Reasons to Love Caramel Cheesecake Cookies
- Texture: Chewy cookies with a surprise creamy filling! It doesn’t get much better than that.
- Flavor: The tangy cheesecake filling cuts the sweetness from the cookie. The caramel topping is just a bonus!
- Looks: These cookies look impressive and will wow anyone before they take a bite. They bake up thick and tall and the caramel drizzle looks so pretty.
- Ease: Make them with the kids or serve them at the holidays!
For another decadent holiday cookie, try these Biscoff cookies, frosted egg nog cookies, or brown butter salted caramel chocolate chip cookies.
Cheesecake is one of everyone’s favorite desserts. The sweet and tangy flavor and creamy texture make it a beloved classic for good reason. We love taking classic and loved recipes and turning them into other desserts, or putting a fun twist on them, like our snickerdoodle apple pie bars. This cheesecake cookie recipe is a mashup made in heaven.
Love cheesecake too? Try this sopapilla cheesecake next! And this keto cheesecake is the easiest cheesecake you can make (even beginners can do it!).
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cream cheese: Use softened plain cream cheese. I’ve also tested them with dairy-free cream cheese (I like Kite Hill brand).
- Confectioners’ sugar: this sweetens the cheesecake filling.
- Flour: I tested this recipe with all-purpose flour and 1:1 gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill) and both worked well.
- Butter: Room temp butter should actually feel cool to the touch (65 degrees). Let it sit for about 1 hour.
- Brown sugar: this is an all brown sugar cookie recipe. The added molasses in brown sugar gives cookies a rich and chewy texture.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise!
- Egg: Use a room temp egg for best results.
- Salt and vanilla: for flavor.
- Caramel topping: soft packaged caramels and a bit of heavy cream keep this caramel topping simple. It’s for drizzling on top of the cookies!
How to Make Caramel Cheesecake Cookies
- Make the cheesecake filling: Beat the cream cheese until smooth then add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and a bit of flour.
- Freeze filling: Drop dollops of cheesecake filling onto a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 10-15 minutes.
- Make the dough: Beat the butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy. Do not skip this step. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again for 1-2 minutes. Slowly add the dry ingredients.
- Fill the cookies with cheesecake: Scoop the cookie dough out into Tablespoon-sized balls. You should have double the amount of cheesecake balls as filling. Make an indent in the center of a dough ball, add the frozen cheesecake filling, and place another dough ball on top.
- Chill the dough: Roll them into balls and chill for at least 2 hours to avoid spreading and to deepen the flavor. You can freeze them for an hour if you’re in a pinch.
- Bake: Bake the chilled cookies for 9-11 minutes at 350°F, or until the tops are just set.
- While they’re cooling, make the caramel topping. Microwave the caramels with heavy cream until they’re melted and smooth then drizzle it over partially cooled cookies.
Molly’s Tested Tips for Success
Chill the dough: Chilling cookie dough makes all the difference. My christmas crack cookies are a perfect example. The dough is richer and the cookies hold their shape.
Room temperature ingredients: The temp of the butter is key to success for all cookie recipes. You only need 1-2 hours on the counter. Eggs should be at room temperature too, if possible!.
Roll the dough tall: The cookie dough should be taller, more like a cone, than a round ball. Shaping the dough this way is something I started with our famous chocolate chip pudding cookies. It helps the cookie bake on top of itself for a thick cookie.
Do not stack cookies to store them: The caramel will stick to the other cookies and you won’t be able to pull them apart. Store them in an even layer or place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper between each layer.
Recipe Variations
- Pumpkin cheesecake cookies: add pumpkin pie spices to the dough and a pinch of cinnamon to the filling. I haven’t tested adding real pumpkin (like in these soft pumpkin cookies), because it would change the texture of the cookie, but the spices are a great option!
- Strawberry cheesecake cookies: add 1/2 cup crushed freeze-dried strawberries to the cookie dough.
- Graham cracker crumbs: sprinkle crushed graham crackers on top of the caramel for extra crunch.
Caramel Cheesecake Cookies
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Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (can sub 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cookie Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (can sub 1:1 gluten-free flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Caramel Drizzle
- 8 ounces soft caramels unwrapped
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- flaky sea salt to drizzle
Instructions
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- To make the cream cheese filling, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar, flour, and vanilla and beat on low speed to combine then increase the speed to high and beat until smooth and fluffy.4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Drop the cheesecake filling by a teaspoonful on one of the prepared cookie sheets. Place them in the freezer while you make the dough.
- To make the cookie dough, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl with the paddle attachment, cream butter and brown sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Do not skip this step. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat again for 1-2 minutes.1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, 1 cup light brown sugar, 1 egg, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Slowly add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed to mix then turn it up to medium-high to combine.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough out and roll it into balls and place on the other prepared cookie sheet. Use your thumb to make an indent in the middle of each cookie ball. Remove the cheesecake filling from the freezer and place cheesecake ball in the center of half of the cookie dough balls. Top with the remaining cookie dough balls then pinch the seems and roll into a ball or taller cone shape. Place on the cookie sheet 3 inches apart. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. You can put them in the freezer for an hour if you’re in a rush.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the chilled cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until the tops are just set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- While they’re cooling, make the caramel topping. Place the unwrapped caramels and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir and continue to microwave in 15-second intervals until melted and bubbling. Stir until smooth. Use a spoon to drizzle the melted caramel over each cookie. If the caramel begins to thicken as you work, microwave again in 15-second increments.8 ounces soft caramels unwrapped, 2 tbsp heavy cream, flaky sea salt to drizzle
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Storage Instructions
To store: Baked cookies will stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week. I do not recommend stacking the cookies, especially if they have caramel, because they will stick together. If you plan to stack them place a piece of parchment paper or wax paper between each layer.
To freeze: Wrap baked cookies (without the caramel) tightly in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before eating. You can also freeze the cookie dough. Skip the chilling step and flash freeze the dough on a cookie sheet then transfer to a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Thaw overnight or bake from frozen. Frozen cookies will need 1-2 more minutes in the oven.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Cookies to Try
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These cookies taste just as good as the recipe sounded! The cheesecake filling is the best part!
Could I add white chocolate chips to the cookie dough? If yes would I need to change anything like the baking time, or anything else?
I haven’t tried this, but I think it would be just fine! You shouldn’t need to change any bake times.
Recipe says “½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter”?
1/2 cup of butter is just 1 stick of butter:)
Hey Olivia! Yes, it is. The 1 stick should have been in parentheses. I just updated that!