Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

These strawberry cheesecake cookies are soft, buttery, and filled with real strawberry pieces in every bite. They are naturally flavored and stuffed with a delicious cream cheese filling!

I never knew I could love a cookie as much as I love these strawberry cheesecake cookies (and I LOVE cookies, so that's saying something). Up until now my favorite cookie was a tie between peanut butter cookies or cookie butter cookies. But these strawberry cream cheese cookies take the cake.

They're easy to make, so buttery, have slightly crispy edges, and are so soft and pillowy. The flavor from the tiny chunks of strawberry throughout the batter is just amazing, and the cream cheese filling in the middle stays gooey while providing a tang in every bite. They are truly summer in cookie form!

Why These Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies Work

• The strawberry cookie dough has real strawberries folded into the dough, which gives the cookies a natural strawberry flavor without the need for anything artificial.
• Cream cheese filling is frozen and then wrapped up in between two balls of cookie dough, then baked, so there's a perfect mix of cream cheese and strawberries in every bite.
• These cookies are big and pillowy, and because of the cream cheese filling, they stay soft for days!

Ingredients

These strawberry cheesecake cookies require 11 simple ingredients. A few notes about the ingredients:

• Butter: you can use regular butter, or dairy free butter for these cookies.
• Cream Cheese: you can use regular cream cheese or a dairy free/vegan cream cheese alternative for the filling. Ingredients used to make vegan cream cheese can vary so some may take longer to freeze than others, and regular (dairy) cream cheese will require more icing sugar to achieve the gooey filling.
• Strawberries: I strongly recommend using fresh strawberries. Frozen strawberries will release water into the dough and make it more wet and sticky. If you only have frozen strawberries, see recipe notes below for more instructions!

Step By Step Instructions

STEP ONE: In a small bowl, mix cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth. Line a small baking sheet or plate with parchment paper and place 12 heaping teaspoons of cream cheese on it. Freeze for at least one hour, or until frozen almost completely solid.

STEP TWO: Once the cream cheese is frozen, prepare two large baking sheets and set aside.

STEP THREE:  Beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Add in the dry ingredients until just combined.

STEP FOUR: Chop up the strawberries and very gently fold them into the cookie dough.

STEP FIVE: Scoop 10-12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto one lined baking sheet (each ball of dough will be almost 2 tbsps measured), Gently press a dent into half of the balls of dough. Take 6 cream cheese balls out of the freezer and place them on top of 6 of the balls of dough.

STEP SIX: Cover each ball of dough with another ball of dough, pinching the sides to seal it and keep the cream cheese inside. Place the tray in the fridge then repeat on a second tray with the remaining cookie dough.

STEP SEVEN: Preheat the oven. Chill the prepared dough while the oven preheats, then bake one tray at a time for 13-17 minutes. Leave cookies on the tray for 10-15 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.

Note: Full ingredient measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

What kind of cream cheese should I use?

This recipe can be made with regular dairy ingredients if you aren't dairy free. If using regular cream cheese, the full fat kind is best and you should increase icing sugar to ⅓ cup.

Regular (not vegan) cream cheese is firmer than vegan cream cheese alternatives, so it requires more icing sugar to achieve a softer filling.

If using dairy free/vegan cream cheese, be aware that every cream cheese brand is different. Some are made with a coconut base (which I prefer), others use tofu as a base. The time it takes to freeze the filling will vary based on the kind of cream cheese used.

Can I skip the filling?

Absolutely! You can totally skip the cheesecake part of these cookies and just make the most delicious strawberry butter cookies you've ever tasted.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

Yes but it's not recommended. I tested these cookies many times with frozen strawberries and they work but you have to move really quickly because frozen strawberries hold water, that releases into the cookie dough as they thaw, making the cookie dough sticky and harder to work with. The color can sometimes bleed into the dough with frozen strawberries.

If you only have frozen strawberries, you can still use them. Be sure to dice them up before making the dough, then just work really quickly to assemble the cookies.

Expert Tips

• Use fresh strawberries instead of frozen. Frozen strawberries hold a lot of water and will make the dough very sticky.
• As you fold the top ball of dough over the cream cheese, the dough may start to get sticky. Keep a cloth nearby and wipe your fingers on it before moving to the next cookie to make it a bit easier to work with.
• Try not to add more strawberries to the dough than the recipe calls for. Too many strawberries will make the dough hard to work with.
• When assembling the cookies, make sure to use heaping tablespoons. These are big cookies! Each assembled ball will contain around 3-4 tablespoons of dough.
• Preheat the oven after you've prepared the dough with the filling inside. It isn't a long chill time, but it just helps to firm up the cookies after you've been handling the dough and softening it up.

Storage and Freezing Instructions

The cookies are best enjoyed fresh, when the edges are still slightly crispy and crunchy. The cookies start to soften over time, so if you enjoy soft cookies you'll like these even more the next day.

Because of the cream cheese filling, the cookies should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3-4 days.

You can also freeze them to enjoy later and let thaw in the fridge when you're ready to eat!

MORE COOKIE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

• Cookies and Cream Stuffed Cookies
• Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies
• Cookie Butter (Biscoff) Stuffed Cookies
• Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies

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!

The calorie information provided for this recipe is an estimate. The accuracy of the calories listed is not guaranteed.