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These raspberry cheesecake cookies are basically cheesecake in soft, buttery cookie form. Full of real raspberry flavor, crushed up graham crackers for an added crunch, and stuffed with a cream cheese filling.
Don't get me wrong, I love Subway cookies, but these raspberry cheesecake cookies give the Subway raspberry cheesecake cookies a run for their money. My white chocolate and raspberry cookies are a bit more similar to the Subway ones since they have white chocolate in them and aren't stuffed, but these are a whole new level.
This recipe is based off of my strawberry cheesecake cookie recipe, but they remind me even more of cheesecake because they have bits of graham cracker pieces in them as well as sprinkled on top for an extra crunch. They're soft and buttery and so delicious.
Why These Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies Work
- The cookie dough is naturally flavored with real raspberries in every bite.
- These cookies can be made with regular dairy ingredients or they can be made completely dairy free - the recipe has been tested both ways!
- The cream cheese filling stuffed inside the cookies keeps them ultra soft!
- Crushed up bits of graham cracker are folded directly into the cookie dough and sprinkled on top for a delicious, crunchy sweetness.
- You can easily add white chocolate chips to these cookies to make them more similar to the subway raspberry cheesecake cookies!
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese: you can use regular cream cheese or a dairy free, vegan cream cheese for the filling. There is a slight variation in the amount of confectioner's sugar used (noted in the Recipe Card at the bottom of the page). It's important to note that if you're using vegan cream cheese, some varieties are made with a soy base, others are made with coconut and this can affect how long it takes for the filling to freeze, as well as how well the cream cheese solidifies in the oven. I've had the best results with Violife.
- Butter: You can use regular butter or dairy free/vegan butter for this recipe.
- Raspberries: I personally prefer the taste of fresh raspberries in these cookies, but you can also use freeze-dried raspberries or frozen raspberries. Frozen raspberries will make the dough a bit more sticky since frozen berries have a lot of water in them, and the color bleeds from them quite a bit more.
Step By Step Instructions
Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
STEP ONE: Mix the cream cheese with icing sugar in a small bowl until they mixture is smooth. Scoop 20 teaspoons of cream cheese onto a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper. Freeze for at least 45 - 60 minutes, or until frozen almost completely solid.
STEP TWO: When the cream cheese filling is frozen, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Beat the butter, sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, then mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
STEP FOUR: Fold the crushed graham cracker pieces into the dough. Gently fold in the roughly chopped raspberries (if you've just washed them, pat them dry before adding to the dough), being careful not to squish them or over-stir them into the dough.
STEP FIVE: Add 20 tablespoons of cookie dough to one of the lined baking sheets. Each ball will be about 1 tablespoon in size. Gently press a dent into half of cookie dough balls, then remove 10 scoops of cream cheese from the freezer and place them on top of 10 of the balls of cookie dough.
STEP SIX: Cover each ball of cookie dough with another ball of dough, pinching the sides to seal the dough (to keep the cream cheese inside). Put the baking sheet in the fridge then repeat on a second tray with the remaining cookie dough.
STEP SEVEN: Place the second tray of cookie dough into the fridge and preheat the oven to 350°F. When the oven is preheated and the cookies are chilled, bake one tray at a time for 9-12 minutes. Leave the cookies on the baking tray for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Absolutely! These cookies are still super delicious without the filling.
If you are using regular dairy cream cheese, be sure to note the extra ⅓ cup of confectioner's sugar in the recipe to avoid this.
It's also important to make sure the filling is frozen before baking the cookies (don't put it in while it's still soft). Additionally, the ingredients in certain vegan cream cheese brands can have different consistencies, so if for some reason your filling is runny, you can place the cookies in the freezer or fridge until it solidifies.
Yes! I would recommend starting with ¼ cup-⅓ cup. You can use vegan white chocolate chips too!
Yes! Note that the color from frozen berries bleeds out and creates a lot of streaks of color in the dough, so they might be more purple looking.
Expert Tips
- If you are washing the raspberries right before making the cookies, be sure to pat them dry to remove excess water (for the same reason as above).
- Be sure to properly measure your flour. As I mentioned, the dough is a bit sticky, but it will be extra crumbly if you measure your flour the wrong way (by scooping it directly out of the bag). I recommend weighing it using a $10 kitchen scale or fluffing it up in the bag, then using a spoon to scoop the dough into the measuring cup and level it off with a butter knife.
- Don't preheat the oven too early and don't skip chill time for the prepared cookies! Chilling the prepared dough while the oven preheats before baking the cookies really helps to firm up the dough after you've been handling it.
- Take the cookies out of the oven when the edges have just turned golden brown and the tops have just a little bit of golden color to them, but are not completely golden brown on top.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
These cookies taste best fresh because the edges are slightly crispy on the outsides. Because of the cream cheese filling, they soften over time (I love soft cookies though so these are really delicious the next day). They should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and consumed within 3-4 days.
These cookies can also be frozen in an air tight ziploc bag, then thawed in the fridge when you're ready to serve them. You can also freeze the cookie dough and bake it later! I recommend freezing the dough in balls without the cream cheese filling and make the filling when you're ready to bake the cookies.
MORE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE
If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheets
- Handheld or Standing Mixer
Ingredients
Raspberry Cookies
- 1 cup butter, softened (regular or vegan)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2⅓ cup + 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- ½ cup raspberries, roughly chopped
- ½ cup chopped graham crackers (4-5 graham crackers) (plus more for topping)
Cream Cheese Filling
- ¾ cup cream cheese (6 oz) (regular or vegan) SEE NOTES***
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (icing/confectioner's sugar) *SEE NOTES if using regular (not vegan) cream cheese
Instructions
- Note: Step by step process photos are located in the post above
- Place 20 teaspoons of cream cheese on the baking sheet or plate. Freeze for at least one hour, or until frozen almost completely solid.
- When the cream cheese is frozen almost solid, line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda then set aside.
- In the bowl of a handheld mixer or standing mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy (about 1-2 minutes). Mix in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract.
- Add in the flour, salt, and baking soda, and mix until just combined (don't over-mix).
- Gently fold in the raspberries. You don't want to mix them in too much or they'll get squished and the color will bleed into the dough.
- Scoop 20 tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto each baking sheet. Press the back of a teaspoon slightly into the top of half the balls of dough to create an indent.
- Remove the cream cheese filling from the freezer and place one into each of the cookies. Take a second ball of dough and place it over the cream cheese, pinching the sides to seal the cream cheese inside, but making sure to not squish the cream cheese into the cookie dough. You should have tall balls of dough. Sprinkle the cookies with more crushed graham cracker pieces.
- Refrigerate the prepared cookie dough balls and repeat with the second cookie sheet and remaining dough. Preheat the oven to 350°F and leave the cookie dough in the fridge while it preheats. This is important, as the dough needs to firm up after you've handled it, so don't skip the refrigerating step!
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven one sheet at a time for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown and the tops are set. Remove from the oven and leave them on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.
nicola
omg SOOOOO good. seriously. obsessed. i gave these to my mom who doesn't like raspberries and even she loved them!
Gabby
Hi Nicola! I am so happy to hear that you and your mom loved the cookies! Thanks so much for the review! 🙂
Beth
Oh my gosh these are so good. Will def be making them again and probably doubling the batch. Thx for the recipe!
Gabby
Hi Beth! I'm so glad to hear you loved the cookies! Thanks so much for the review!
Shirley
Hi,
May I know your 1 cup of butter is equal to how many grams? Thanks.
Gabby
Hi Shirley! The reason I don't include the weight is because for those using vegan or dairy free butter, 1 cup of butter will have a different weight than regular butter - but if are using regular butter it will be 220 g. Enjoy 🙂
Rebecca
I was looking for a different type of cookie recipe than the mundane chocolate chip. Because let’s face it, we all already know where to find the perfect one. I love berries and always looking for ways to incorporate them into my baking. This recipe was easy to follow and included simple ingredients I already had on hand. No trips to the store? WIN! I ended up making them larger than suggested which required more cooking time respectfully. They came out delicious! Everyone who tried it loved it!
Gabby
Hi Rebecca! I'm so happy to hear that you loved the cookies and found the recipe easy to follow! I am also a big fan of large cookies 😀 Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Melanie
My favourite cookies!!
Gabby
Hi Melanie! I'm so glad to hear that you loved the cookies - thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Lorin
Do you use unsalted butter or salted?
Gabby
You can use salted, but I have used unsalted before and then just add about 1/8 tsp extra of salt!
Taylor
2 things you need to try in life are these and her strawberry stuffed cookies. you wont be able to get enough
Gabby
Hi Taylor! Those are two of my favorite cookie recipes as well 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!