An Easy Cookie Recipe with a Little Something Extra
Before I go to crazy with the pumpkin recipes (and I have quite a few more coming your way) I thought I’d refresh one of the oldest recipes on my blog: these soft and chewy cream cheese cookies! I’ll be honest, the recipe was in dire need of a refresh and the ingredient list needed a little tweaking, too (I used literally no salt in the original recipe… none!)! I published it almost 7 years ago, I think it was my first ever cookie recipe so we’ve come quite a long way! I’ve carefully adjusted and improved upon the recipe (it’s amazing what a little salt can do! 😂) and I think it’s time they get a facelift and a chance to be re-shared. They’re easy and can be easily customized for the holidays, so bookmark this recipe and save it (along with some red and green sprinkles) for Christmas cookie season! Let’s get to it!
What You Need
This recipe uses a bit more butter than
Cream cheese. You’ll need a full 8 oz brick of cream cheese. Don’t substitute low-fat or the tub-style cream cheese or the cookies won’t turn out properly.Butter. We use a bit less butter than many of my cookie recipes and replace it with cream cheese (and quite a bit of cream cheese!)Sugar. Granulated and brown sugar are both used, the brown sugar adds a lovely depth of flavor to the cream cheese cookies!Egg. Just one! Large or extra large will work.Flour. Use all-purpose (plain) flour.Cornstarch. For soft and chewy cookies that don’t spread.Baking powder. Helps the cookies to both lift and spread properly.Vanilla extract and salt. for flavor.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I use them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post! Tip: I recommend the cornstarch because it keeps your cookies soft and chewy while also keeping them from becoming too flat. If you don’t have it, you can substitute with additional flour (but your cookies won’t be quite as soft!)
Favorite Toppings
You can leave these cream cheese cookies plain, but for the best flavor I recommend rolling them in one of the following toppings before baking:
Cinnamon/sugar. This is my favorite topping and makes the cookies reminds me a lot of Snickerdoodles (but better, believe it or not!)Granulated sugar. Gives the cookies a pretty, crackly coating.Powdered sugar. I use this for my lemon cookies and crinkle cookies and it works well here, too (but again, I really recommend the cinnamon/sugar!)Sprinkles! These are a close second favorite! Use jimmies, which will show some cookie in the space between them, or nonpareils (like I used in the photos) which will cover the cookie entirely! Use black, purple, orange and white sprinkles for Halloween or red and green for Christmas!
Tip: Always roll your cookies through your chosen topping right after rolling them. The warmth of your palms will warm the surface of the dough, making it easier for the sprinkles or sugar to stick.
More Recipes You Might Like
Sprinkle CookiesButter CookiesChocolate Chip Cream Cheese CookiesCookies & Cream Cookies
Enjoy! Let’s bake together! Make sure to check out the how-to VIDEO in the recipe card! This recipe was originally published 03/01/2014. I have updated it to improve the recipe and have added better photos and a video. See one of the original photos below for a good laugh!
