Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

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!

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.

Recipe FAQs

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!