Ridiculously soft and pillowy cookies that have slightly chewier edges and a tender centre. One bowl and 10 minutes is all you need to whip up these chocolate chip cheesecake cookies!
Some recipes come together seamlessly. I’ll have an idea; scribble it down on paper; work out the details; put it to the test; fall in love with the result; make it again just to be sure; and call it a success.
This was not one of those recipes.
This was one of those recipes that failed after the first batch. And the second batch. And the third batch. And… a couple more batches after that.
This was one of those recipes that I would have sacked had it not been for pride and my ridiculously stubborn nature. Admitting defeat to a gooey lump of butter, sugar, [cheese], and flour? Nuh uh. Not me.
And it’s a good thing, too, because this was (is?) one of those recipes that’s well worth the trouble… even if I did end up shedding some tears during the whole process ordeal. I may not cry over spilled milk, but apparently I will cry over a solid mass of melted cookies. Just being real.
I did learn some valuable lessons, though.
Lesson #1. Cream cheese behaves like butter. If you’re like me and not willing to chill the dough (ain’t no one got time patience for that!), then you need to reduce the butter or you’ll end up with melted cookies. Try again.
Lesson #2. Adding more flour does.not.work. Try again.
Lesson #3. Do not attempt to get “one last batch in” at 11 PM before you “pass out for the night.” You will be so tired that you’ll inevitably forget to add a very important ingredient (like sugar), and end up with savoury cheesy biscuits. Which, while still good, were not what you were after. Try again.
Lesson #4. Now is not the time to experiment with arrowroot powder. Try again.
Lesson #5. Persistence.pays.off.
They’re so fluffy I could die.
These may just be some of the softest, doughiest, most pillowy cookies that I’ve ever had. They’re slightly firmer and chewier around the edges, and get softer as you make your way towards the middle. The flavour of the cream cheese isn’t too pronounced, but you can definitely pick up on it, especially if you know it’s in there. It adds a certain je ne sais quoi that you can’t help but want to decipher by taking more and more bites…
These cookies aren’t overly sweet or greasy, but neither do they taste or feel lightened up in the least. I played around with the amount of butter and sugar quite a bit, and I think I found a happy medium — they’re the perfect blend of “oh.my.god these taste amazing and they’re not even too bad for me.”
Plus they’re loaded with chocolate in every bite, which is never a bad thing in my books…
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened to room temperature*
- 1/4 cup unrefined granulated sugar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a hand-held mixer, combine butter, cream cheese, sugar, and honey, beating on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla, and continue beating until everything is well combined, scrapping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour, baking soda, and salt, mixing until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Drop dough by rounded tablespoon onto your prepared baking sheet, topping each cookie with a few additional chocolate chips if desired. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges begin to set and turn golden brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Looking for more delicious cookie recipes? Try one of these!
Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Oatmeal Cookies
Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
What was your last kitchen fail? Make me feel better!
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Health coach, recipe developer, food photographer, makeup junkie, oatmeal addict, and general lover of life.
Everyone is on the same wavelength! Chocolate covered Katie just posted cheesecake cookies too. I guess I need to jump on the bandwagon
It really does kick the cookies up a notch! I definitely recommend giving it a try
Ha! I almost never make a recipe more than once. It’s good or it isn’t. I throw in the towel when it comes to kitchen experiments.
These look worth the work!
Cheesecake anything is a winner to me. These look amazing!
Cheesecake cookies!?! Very creative and delicious sounding- perfect for a new kind of v-day treat!
WOW those cookies!!!! I love cheesecake so I am sure I will love those.
My last kitchen fail was pathetic: I tried baking salmon in the oven (super basic, I know) and it turned out horrible! Overcooked on the edges and raw in the middle. Since then I have learned that it’s better to broil it and I have gotten better results with this method.
If it makes you feel any better, I’m retry sure I’d butcher salmon as well — I’ve never cooked it before!
Cheesecake cookies?! Oh I bet the cream cheese in this recipe makes these sooo fluffy, rich, and delicious! Up next: red velvet cheesecake cookies? 😉
These look delicious! I used to love cheesecake but don’t really have it so much anymore because it can be so heavy. This could help me revisit it – plus I love anything chocolaate. Have a great day!
I’m not a fan of cheesecake for exactly the same reason, but these aren’t actually heavy at all! If anything, they’re just softer and fluffier.
Wow this looks INCREDIBLE! I want some now!!
I wish I a) liked cheese cake b) could actually eat cheese/butter because it sounds like these deserve to be tried after all the hard work you put into them. Yay for finally getting it right tho 😀
p.s. This was totes my life a couple weekends ago when I was testing some cookies for SS. Except the number of tries inched into double digits cuz I’m such a texture snob when it comes to cookies haha
I’m not a fan of cheesecake either, but these are kind of the opposite — light and fluffy rather than heavy and cloying. And you could always try Toffuti or Daiya cream “cheese”
OMG. I love cheesecake and I love cookies and here you’ve “married” them together into these delicious sounding morsels from heaven. Amazing!
Thank you for your persistence in getting them right. I think Lynne’s gonna love these for valentines day! 😀
The melty chocolate chips…I can’t even. GAH!! Your hard work paid off, my dear. We shall call them better-than-boyfriend cookies
I adore cheesecake. I adore chocolate chip cookies. And these look perfect! Totally trying them 😀 Thanks for all the trial and error!!
OH! I can right away decide I’ll love these! You know when you “get” the ingredients and your brain automatically conjures up the effect the cream cheese -in this instance- brings to the cookie? Yeah that.
Gah I’ve got to whip up that skillet cookie again – it’s been ages.
I was actually just looking at that one the other day and wondering if I should make a chocolate version of it! But I didn’t want to make a huge one — I need a mini skillet.
Oh my GOSH, yum! Those look sooooooo good! Definitely pinning that so I remember that later when I’m not trying to lose weight. 😉
I need to only read your blog when I am super full or something…your ideas and pictures and recipes look way too good to look at first thing in the morning! haha! Keep em coming girl! Yummo
😆 I totally know that feeling — that’s me with reading blogs in general.
These sound amazing!
I’m happy tor ead that it took you several batches to perfect and finally post the recipe…not that I wouldn’t wish you your ideas turn out well immediately. But I often have the feeling that bloggers (or also on onstagram) peopl try something and post the recipe without trying it once again to ensure that it wasn’t a coincidence. I don’t know, I feel a bit tricked by that. I can do this on my own…try out something, call it perfect, and expecting everyone to love. Do you even know what I mean? 😀 It’s weird. Anyway, the cookies sound awesome and I like that there is not so much sugar and butter in them!
I definitely hear ya. There are definitely times where its possible to strike gold on the first try, but I always like to make at least one more attempt to make sure it wasn’t an accident.
IT”S SO FLUFFAAAYYYY. These are certified to be as good for you as vegetables, right? I think so. I don’t often try recipes more than once–generally because I don’t bake that often, and thus I tend to wing it more. So I guess that you could say that I do make and tweak recipes often, but not in a systematic fashion.
Oh wow! These look like utter perfection! I’ll have to try a dairy free version – I wonder if they’ll be as good.
Holy smokes these all look so delicious!
We should have a recipe fail party! I’ll bring my mushy cupcakes and you can bring your melted cookies, haha! Yeah, the last batch at 11pm? Been there done that. Le sigh.
But clearly persistence is key because these look to-die-for!! Nice work, girly!
😆 Would you be terribly offended if I skipped out on that party? 😛
Yum….Yum….Yum!!!
GIRL- you are after my heart with these cookies!
So you’re saying that hard work pays off in the form of incredible sweet deliciousness? Got it!
Exactly 😉
Freshman year of college. Made brownies in a stove which probably wasn’t used in years. Brownies caught on fire. Fire alarms. Everyone evactuated. Yeap, my best memory of freshman year. Hahaha.
Looks like the sweat and tears paid off finally! I love the impulsive “one last batch at 11pm” because I learned my lesson with that sort of thing too. Also the dough chilling/adding more flour thing is a good tip too that I’ve learned over the years. They look incredible and really perfect!
Cheecake COOKIES?! You can’t really get me interested in cheesecake but these? Oh yes.
Not my last but my worst – I think? – kitchen fail so far were brownies. Gluten-free vegan refined-sugar free cashew marbled brownies to be exact. The lengthy title says it all: never try to squeeze too many [dietary] labels in one little baked good. The bad part about this experience is that I haven’t really dared trying my hand at the creation of sweet recipes much since. And that sucks.
Aww that definitely sucks
But if it makes you feel any better, I’ve had my fair share of fails when it comes to modified brownies. To this day I refuse to bake with beans…
Soft and pillowy is probably my favorite way to describe a cookie. YUM.
These look so yummy. I mean you have chocolate and you have cheesecake. What can be better ?
Oh wow – these look pillowy, and dreamy good! Thanks for sticking with it till you reached perfection cos now I have an easy job replicating these!
Haha – Lesson #3 – yes I am so so guilty! Did it to a cake once! Happy Wednesday! xx
My dad loves cheesecake like it’s his firstborn child. Pumpkin pie like his second born. Me and my brother come third and fourth 😉 I want to put this on my list of things to make for him! Looks delish.
I am droooooooling over here. Glad you didn’t give up on the final product!!!
that’s what happened to my mesquite cookies! haha but persistence does pay off! i’d remake these time and time again just to lick the bowl!
I admire you lady. For your patience, and for being so persistant – I’d have thrown in the towel loooong before!! I’d take a batch of these though however – seriously drooling over here.
I was daydreaming about chocolate chip cookies last night & how I want to bake something this weekend. I think it’s a sign!
I think so too 😉
Those look dangerously yummy! I can almost taste that gooey warm chocolate. Now I’m hungry
Ummm yes I want a cookie right now! Those look pretty amazing!!!!
I swear cookies are the hardest type of food to get right! I had similar cookie difficulties with my latest recipe. But persistence definitely pays off – these look delicious!
Oh man!!! These look unreal!!!! I am so making these for Valentines Day for my friends!
I have so many kitchen fails…mainly that I microwave oatmeal and it alwayssss over flows! Such a mess to clean to…
Oh man I don’t even bother trying to figure out how to cook in the microwave. I just use mine to store extra dishes 😆
Woah! What a yummy sounding combination. Too bad for my kids that I don’t bake LOL.
Cookie + Cheesecake? Sold.
Thanks for sharing, can’t wait to try out the recipe!
This totally makes sense now 😉
Glad you got it right because these look incredible!!! Last kitchen fail was (forgot to tell you) I broke my oven door- I have to use masking tape to close it!
😆 Omg. You need to upgrade to a bungee cord.
Totally going to veganize these and make them! Yum!!
Gosh everything you post looks amazing! I LOVE how gooey and melty the chocolate chips look in these.
I never knew that you could use cream cheese in cookies. These cookies sound and look incredible! I wanted to reach into the picture and grab one! Great recipe!
Oh myyyyy word- these look like heaven on a plate….er I mean screen!! Kitchen fails suck at the time but looking back, they actually turn into humorous stories…and blog posts ;)! I can’t seem to remember a recent blunder but one that I’ll never forget is when I added salt to my batch of banana muffins- SUCH a rookie mistake! In my defence it was at the end of a lazy Sunday so I was in such a daze- clearly not my finest moment!
Oh man… I’ve over-salted things before and it was a nightmare. I’ll usually try to save most of my fails because I hate tossing out food, but salt is one of those things that you just can’t win with.
Good on you for persevering! These look sooo good, I love me some cheesecake
OH MY YUM!! Chocolate chip… CHEESECAKE… COOKIES!!!! My mouth is watering… delicious!
These look absolutely delicious! I love cheesecake so this will be next on my “to-make” list.
Well hopefully you cried tears of joy when they came out right, because they look absolutely amazing!
Ha! Joy and/or relief. Thanks, Markita!
Wowzers these do look amazing!
Aaaand it’s totally normal to cry over cookies that aren’t turning out right. Especially when you consider yourself a cookie expert. Cookies can be flipping tricky. I had two trays of cookies from the same batch turn out totally different I think because of the temperature of the dough/pan when I baked them…annoying! But then you feel like a total genius when you figure it out!
I’m not a fan of cheesecake, but cram it into a chocolate chip cookie and I think I could definitely enjoy it. These look fabulous.
Aaaah yea. There’s been a few recipes I’ve struggled with….and I definitely know the lesson of ‘don’t try to throw it together late at night’. That’s usually asking to fail, haha
These look amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fluffier cookie, and I fully intend to make them, especially since I have cream cheese in my fridge with no bagels again. Another travesty, and I’m not sure how this keeps happening. Mainly because I hardly ever have cream cheese. I’m on it.
Thanks for the persistence. I sure do appreciate it.
The self-professed cheese lover not having cream CHEESE on hand? I feel like I don’t know who you are anymore…
I have a boatload of other cheeses on hand. Usually there’s at least seven different kinds in the fridge at any given moment. Cream cheese though is a rarity around these parts. Weird, but true.
These sound ridiculously amazing. Definitely pinning so I can make these later!
These look and sound divine, yum!
xx Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
I made these and they may very well be the best cookies I’ve ever made. I’ve never had a cookie so soft and fluffy and pillowy!! They were AMAZING!!!
I’m glad you liked them, Maria! Thanks for stopping by to let me know
I made these yesterday & they rose a lot & tasted like cake with chocolate chips.. I’m not sure what I did wrong, maybe I overbreated the batter? are they supposed to turn out like that or should I try making them again? I really wanted these to work out I’ve tried almost all of your muffin recipes & they’ve all been successes!!
plus the batter was very runny, I mixed in the dry ingredients by hand, & used a beater for the liquid ingredients. I got 16 cookies that were very airy & cakey, very unlike the pictures.