Homemade strawberry jam

Step one: In a medium sauce pan, add your finely diced strawberries, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Simmer on medium low heat for about 20 minutes while continuously stirring and mashing your mixture. Don't walk away or it will burn!

Step two: Your jam should come together and thicken. Take off heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Step three: Drizzle a little bit of your warm jam on the top of each cookie. Let cool, serve and enjoy!

EXPERT TIPS

Always chill your cookie dough before baking. Chilling your dough brings the temperature of your butter back down, which will make for thicker and chewier cookies. If you skip this step, your cookies will basically melt in your oven, and you will have super flat thin crisp cookies that run into each other.
No time to soften your butter? Don't fret, I have the perfect trick. Place your stick of butter in the microwave for 5 seconds. Then repeat for the remaining three sides of the stick, flipping your stick each time. Once done, your stick should be perfectly soft throughout!

FAQ

What kind of cream cheese should I use?

Honestly you can use any type of cream cheese you like. I tend to use store brand cream cheese just because its more cost effective.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

You absolutely can. Just remember though that frozen strawberries have a higher water content than fresh strawberries so when you defrost them, all of that liquid will go into your cookies. So if you are using frozen strawberries, thaw them to room temperature and then dice them up. After cutting them up, I would dry them using a paper towel and gently squeezing it together. You don't want to juice them dry but you want to remove any excess liquid.

Can I replace the strawberries with other fresh fruit?

The short answer is no. This recipe is designed and tailored to use strawberries as the main ingredient. Using a different kind of fresh fruit would throw the whole recipe off. Water content varies between fruits so if you use a fruit that has a higher water content than strawberries, you will get mushy flat cookies. If you use a fruit with a lower water content than strawberries, you will get a dry and crumbly cookie. Not good!

FREEZING AND STORING

These cookies should be stored wrapped in plastic wrap, and placed in an air tight container for up to 3 days. You can freeze them like this for up to 3 months.

These strawberry cheesecake cookies are perfect for any occasion, from a Valentine's Day treat to a sweet surprise for your loved ones. Make sure to save this delicious strawberry cheesecake cookie recipe for the next time you're craving a yummy cookie with a twist. Happy baking!

Lastly, if you try out these Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies, be sure to leave a comment/rating on how it turned out. I love hearing from you guys and will try my best to reply to every comment! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!