“You can’t get too much winter in the winter !” – Robert Frost
Winter has been colder than in recent years, and while I enjoy crisp weather, I’ve mostly wanted to stay bundled up with a good book and a hot drink. Getting out of bed early to commute feels like pure torture some mornings. The hibernating animals clearly know what they’re doing.
One chilly evening I finally baked a recipe that had been sitting on my to-try list: cream cheese cookies that have earned many fans and glowing reviews on Food52. I had a small amount of cream cheese left in the tub — not enough for frosting or a cheesecake, but too good to toss — so I decided there was no excuse not to try them.
They proved incredibly easy and delicious. The cookies have a lovely texture and a subtly tangy flavor. I used homemade cream cheese for these; the result was excellent. The first batch disappeared so fast I barely noticed, so for the second batch I added cocoa to turn some into chocolate cookies — which pushed them over the edge for this self-confessed chocoholic. You can make plain, chocolate, or both in one go. Try them and see which you prefer.
These cookies are just right: crisp at the edges and chewy in the center, sweet with a gentle tang. One Food52 commenter aptly called the flavor “sophisticated.” The chocolate versions are especially irresistible.
Cream cheese cookies
Pin Recipe
10 mins
40 mins
48 cookies
Ingredients
- 115 grams or 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 90 grams or 6 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
- 200 grams or 1 cup granulated sugar
- 90 grams or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 20 grams or 1/4 cup cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and sugar until smooth.
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Divide the mixture into two bowls — you can eyeball it.
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For the plain dough, add 1/2 cup (about 62 g) of flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat until the dough comes together.
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For the chocolate dough, add 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup flour, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Beat until the dough comes together.
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Chill both doughs for about 30 minutes or until firm. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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After chilling, roll the dough into balls of about two teaspoons each and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet.
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Bake for 14–16 minutes, until the edges brown for the plain cookies and the chocolate ones have set edges. Cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- To make only plain cookies, don’t divide the mixture: add 1 cup flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the full batch. To make only chocolate cookies, add 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the full batch.
- You can halve the recipe if you want fewer cookies.
- My measuring cup is 240 ml.