Fluffy, soft, and so buttery that they will just melt in your mouth with each bite. I’m talking about utterly delicious cream cheese cookies. The tang from cream cheese brings a great twist to a classic butter cookie.
If you have been following our recipes, then you must have noticed numerous recipes made with cream cheese-cream cheese pecan cookies, Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies, Apple Loaf with cream cheese glaze and many more. So you get the idea of how much I love incorporating cream cheese in various desserts.
The reason I LOOOVE adding cream cheese is that it brings along a surprisingly good tangy flavour in contrast to the regular sweet desserts that we eat. Also, it makes a great addition to the texture as well, making them more creamy and smooth.
These cookies are very basic, and you will love them for how simple and delicious they are. Bake them every day to eat with a cup of coffee or tea.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe?
- Buttery Texture: If you ever loved those mini butter cookies that will melt in your mouth as soon as you pop them, then this recipe is for you. It’s amazingly cloudy, fluffy and buttery, which will be crispy yet soft at the same time.
- Tangy Twist: It’s not your regular butter cookie but a cookie with a tangy twist. The addition of cream cheese brings along a unique sour flavour which pleasantly complements the butter and vanilla flavours.
- Easy To Make: Don’t worry if you are an amateur baker or baking for the first time. These cookies are super easy and fun to make. Follow the recipe mentioned, and you will treat yourself to some delicious cookies.
Important Ingredients Used In The Recipe
- Butter: I have used room-temperature softened Salted butter for the recipe. The salt in the butter makes up for the required saltiness in the recipe, so no additional salt is needed. Also, it balances out the sour flavour of the cream cheese.
- Cream Cheese: The star ingredient of the recipe is cream cheese. Use a good brand of cream cheese. Also, check the consistency of the cream first; it should be a block and not too crumbly/liquidy.
- Egg: Making the cookies moist, fluffy and soft, egg plays a major role in this recipe. Use room temperature egg only.
- Vanilla Essence: enhancing the flavour composition of the cookie is the vanilla essence. I always recommend using either oil-based essence or extract for a better-tasting experience. Avoid using low-grade water-diluted essence.
- All-Purpose Flour: The cookies taste best when made using all-purpose flour. Do not replace it with any other flour.
How To Make Cream Cheese Cookies
Preparation: Begin by collecting all ingredients and tools required to make the recipe. Preheat the oven to 180C (OTG mode: upper rod + lower rod + fan). Line a baking tray with a silicon mat or butter paper.
Creaming: First and foremost, start creaming the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. You can use an electric hand beater working at medium speed. Cream the mixture until it becomes light and fluffy.
Add Wet Ingredients: Next, add egg and vanilla essence to the creamed mixture. Beat this again until the egg is fully incorporated with the butter.
Add Cream Cheese: Dump the soft cream cheese into the butter-egg mixture and beat it. Ensure to mix the cream cheese well into the mixture.
Add Dry Ingredients: Sieve the dry ingredients that are flour, and baking powder and add them to the above mixture. Fold them in and mix to make a smooth dough. The dough will be a bit sticky and loose one.
Shaping: Transfer the dough into a piping bag fitter with a big round nozzle. Pipe cookie dough blobs (roughly 20g each) onto the lined baking tray.
Freeze: Since the dough is sticky, it needs to be put in the freezer for 16+5 minutes. Let the cookies harden up before going into the oven.
Bake: Put the cookies for baking at 180C (OTG mode: upper rod + lower rod + fan) for 12-15 minutes or until you see the light golden edges.
Cool and Garnish: Once the cookies are out of the oven, let them cool down in the tray itself at room temperature. The cookies continue to bake due to the heat within them. So, serve only once they have cooled down. Garnish the cookies by drizzling cream cheese glaze and chopped almonds.
Chef’s Tips For The Recipe
Do Not Over Mix
The cookie dough will be a sticky one, so I recommend not mixing it any further than needed. Once the dry ingredients are fully incorporated, stop mixing; otherwise, the dough will become even more wet or sticky.
Shaping Tip
I have used a piping bag to shape the cookies. This is much more convenient to do when compared to shaping with hands, as the dough is sticky. Do not skip this method by shaping with your hands, as the heat from the palms may make the dough more sticky.
Garnish Tip
It is not necessary to garnish the cookies with cream cheese glaze and chopped almonds. You can serve them without garnish as well. Or drizzle some melted white chocolate if looking for some alternative to cream cheese glaze.
How To Store Cream Cheese Cookies
Like all other cookies, they need to be stored in an air-tight box at room temperature for 3-4 days.
You can store the cookie dough in the freezer cling-wrapped for two months.
More Easy Recipes
Try some other cream cheese-inspired desserts-
Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use a silicone spatula to make the dough. However, if you are making a bulk recipe, I suggest using an electric hand beater or a stand mixer.
Of course, you can. There are many flavours that go well with cream cheese, like lemon (use zest for natural flavour), strawberry, cinnamon etc.
Absolutely Not! Do not skip freezing the cookies before baking. The dough is sticky, and without freezing, it will melt butter and cream cheese more than required leading to widespread cookies. We want them to be fluffy and not flat.
