Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Replacing some of the butter from my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with cream cheese created cookies that are soft, thick, moist, and tender. Although you cant taste the cream cheese, the cookies have a richness and depth of flavor like no other cookies Ive tried. Plus theres an abundance of chocolate in every bite. The dough can be made in advance, refrigerated, and baked as desired, up to 5 days later. A great option to have for fresh, warm cookies without having to mix up dough. I highly recommend these cookies!
Replacing some of the butter from my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with cream cheese created cookies that are soft, thick, moist, and tender. Although you cant taste the cream cheese, the cookies have a richness and depth of flavor like no other cookies Ive tried. Plus theres an abundance of chocolate in every bite. The dough can be made in advance, refrigerated, and baked as desired, up to 5 days later. A great option to have for fresh, warm cookies without having to mix up dough. I highly recommend these cookies!
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- pinch salt optional and to taste
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened (use cream cheese in a block or spreadable, don't use fat-free, light or whipped)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (i used 1 cup chips and 1 1/4 cups chunks)
- Carbohydrate 13.615107752504 g
- Cholesterol 36.7401785806897 mg
- Fat 11.1373664618241 g
- Fiber 0.272062505111149 g
- Protein 1.48361735259481 g
- Saturated Fat 6.88523781460998 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (34g)
- Sodium 186.805035884233 mg
- Sugar 13.3430452473928 g
- Trans Fat 0.888458848534596 g
- Calories 159 calories
Step-by-step
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese (measure it by smooshing it into a 1/4-cup measure), sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use an electric hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Add chocolate chips and chunks, and beat momentarily to incorporate, or fold in by hand.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds (I made 28). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or spray with cooking spray and place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark. They have chewy edges with soft, pillowy centers). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
- Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Cream cheese does the heavy lifting in this formulation by introducing extra moisture and acidity that structurally alters the final crumb. Lactic acid interacts with the protein matrix of the all-purpose flour, weakening gluten development just enough to keep the texture pillow-soft without turning cakey. When combining fats, use block-style dairy rather than tub varieties containing added water, which destabilizes the emulsion during mechanical aeration. Beat the butter and cheese thoroughly with the sugars on medium-high speed for five full minutes to build an air pocket network that holds the heavy dairy weight without collapsing.
The Science of the Chilled Chill
Thermal management dictates success or failure here. Warm fats melt prematurely in a 350-degree oven, causing the structure to pool into greasy puddles before the starches can gelatinize. Chilling the formed mounds for a minimum of two hours solidifies the saturated fats, forcing the cookies to retain their vertical rise during baking. Unbaked dough keeps safely wrapped in the refrigerator for up to five days, allowing bakers to portion individual quantities on demand without sacrificing structural integrity. Pulling trays at the eight-minute mark leaves the centers glossy and pale while the edges set firmly.Freezing and Reheating Behavior
Preservation requires careful moisture control to prevent freezer burn over a three-month storage window. Flash-freeze shaped portions on a sheet pan before transferring them to an airtight container to avoid distortion. When baking from frozen, add two minutes to the timer while keeping the oven temperature locked at 350 degrees. Fully baked cookies maintain quality at room temperature for one week when sealed against ambient humidity.
