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Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

Published on . Last updated on . By . 156 Comments

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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!

strawberry cheesecake cookies on parchment
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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!

strawberry cheesecake cookies split in half showing the inside of the cookies

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!
strawberry cheesecake cookies stacked on each other

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!
strawberry cream cheese cookies with stuffed filling showing

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.

process shot collage of strawberry cream cheese cookies

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.

process shot collage of strawberry cream cheese cookies

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.

strawberry cheesecake cookies split in half showing the inside of 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.
hands holding a strawberry cheesecake cookie

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!

strawberry cheesecake cookies pin for pinterest

MORE COOKIE 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!

strawberry cheesecake cookies split in half showing the inside of the cookies

Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

Gabby
These strawberry cheesecake cookies are soft, buttery, filled with real strawberry flavor, then stuffed with a cream cheese filling!
5 from 86 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Chill Time 25 mins
Total Time 55 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 cookies
Calories 420 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Cookies

  • 1 cup butter (regular or vegan), softened
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2¾ cup all-purpose flour * SEE NOTES
  • ½-⅔ cup fresh strawberries, diced small* SEE NOTES

Cream Cheese Filling

  • ¾ cup cream cheese (regular or vegan)* (6 oz) SEE NOTES
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar* SEE NOTES if using regular (not vegan) cream cheese

Instructions
 

  • This recipe makes 12 LARGE cookies. See NOTES below for instructions to make smaller cookies** Line a small baking sheet or plate with parchment paper. In a small bowl, use a whisk or mixer (depending how hard your cream cheese is) to mix the cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth and combined.
  • Place 10-12 heaping 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).
  • Dice the strawberries and gently fold them in. You don't want to mix them in too much or they'll get squished and the color will bleed into the dough.
  • Scoop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto each baking sheet. They should be fairly big - if measured they'd be about 2 tbsp-sized (these are big cookies!). 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 (see picture in post above), but making sure to not squish the cream cheese into the cookie dough. The dough may start to get sticky and a bit crumbly, and a bit harder to work with because of the strawberries, but just go with it! Wipe your hands clean before moving on to the next cookie. You should have tall balls of dough.
  • 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.
  • Bake the cookies in the preheated oven one sheet at a time for 13-17 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.

Video

Notes

PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above under the "Metric" tab.
CREAM CHEESE: depending on what kind of cream cheese you use, the amount of time it takes to freeze the filling may vary.
FLOUR: It is very important that you measure your flour properly! The dough should be slightly more crumbly than a typical cookies dough, but if you use too much flour your dough will be very, very dry. The right way to measure your flour is to weigh it, or use the scoop and level method.
STRAWBERRIES: These cookies work best with fresh strawberries. If you must use frozen, be aware that frozen strawberries hold water so you'll have to work really quickly when assembling the cookies so that the dough doesn't get too sticky, and color may bleed into the dough.
POWDERED SUGAR: If you are using regular (not vegan) cream cheese, increase the powdered sugar to ⅓ cup. It's firmer than vegan cream cheese so more icing sugar will make the filling softer.
TO MAKE SMALLER COOKIES: This recipe makes 12 big cookies. To make smaller cookies, reduce size of cream cheese filling balls to just under 1 teaspoon (instead of 1 heaping tsp). Make each ball of dough 1 tablespoon (instead of 2 tbsp). The assembled cookie will have around 2 tablespoon of dough total. Bake for 10-13 minutes.
Note: Be sure to cover the top and bottom of the cookie dough balls with enough dough - if you have leftover dough after 12 cookies, then the cookies will be too thin to hold the cream cheese filling inside (causing the filling to come out of the bottom). Add all the remaining dough to the bottom and tops of the assembled cookie dough (rather than trying to stretch it further and make more cookies).
Storage Instructions: The cookies are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store them in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. You can also freeze them in a ziploc bag and let thaw in the fridge when you're ready to eat them.
Note: this recipe was updated on 07/02 with 1 egg yolk added to the recipe ingredient list. The egg yolk helps the dough to not be as sticky, but doesn't change the flavor of the cookies. If you prefer to make the original recipe, simply omit the extra egg yolk from the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcal
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Natasha

    Hi can we get the whole recipe in weight? Grams etc?

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Natasha! To see the ingredient quantities in metric units (grams), click the "Metric" button underneath the heading that says "Ingredients" in the recipe card above 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply

    • Tammy

      Hi Gabby, can we assemble the balls (with the cheesecake filling inside) and freeze them for baking later? I want to give them away but also want them to be freshly baked. Or is it better to bake them and freeze? Thx!

      Reply

      • Gabby

        Hi Tammy! I would suggest to bake and then freeze the baked cookies!

  2. marcy

    5 stars
    I made these with regular cream cheese and butter (salted because that's all i had) and they were to die for! i'm normally not a fan of fruit in cookies but these were so yummy

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Marcy! I'm so happy to hear how much you loved the cookies! Thanks so much for the review!

      Reply

  3. Alya

    5 stars
    Ok these are insanely good! I kept the leftovers in the fridge and they were even better cold the next day!

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Alya! So glad to hear it! I like mine cold too 🙂 Thanks for the review!

      Reply

  4. Cara

    5 stars
    Such an amazing and unique take on a cookie! Loved everything about these, from the savory cream cheese to the sweet strawberries 🙂

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Cara! I'm so happy to hear that you loved the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂

      Reply

  5. Gabby

    Hi Chance! I'm so happy that you loved the cookies! In regards to the time it took to bake, they definitely shouldn't be taking that long, so I would recommend maybe getting an oven thermometer to test your oven temperature! Oven temperatures can often be a little off which could have affected the bake time. Thanks for the review 🙂

    Reply

  6. Marty

    Hi,
    We made the tops and the bottoms of the cookies each about 2 tablespoons, with the teaspoon of cream cheese in the middle. After cooking them 15 minutes at 350, and then letting them sit for 15 minutes, they were still sloppy in the middle. Can we put them back in the oven to recook?

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Marty, do you have an oven thermometer? Many oven temperatures can be off by a few degrees, so the cookies may have needed more time in the oven. You can try to put them in the oven for a few more minutes but I'm not sure how well that will work. You can also refrigerate them and see if they firm up a bit that way!

      Reply

  7. Molly

    5 stars
    Hi, May I know how much butter would be needed in grams? Thanks.

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Molly! You'll need 240 grams of butter. Enjoy!

      Reply

  8. Curiosush

    If I use egg substitute, such as apple sauce, will I need to make changes to anything else?

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi! I haven't tested this recipe without the eggs before - I would recommend trying one and half flax eggs as that's what I typically use in other cookie recipes. I really can't say how they would turn out but I'd love to hear how it goes if you try it!

      Reply

  9. Claire

    Hello! It looks amazing I want to give it a try. May I know how much fresh strawberries would be needed in grams? It does not seem to change when I press metric. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Claire! You can use around 70-90 grams. Enjoy!

      Reply

  10. Vickie

    5 stars
    Made these on Christmas Eve for dessert on Christmas Day. Quality control dictated that I must try one before serving them to others. Delicious is putting it mildly! I hope the rest of the family enjoys them as much as I did tonight. Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Vicki! Yay! I am SO happy to hear that you loved the cookies and that they were a part of your Christmas festivities! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a review 🙂

      Reply

  11. Jill

    5 stars
    These cookies are amazing!! Made them to bring to a friend but couldn’t keep my boyfriend away from them so had to make a second batch!

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Jill! I'm so thrilled to hear that the cookies were a hit! Thanks so much for the review!

      Reply

    • Jennifer

      Hi! Are you supposed to use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe? Thanks!

      Reply

      • Gabby

        Hi Jennifer! I've made these using both and it will work either way. I personally like my cookies a little bit less sweet, but if you prefer sweeter cookies, use unsalted!

  12. Diana Ticu

    5 stars
    Love the recipe. I never seem to get 12 full cookies with the amount of cream cheese and dough, but they still turn out amazingly! We eat them frozen in this house. They taste like an ice cream sandwich. It is delicious!!!

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Diana! I'm so happy to hear that you love the cookies! You could try just using slightly less dough in each cookie - or double the recipe for extra 😉 I absolutely love the idea of eating them frozen as well! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!

      Reply

    • JJ

      Hey,I was just wondering if I could keep the cookies in the fridge over night, and bake them the next day?

      Reply

      • Gabby

        Yes that would be fine! Enjoy 🙂

      • Sabrina

        Hey, may i know how long the cookies stay fresh and how to storage the cookies ? thankyou

      • Gabby

        Hi Sabrina, the storage instructions are at the bottom of the recipe card. They are best enjoyed fresh, but you can also store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

  13. Glory Meyer

    Can these be made as bar cookies? If so, would you recommend a square pan or a 9x13? Any idea how long to bake them? Thanks in advance!

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Glory! I haven't tried making these as bars so I really can't say how they will turn out. I would imagine that the amount of dough would work well in a 9x13 pan, and they would probably take around 20-30 minutes to bake (just keep an eye on them). We'd love to hear how it goes if you try it, thanks for stopping by!

      Reply

  14. Alejaya Doty

    5 stars
    HI. `I am making these cookies right now and have a question. It says to freeze one hour. Would it be okay if i left it in the freezer overnight?

    Reply

    • Alejaya Doty

      Thank you!

      Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Alejaya! The cream cheese filling can be frozen overnight, no problem 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply

      • Alejaya Doty

        5 stars
        Ok. Thank you SO much! You have been so helpful! 🙂

  15. Eddie

    5 stars
    Made the cookies. They. Are. Amazing. And you weren't kidding, they are huge cookies. I did experiment a bit. I've used blueberries and mango, and they turned out fine. Although, I did freeze them for a bit before folding then into the dough. I've also tried a chocolate chip strawberry combo. Same recipe except I added mini-chocolate chips to the dough and a 1.5 teaspoons of cocoa powder to the cream cheese filling.
    Thanks for the recipe. I'm gonna try your Nutella Blondies next.

    Reply

    • Gabby

      Hi Eddie! I'm loving those flavor combinations - they all sound delicious! So happy to hear that you loved the recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review and I hope you love the blondies too! 🙂

      Reply

    • kyle

      I noticed I can’t find what temperature to preheat the oven to. Please let me know so I can try these!

      Reply

      • Gabby

        Hi Kyle! The temperature is in the instructions in the recipe card - it's 350°F. Enjoy!

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