Description
Delight in these Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies, featuring a buttery strawberry cookie dough filled with a luscious cream cheese center flavored with strawberry extract. These cookies balance the tartness of fresh strawberries with the rich cream cheese filling for a perfect treat that’s both fruity and creamy.
Ingredients
Scale
Cream Cheese Filling
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp strawberry extract
Strawberry Cookie Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted sweet cream butter, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp strawberry extract
- 1 large egg + 1 egg white, room temperature
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, capped, cored and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Prepare the Cream Cheese Filling: In a medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and ½ tsp strawberry extract until smooth and creamy. Set aside or refrigerate briefly to firm up while you prepare the cookie dough.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda to combine evenly.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars: Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. This will give the cookie dough a tender texture.
- Add Flavor and Eggs: Mix in the vanilla extract and ½ tsp strawberry extract. Then add the whole egg and egg white one at a time, mixing well after each addition to incorporate fully.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing just until combined. Be careful not to overmix to avoid tough cookies.
- Fold in Strawberries and Extra Flour: Gently fold the finely chopped fresh strawberries and 1 tbsp of flour into the dough. The extra flour helps prevent the strawberries from making the dough too wet.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to handle and to develop the flavors.
- Shape the Cookies: Take about 1 ½ tablespoons of dough and flatten slightly in your hand. Add about 1 teaspoon of the chilled cream cheese filling in the center, then fold the dough around the filling to seal it inside and form a cookie ball. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the filled cookies for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the cookies are set but still soft.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. This stops them from breaking apart and helps the filling set.
Notes
- For best results, use fresh strawberries finely chopped so they distribute evenly throughout the dough.
- Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened to avoid lumps in the filling.
- Chilling the dough not only firms it for easier handling but also enhances the cookie texture and flavor.
- If you prefer a stronger strawberry flavor, you can increase the strawberry extract slightly but do so cautiously to avoid overpowering the other flavors.
- Store cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator to keep the cream cheese filling fresh.
Keywords: strawberry cheesecake cookies, cream cheese filling, strawberry cookies, dessert cookies, fruit cookies