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Cream cheese chocolate chip cookies bake up thick, chewy, and incredibly soft with subtle tang. Each cookie has crisp edges and a rich, tender center that keeps you reaching for another!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Jump to RecipePrep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
12 minutes
Total Time
42 minutes
Servings
18 cookies
Difficulty
Easy
Calories *
249 kcal per serving
Technique
Cream butter and cream cheese, mix a thick dough, fold in chocolate, and bake until just set.
Flavor Profile
Soft, chewy cookies with rich vanilla and deep chocolate flavor
* Based on nutrition panel
I followed your note about barely creaming the butter and cream cheese and it made such a difference. The cookies stayed thick and chewy even the next day. I also used a mix of chocolates like you suggested and it was perfect! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lauren
Why This Recipe Works
- Cream cheese keeps them soft. The tangy cream cheese is one of those special ingredients that balances sweetness.
- Minimal creaming controls spread. Less air means thicker cookies with a chewy bite.
- Cornstarch adds tenderness. It creates that soft, bakery-style interior.
- Mixed chocolate improves flavor. Semi-sweet and bittersweet chips give contrast instead of flat sweetness.
Table of Contents
- Why This Recipe Works
- Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookie Video
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- Variations on Soft Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Professional Tips
- How to Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
- Recipe FAQs
- Recommended Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
- Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Before You Go
There are a lot of chocolate chip cookies on the site, from classic thick chocolate chip cookies to New York Times chocolate chip cookies to richer versions like brown butter chocolate chip cookies. But this version hits a very specific sweet spot: soft, dense, and just a little tangy.
If you’re in the mood to switch it up, you might also love peanut butter chocolate chip cookies or nutella cookies. And if you want something a little more festive, these red velvet cookies or Easter m&m cookies are always a good idea.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Butter: Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt level. It should be soft but still cool to the touch.
- Cream Cheese: Full-fat cream cheese is key for both texture and flavor. It creates soft, tender cookies with structure.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and a subtle molasses flavor that keeps the cookies chewy. If you don’t have brown sugar, you can make these chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar!
- Granulated Sugar: Helps create lightly crisp edges and balances the brown sugar.
- Egg: Adds richness and structure while helping emulsify the dough.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances both the chocolate and sugar flavors.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides just enough structure for a thick cookie without making it tough.
- Cornstarch: This fine powder keeps the cookies soft and tender.
- Chocolate Chips: I like a mix of semi-sweet and bittersweet for balance, but you can customize.
See the recipe card for full ingredient quantities.
Variations on Soft Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Add mix-ins. Stir in nuts, candy pieces, chopped candy bars, or go all out like these kitchen sink cookies for a loaded version.
- Stuff the cookies. Wrap dough around caramel, peanut butter, or even a little frosting like this cream cheese frosting for cookies.
- Make them festive. Swap in colored candies or chips, or try something bold like old fashioned peanut butter cookies as inspiration for texture and flavor combos.
Professional Tips
- Don’t over-cream the butter and cream cheese. Mix just until smooth. Too much air will make the cookies cakey instead of chewy.
- Add flour in stages. This keeps the dough smooth and prevents overmixing.
- Reserve some chocolate chips. Reserve some chocolate chips and press them onto the tops of the cookies before baking.
- Watch the bake closely. Pull them when the edges are just starting to brown, about 11–12 minutes.
How to Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Use these instructions to make the perfect cream cheese chocolate chip cookies every time. Full details are in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Mix dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl until evenly combined.
Step 2: Cream butter mixture. In a stand mixer on medium speed, mix butter and cream cheese until smooth, about 1–2 minutes. Add both sugars, then the egg and vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
A hand mixer works well here; mix on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
Step 3: Combine the dough. Reduce speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 5–7 additions, mixing just until incorporated after each addition.
Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl in the bowl of a stand mixer so everything mixes evenly.
Step 4: Add chocolate chips. Fold in the chocolate chips and mix briefly so they are evenly distributed.
Step 5: Scoop the dough. Portion using a 2-inch cookie scoop or about ¼ cup per cookie.
Step 6: Optional chill. Chill the dough balls for 2 hours or up to 3 days for deeper flavor and slightly thicker cookies.
Step 7: Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 8: Arrange cookies. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
Step 9: Bake cookies. Bake for 11–12 minutes until the edges are just beginning to brown and the centers look set but soft.
Step 10: Cool and finish. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
Barely cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. You want a smooth paste, not a fluffy mixture. This keeps the cookies dense, chewy, and thick instead of light and cakey.
Recipe FAQs
Cream cheese is one of the best additions to chocolate chip cookies because it changes both structure and flavor. It adds fat and moisture, which keeps cookies soft and tender, while its slight acidity balances sweetness. It also reduces spread during baking, creating thicker, chewier cookies with a more controlled texture.
Store cream cheese chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Do you need to chill cream cheese chocolate chip cookie dough?
Recommended Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
Cookie Recipes
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookie Recipes
New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookie Recipes
Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
Cookie Recipes
Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt kosher or sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup cream cheese softened (avoid using fat free, light or whipped cream cheese!)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips I use Ghirardelli
- ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips I use Ghirardelli
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream butter and cream cheese, then add sugars, egg, and vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy.
- Add dry ingredients in batches, mixing just until incorporated.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Scoop dough into large portions.
- Chill if desired for up to 3 days.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets.
- Bake for 11–12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden.
- Cool before serving.
Video
Notes
- Yield: 18 cookies
- Presentation: Press extra chocolate chips on top before baking.
- Flavor Tips: Use a mix of chocolates for better balance.
- Technique: Do not over-cream.
- Storage: Store airtight up to 10 days or freeze.
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this soft and chewy cookie recipe. Be sure to check out more of my favorite cookie recipes for your next bake, like these bakery style chocolate chip cookies!
Hey cookie girl! Happy bday to your hubs. His magical superpower seems awesome. The cooks look so good. I wonder how many chocolate chip cookie recipes you have tried lol…and I wonder which are some of your favs.
Thanks, Miss Kim! Before starting a blog I’d only tried one because it was the one I had been making since high school – I’ll be posting it soon. Since I’ve started the blog, I’ve tried dozens! This one and the one I’ll be posting soon are my favorites. Though I love each and every one that I’ve posted.
So glad you like my recipe and happy bday to your hubs! Seeing these cookies makes me want to make another batch!
Liked it, I loved it! Thanks for stopping by Averie!
I love cream cheese chocolate chip cookies! It is really amazing what a difference the cream cheese makes. I’ve even made cream cheese chocolate chip cookies with browned butter… that takes them to a whole new level! Your cookies look just perfect, and I’m loving how you used a combo of semi-sweet and bittersweet chocolate chips.
Oh dear! Cream cheese AND brown butter!!! Just stop it! Must try!
I love these cookies!! And happy birthday to him. 🙂
Thanks, Dorothy! They are divine!
Happy Birthday to your hubs! I have a similar chocolate cookie recipe minus the cream cheese, but I think the addition of cream cheese is brilliant. Ironically enough they are my hubs favourite cookies! Can we come over? LOL
Absolutely!!! I mentioned my Hubs is out of town so the more the merrier! #lonely
Try it with the cream cheese! You’ll fall head over heals. Promise
I’ve never thought to put cream cheese in chocolate chip cookies! What a delightful birthday gift, your husband is a lucky man!
You MUST try it!!!!
Happy Birthday to your hubby! 🙂 Linds, the more I learn about you, the more I think we are like sisters or something! I feel the very same about my husband. Best friend. For life. Lucky girls, are we! Also, one of my favorite chocolate chip cookies in the universe has cream cheese in it. I found the recipe in a chocolate chip cookie cookbook (there was one for sour cream as well). We also bake with the same chips, Ghirardelli (I use Guittard, too). I love the different sized chips and like to mix them up and even throw in some milk chocolate and/or white chocolate for good measure. (I know…blasphemy to lovers of dark chocolate. Ha!) Thanks for sharing, girl!
I knew that as soon as you called me “Linds” we were BFF’s in another life! No one calls me that anymore and I totally miss it 🙂 And we are definitely the lucky ones! Best friend for life is spot on!
I’m going to have to troll your site for your cream cheese chocolate chip recipe because I absolutely must try it! Ghirardelli makes me happy! {And Guittard ain’t too shabby either 😉 } I can eat Guirardelli milk chocolate chips by the handful! So no judgement here.
Hi Lindsey, I’m in the process of making these and I just noticed that you don’t mention in the recipe instructions what to do with the cream cheese. I’m assuming it is creamed along with the butter? Thanks!
You are absolutely right! Crew it with the butter and sugars, etc. Thanks for letting me know; I’ll update the recipe now! I hope you enjoy them!
They are wonderful! I didn’t have bittersweet chocolate but I had some leftover peanut-butter chips and used some of those. I’m sure it gave it a different taste but still delicious. Mine came out larger than yours I think and took at least 15 min. to bake. Great recipe. I ate 3 and forced myself to stop. 🙂
Only 3! You did better than I did! I almost didn’t want to share! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! I don’t have an actual cookie scoop so I try to estimate. They were about a flat 1/4 cup of dough each.
Happy b-day to your husband. These look great and I love soft cookies. You sound like me – I too do not like early-morning activity and I hate noises of all kinds. I think I am the only person who doesn’t like fireworks.
Lol! Nope, you are not the only one! You will love these cookies!