These Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups are a delightful bite-sized sweet treat that you absolutely need to try your hands at. They pack in the crunchiness of a good chocolate chip cookie and the rich creaminess of cheesecake in a fun format. Make them for any special occasion or enjoy them as a snack or dessert, and I’m sure they won’t disappoint.
This isn’t my first time trying cookie cups. I’ve also made peanut butter cheesecake cups and Nutella cookie cups before, and they both turned out to be big hits in my household. Inspired by their success, I decided to try another variant, and here we are!
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups Recipe
- Seriously easy: These delightful cookie cups come together with just a few pantry staples, and while they may look like a lot of effort, they’re actually really easy to make.
- Perfect for parties: They’re the perfect size for parties and get-togethers.
- Customizable: You can experiment with the cookie dough, the fillings, and the toppings too!
- Ultra delish: They taste insanely delicious. If you enjoy chocolate chip cookies, you’re going to love this upgraded version.
Ingredients
- Butter: Use salted butter, or add a pinch of salt into the cookie dough mix if you’re using unsalted butter.
- Sugar: To sweeten the cookie cups and the cheesecake mix. I used both white and brown sugar here, for that extra flavor.
- Flour: Just your regular all-purpose flour.
- Eggs: To lend the cookies that rich, chewy texture.
- Baking soda: To help the cookies rise.
- Cream cheese: Good quality, full-fat cream cheese for the most delicious cheesecake filling.
- Heavy cream: To add more body to the cheesecake mixture.
- Vanilla: For a hint of flavor and subtle sweetness.
- Lemon juice: To brighten up the cheesecake mix a bit.
- Mini chocolate chips: Choose the best quality chocolate chips you can get your hands on. It really makes a difference in the flavor.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Gluten-free: Swap the all-purpose flour in the recipe for a gluten-free flour of your choice. Just make sure it has Xanthan gum added in!
- Eggless: Use an egg replacer to try an eggless version of this recipe.
- Filling swap: Don’t want to use a cheesecake filling? Try filling the mini cookie cups with chocolate ganache or marshmallow fluff.
- Cookie dough swap: Use a different kind of cookie dough to bring a bit of variation to these cookie cups. The classic sugar cookie dough works fine too!
How to Make Cookie Cups in Muffin Tins
Start by getting everything ready and preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
Step 1: Prep cookie dough. Cream butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix. Dissolve baking soda in hot water and mix it in too.
Step 2: Prep dry ingredients. Combine flour, salt, and chocolate chips in another bowl, and then add it into this egg mixture. Mix until you get a dough.
Step 3: Make rounds & bake. Roll the cookie dough into large equal-sized balls and place one in each section of a muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Make cookie cups. Use a shot glass to press down on the center of each cookie right after you get it out to make the cookie cups.
Step 5: Make cheesecake filling. Combine softened cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl to make your cheesecake filling.
Step 6: Assemble and refrigerate. Fill each cookie cup with the cheesecake filling using a small spoon.
Step 7: Add chocolate. Top with chocolate swirls using melted chocolate.
Step 8: Garnish and serve. Add a few chocolate chips to the top and enjoy!
⭐️ Hint: Skip the chocolate swirls and just top the cheesecake filling with some mini chocolate chips if you want to keep it simple.
If you love baking with chocolate chips, you may also enjoy my Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Rolls, Chocolate Mousse Pie or our delicious Chocolate Covered Blueberries.
Storage
- Storing: You can store leftover cookie cups in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in an airtight container. I would recommend placing a paper towel on the inside of the lid to absorb any moisture and to keep the cookie cups perfect.
- Freezing: You can choose to freeze the cookie cups too, if you want them to last longer. Just layer them on a baking sheet and freeze them until they’re hard, then pop them in a good quality freezer bag or freezer-safe container, and they should stay good for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Since these chocolate chip cookie cups are utterly sweet, they’re the perfect treat to indulge in when you’re hit by a craving.
I love serving them as a standalone dessert after a hearty meal like Philly cheesesteak sandwiches or baked Caesar chicken.
Sometimes, I also like to feature them on a brunch or dessert platter along with other desserts like my Nutella brookies or my Tiramisu cookies when I’m going all out when hosting.
Recipe Tips
- Grease well: Use good quality muffin tins and make sure you grease them nicely before you add in the cookie dough. This will help the cookie cups slide out easily.
- Work fast: Once the cookies are out of the oven, you’ll need to work fast and use the shot glasses to push down into them and make the cookie cups while they’re still warm.
- Assemble smart: If you’re baking these chocolate cookie cups for a party, it makes sense to assemble them towards the end, as the cups can absorb moisture and soften the longer they sit with the cheesecake filling.
Recipe FAQ
To make the swirls, simply microwave some chocolate chips in a small bowl, place a drop of the chocolate on the top of the cheesecake filling, and use a toothpick to make the swirly pattern.
To make the cheesecake filling extra fluffy, use good quality heavy cream, and whip it separately until you get firm peaks before you combine it with the cream cheese.
More Chocolate Chip Dessert Recipes
Do you like chocolate chip recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try.
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups with Cheesecake Filling
Equipment
- 2-3 Mixing Bowls
- Hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Cookie Cups
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons hot water
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups Ghirardelli mini chocolate chips
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 drops lemon juice
- ½ cup Ghirardelli mini chocolate chips melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar. Mix until smooth and creamy (no lumps). Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Put baking soda in the hot water and dissolve. Then add to the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, blend flour, salt and chocolate chips. Add to the other mixture and with the mixer, blend on low speed until well combined.
- Roll cookie dough into large balls and place each one in each muffin tin compartment.
- Place tin in the oven and let the dough bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
- With a shot glass, press down the center of each cookie dough ball, pressing up the sides to form a cookie cup.
- The cookie dough will stick to the shot glass. Just remove it by pushing it off the shot glass and place cookie dough on a rack to cool. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
- When cookie cups have cooled, make the cheesecake filling.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Blend together until smooth and creamy.
- Use a small spoon to fill the cookie cup centers with cheesecake filling.
- Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and swirl a small amount in the center of each cookie cup.
- Place the cookie cups in a container (in a single layer) and refrigerate until set; about 4 hours.
- Serve and enjoy every bite!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published in October 2021. It has been updated with new content and images.
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