Why you’ll love them
These strawberry cheesecake cookies are like no other cookie I’ve ever tasted. Soft on the inside, with perfectly crispy edges thanks to the sugar coating, they’re stuffed with a rich cream cheese filling. Real strawberry pieces take them to another level!
- Thick cookies with a soft centre.
- Gorgeous buttery flavour, plus that creamy, soft, and gooey cheesecake filling.
- Indulgent and slightly addictive — in the best way ever.
- All of the beauty of a strawberry cheesecake in cookie form.
- A wonderfully unique dessert option.
These strawberry cookies are easily made in mixing bowls by hand too – no stand mixer required. A hand mixer makes the cheesecake filling super quick and easy but again, you don’t need one.
I absolutely adore strawberry cheesecake, which is what prompted me to create this cookie version. The results were out-of-this-world fantastic.
Table of contents
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Ingredients you’ll need
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
- Cream cheese: All you’ll need is regular full-fat cream cheese. I don’t recommend using the light version as it’s too soft and will be difficult to encase in cookie dough.
- Unsalted Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe just so that I can control the amount of salt.
- Flour: Use plain flour (all-purpose). You could also use your favorite GF version if gluten is a concern.
- Baking Soda: Also called bicarbonate of soda, this ingredient will ensure that your cookies rise and helps them to spread slightly and get a little chewiness too.
- White Granulated Sugar: You’ll need it for the cheesecake filling and the cookie dough.
- Vanilla Extract: Again, for the filling and the dough. It adds a touch of warmth and intensifies the other flavours..
- Salt: You’ll only need ½ teaspoon to balance out the sweetness.
- Brown Sugar: These cheesecake stuffed cookies are soft with crisp edges thanks to the sugar ratios. More brown sugar would give them a chewier texture, but I feel it quickly overwhelms the strawberry flavour.
- Egg: You need a whole egg as well as the yolk of another.
- Strawberry Extract: Strawberry extract adds great extra flavour if you can get it, but they are still a wonderfully delicious cookie without it. If you can’t find it, the strawberry taste will just be confined to the strawberry pieces.
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: I used freeze-dried strawberries and prefer them, though they can be a bit pricey depending on where you are. I like that they don’t add unwanted moisture to the cookies, and they have a concentrated strawberry flavour since all the water is removed. Now, I have to mention, all freeze-dried strawberries are not created equal. I love Health Attack Crispyfruits and found I could use less of these than when I used another brand. Try to get a brand where the strawberries are already sliced, then freeze-dried, not freeze-dried whole. The former seems to have a better flavour.
Variations
You can also add some lemon zest to the cream cheese filling – divine. You could also mix a little strawberry jam through the filling. If you want to make them even more indulgent try throwing in some white chocolate chips.
How to make strawberry cheesecake cookies (step-by-step)
Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.
How to make the cheesecake filling
- Mix: Add the cream cheese, sugar, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to a medium-sized bowl and beat together until smooth (photo 1).
- Freeze: Scoop out 18 three-teaspoon-sized balls of the cream cheese mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (photo 2). Place them in the freezer to chill for 20-30 minutes.
How to make the cookie dough
The cookie dough comes together very quickly, so don’t start it until the cheesecake filling is firm.
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) and line 2 large baking sheets with baking / parchment paper. If you haven’t already, melt the butter.
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Then the wet ingredients: Add the brown and white sugars to the melted butter and whisk to combine (photo 3). Next, add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and strawberry extract if using, and whisk until smooth (photo 4).
- Incorporate together: Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined (photo 5).
- Add the strawberries: Set aside a handful of freeze-dried strawberries for later and add the rest to the cookie dough. Fold until combined, being careful not to break up the fruit (photo 6).
There are 2 ways to fill/roll these cookies, as you can see in the photos below. I prefer the cookie scoop method, but you can still make them without one.
For both methods, take just a few portions of the filling out of the freezer at a time, as they will soften as they thaw.
How to assemble with a cookie scoop
- Scoop the dough: Use a ¼ cup-sized cookie scoop to scoop out the dough. With the dough still in the scoop, use your thumb to create a dent in the centre (photo 7).
- Add the cheesecake: Now that your dent is sorted (photo 8), place one of the cheesecake balls into it (photo 9).
- Cover: Fold the cookie dough around the cheesecake centre to cover it (photo 10).
How to assemble by hand
- Roll: Use your hands to roll golf-ball-sized balls of dough. Flatten one out in your hand (photo 11).
- Fill: Place a frozen cheesecake portion into the centre (photo 12).
- Fold: Gently fold the cookie dough around the cheesecake filling (photo 13) so that it’s completely encased (photo 14).
How to bake
- Dip in sugar: Dip the top of each cookie in granulated sugar (photo 15), then place onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between each (photo 16).
- Bake: Place your strawberry cheesecake cookie dough balls in the preheated oven and bake for 12-14 minutes.
- Cool: Allow your cookies to cool on the trays for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Tips and tricks
- Weigh ingredients for the best results: This is especially true for the flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively affordable, but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method. Don’t scoop!
- All ovens vary, so keep a close eye on your strawberry cheesecake cookies as they bake.
- I use a ¼ cup volume cookie scoop to make roughly golf ball-sized scoops of cookie dough.
- These cookies have a lovely crust on top from being rolled in sugar, and I don’t recommend skipping this step. The cookies themselves are not sickly sweet, so they can benefit from the extra sugar — plus the texture is just amazing.
- Before the strawberry cheesecake cookies cool, make a few little holes in the top of each one with your fingernail or the tip of a knife. Push small pieces of the remaining strawberries into the hole, so they stick out a little bit. This step is totally optional, but it makes them look so pretty.
Storage
You can store your strawberry cream cheese cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
As these are cheesecake stuffed cookies, they should be kept in the fridge for longer periods. That said, they will be perfectly fine if left out for 2-3 hours.
I find that they’re best eaten at room temperature.
FAQs
These are soft inside due to the additional egg yolk, but they have crisp edges due to a higher ratio of white sugar. The higher the ratio of brown sugar in a cookie, the chewier it will be. Adding additional fat (like extra butter) or using cake flour will make cookies softer.
Yes, fresh strawberries will work (similar to my lemon blueberry cookies), but make sure they’re beautifully ripe and flavourful. Give them a pat dry before adding them to the dough. You’ll also need to reduce the quantity to about 1 ¼ cups. I do not recommend using frozen strawberries for this strawberry cheesecake cookies recipe.
Absolutely. Bake cookies as instructed and place them on an unused baking tray when they’re completely cool. Flash-freeze them for 30 minutes, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container. They will keep for up to 3-6 months.
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Ingredients
CHEESECAKE FILLING
- 250 g cream cheese, softened (9oz, notes)
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar (50g / 1.8oz)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE COOKIES
- 170 g unsalted butter, melted (1 ½ sticks / ¾ cup / 6oz)
- 355 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (2 ¾ cups / oz)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarb soda)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white granulated sugar (200g / 7oz)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (66g)
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 egg yolk, room temp
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon strawberry extract, optional
- 2 cups sliced freeze dried strawberries (40g / 1 ½oz) (for fresh, see notes)
- 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar, extra
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Cookie scoops (¼ cup and 1 Tbsp)
- Baking sheets.
Instructions
- FOR THE FILLING:In a medium bowl with a spatula (or electric beater), beat together the cream cheese, sugar and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract until smooth.
- Line a medium baking sheet with baking paper. Scoop about 3 teaspoon balls of the cream cheese mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. You should be able to get 18. Freeze 20-30 minutes or until firm.
- FOR THE COOKIES:The cookie dough is very quick so don’t start it until the cheesecake portions are firm.
- Preheat oven to 180C (160C fan forced) / 350F. Line 2 large baking sheets with baking paper.
- If you haven’t already, melt the butter and set it aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Add the sugars to the melted butter and whisk until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla and strawberry extract (if using) and whisk until smooth.
- Add the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until just combined.
- When the flour is 90% mixed through, set aside a small handful of the strawberries then add the rest to the dough. Fold until combined and well distributed but be careful not to break them up too much.
- Scoop the dough: For this step, take just a few cheesecake portions out of the freezer at a time as it will soften as it thaws.
- Using a ¼ cup sized cookie scoop, packing it in, to scoop balls of dough, then with the dough still in the scoop, press a big dent into the centre. Press a frozen cheesecake portion into the centre, then fold the dough over the top to seal it inside.
- By hand: Roll roughly golf ball sized balls of dough or 1/4 cup worth of dough into a ball. Flatten the ball out in your hand and place a frozen cheesecake portion in the centre. Fold the dough up around the cheesecake to seal it inside.
- Roll the top of each cookie dough ball in the sugar and place sugar side up on the baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.
- Bake for around 12-14 minutes until turning golden on the edges.As soon as you take the trays out of the oven, give them a tap on the bench top 3 times. This will help them drop a little and create nice little cracks in the top. If needed, you can use a round cookie cutter and swirl it around the cookie to make them more round if it has spread out of shape.
- Before they cool, make a few little holes in the top of each one with your fingernail or the tip of a knife and push small pieces of the remaining strawberries into the holes, so they stick out a little bit. Optional but it makes them look so pretty.
- Allow them to cool on the trays for 5 minutes before using a spatula to help to transfer them to a cooling rack. Once cool, they will firm up and be crispy on the outside with a chewy centre of cookie and soft cheesecake.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Many countries use a 15ml tablespoon (3 tsp). Check yours first and adjust measures accordingly.
- Cream Cheese: If cream cheese is a standard 8oz block where you are, just use that – it will work fine.
- You can use fresh strawberries cut into small pieces too but only about 1 ¼ cups. Make sure to use very fresh strawberries and just give them a pat dry with paper towel once chopped to remove excess moisture.
- All freeze dried strawberries are not created equal. I love Crispy fruits and found I could use less of these than when I used another brand. Try to get a brand where the strawberries are already sliced, then freeze dried, not freeze dried whole. They may not be cheap but these cookies really are worth it, I promise. I get Crispy Fruits for about $2 per pack of 10g, so there’s $8 worth of strawberries in one batch of cookies.
- All ovens vary – check your cookies at 8 minutes – they should look dry and ‘set’ but will still be very soft.
- For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
- Storage: Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. You can take them out of the fridge for a couple of hours at a time, just fine but return them to the fridge for longer stints.
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