Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies Recipe

Cookies are pretty fantastic. Cheesecake cookies are too. If you think like us, maybe add some strawberries to the mix. This dessert recipe is great for long and sunny days, when you want to unwind or wine and dine. This treat is a copycat of the decadent Crumbl strawberry cheesecake cookie. They are moist and buttery but not too heavy. They are a little sweet and tart thanks to the freeze-dried strawberries mixed in with the cookie dough, along with the ingredients of a standard cookie batter.

This cookie comes into its own when dough balls are arranged on a pan and filled with cheesecake. This recipe yields about 16 cookies, so form 16 cream cheese balls when you start and store them in the freezer while the cookie dough comes together. Cheesecake balls can be made ahead of time and stored in the freezer, in a Ziploc bag, for up to 1 month.

There are a lot of factors that go into making a moist cookie, says recipe developer Amanda Holstein. However, my favorite secret is to slightly underbake them, and let them rest on the cookie sheet until fully cooked the carryover baking from the hot sheet tray will continue to cook them without having them dry out in the oven.

The result will be a gooey, berry delight, like a sugar cookie met a strawberry cheesecake. Any leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Ingredients

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries

Directions

1. Gather all ingredients. Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
3. Scoop the cream cheese mixture into 16 portions (about 1 teaspoon each), and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Freeze, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 400F (200C) with racks in top third and lower third positions. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
5. In a mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until mostly combined (the mixture will look slightly broken). Add the egg and vanilla extract, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.
6. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the butter mixture. Whisk until almost fully incorporated, leaving a few dry streaks, about 1 minute.
7. Fold the freeze-dried strawberries into the flour mixture until fully combined. Break up the strawberries into smaller bits as you fold them in.
8. Scoop the dough into 16 portions (about 3 tablespoons each). Working with one dough portion at a time, use your hands to flatten the dough into a 1/2-inch thick disk.
9. Place a frozen cream cheese ball in the center of each dough disk, and carefully wrap the dough around the cream cheese ball to enclose it. Transfer the cookie to the prepared baking sheet.
10. Repeat the procedure with the remaining dough and cream cheese balls.
11. Chill the cookies, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
12. Line a second large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer 8 of the cookies to the second sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
13. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden and the tops are set, about 12 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets between top and bottom racks halfway through the baking time.
14. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Cook's Note

Cookies keep in an airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

• Calories: 256
• Fat: 14g (18% daily value)
• Saturated Fat: 8g (42% daily value)
• Cholesterol: 47mg (16% daily value)
• Sodium: 98mg (4% daily value)
• Carbohydrates: 30g (11% daily value)
• Dietary Fiber: 1g (2% daily value)
• Total Sugars: 14g
• Protein: 3g (6% daily value)
• Vitamin C: 1mg (1% daily value)
• Calcium: 25mg (2% daily value)
• Iron: 1mg (6% daily value)
• Potassium: 44mg (1% daily value)

Servings Per Recipe: 16