If you’re looking for a cream cheese sugar cookie recipe that literally melts in your mouth, you’re going to be head over heels for these Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies. Not only are they what everyone loves and craves but now you can skip buying them at the store and make your own cream cheese sugar cookies instead!
Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Recipe
This is what cookie dreams are made of. I literally dream of this cookie recipe all year long. And while I know that I could easily make them on my own anytime that I want, there is just something festive and fun about having them for the holiday season.
Maybe it’s the winter sprinkles that I use on top, or maybe, just maybe it’s that these cookies are truly special that they literally deserve their own time of year. And to be honest, do you really need a reason to make these delicious cookies? If you want to make them, make them. It’s just a perk of being a baking adult!
Easy Cookies with Cream Cheese
What you’ll notice from this simple cookie recipe is that it literally is quite simple to make. Many people tend to shy away from making them because they’re fearful that they’re hard—but that couldn’t be further from the truth. (but to let you in on a little secret—the butter and cream cheese mixture is the key!)
As long as you’re careful and follow the directions, you should have perfect cookies time and time again. And if not, you just need to redo them and try it all over. Because no matter what, they’re going to be delicious and tasty!
Ingredients in Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie Recipe
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Cream cheese
- Unsalted butter
- Vegetable oil
- Egg
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Melt in Your Mouth Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies
The main thing to keep in mind for this recipe is that you need to measure out the cream cheese and butter accurately. And please be certain that you use UNSALTED butter! You’ll be amazed at how much flavor of salt will come through in salted butter and create quite a different taste for these cookies.
And to be honest, I tend to use unsalted butter for almost all of my baking needs. This is because most recipes have the salt added in as a separate ingredient and that means that if I use salted butter, it’s as if I’m doubling the amount of salt as well.
To get the full directions for these cookies, make certain to scroll down to the bottom of this post.
Do cookies made with cream cheese need to be refrigerated?
Since these cookies are made using a small amount of cream cheese, they don’t have to be refrigerated once they’re baked. You can do so, but it’s not required.
Typically desserts that use a large quantity of cream cheese are the ones that need to be put into the fridge.
Can you use cream cheese instead of butter in cookies?
This is one of my favorite baking tips. If you’re wanting that creamy cookie, then you can swap out the butter and use cream cheese instead. How awesome is that?! So if you’re going to omit ⅓ cup of butter, you can swap it out for ⅓ cup of cream cheese easily, too.
Can I substitute yogurt for cream cheese?
Yes, you can. However, this will change the texture of the cookie but it’s still possible to use. The big thing to remember is that you need to drain off any liquid that is on top of the yogurt so that it doesn’t make your cookie dough have too much moisture or be too wet.
Tips For Making Cream Cheese Cookies
There are so many tips that can make these easy cream cheese cookies even better!
For the best chew of these cookies, you can adjust the fat ratio as I like to do. I use 1 part butter to 3 parts of vegetable oil and I really like the way that it turns out.
I also think that it’s important to be careful with the ingredients and I prefer to whisk together the fat and sugar versus using a spoon or mixer.
It’s also important to keep in mind that you might need to alter the ingredients a bit as well. You can add in extra sugar, vanilla, and even a bit of salt if you want it to keep the cookies from being too dry or lacking flavor.
Using cream cheese is a super simple way to add a ton of flavor and moisture without having to use a liquid which can cause the dough to be soggy.
How to Store Cream Cheese Cookies
Since the entire purpose of these cookies is to keep them soft and delicious, you need to be certain that you’re storing them properly, too.
The best way to keep these cookies soft for as long as possible is to store them in an airtight container. This will keep them fresh for a couple of days.
And if you want to freeze them, you can. This might change the texture and softness a bit but it should retain the flavor and keep you from wasting any of these delicious cookies.
Other Topping Options For Soft Cookies
Have fun with these cookies! You can easily change out the type of sprinkles and toppings to make these cookies work for any holiday. You can also skip the sprinkles altogether if you want to and use royal icing, powdered sugar, or some other type of glaze as well. Use any type of frosting recipe that you want!
Whatever you want to do to add flavor to these cookies on top, you can. These are your cookies so decorate them however you want!
More Cookie Recipes
Best Soft Chewy Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- rimmed baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 ounces cream cheese, cut into 6 pieces
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Decorations
- ¼ cup sparkles or sprinkles to press on top
- ½ cup sugar to press on top or to roll cookies in
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Place 1 ½ cups sugar and cream cheese in large bowl. Pour melted butter over top of sugar and cream cheese. Whisk until only some small cream cheese lumps remain. Add oil and continue to whisk until incorporated.
- Add egg, milk, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Add flour mixture.
- Mix with rubber spatula until uniform dough forms.
- Divide your dough into 24 piles. Maybe 2 tablespoons each in size. Roll piles into smooth balls. If rolling in sugar get out a small bowl or plate with about a half a cup of sugar in it and roll balls around in sugar until coated. Place on top of your prepared rimmed baking sheets.
- Using bottom of drinking glass, flatten balls until about 2 inches in diameter.
- Sprinkle tops of cookies evenly or press cookies into shallow dish filled with some sugar, sparkles or sprinkles.
- I prefer to press the cookies into the shallow dish as the sugar or decorations tend to stick to the cookie better. Discard any remaining sugar or decorations after use.
- Bake cookies until edges are set and just beginning to brown, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving.
- Enjoy every bite!
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