Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookies
A cheesecake flavored chocolate chip cookie with a creamy vanilla cheesecake center for a decadent dessert that is best enjoyed chilled.
Fourth of July is fast approaching and what better way to celebrate than with two classic desserts combined into one? I start by making a cheesecake flavored chocolate chip cookie dough that has powdered cheesecake pudding mix and milk powder mixed in for a cheesecake flavor. These ingredients not only add flavor but also keep the cookie soft and chewy when they are kept chilled.
If you are looking for a super quick, easy and festive cookie with red, white, and blue sprinkles for the 4th of July celebrations, be sure to check out my recipe for Cookie Cake. I also have cookie cake decoration tips that you don’t want to miss!
Why I Love This Recipe
Flavor-this is not your typical chocolate chip cookie. The flavor of the dough has a slight tang to it which enhances the cheesecake filling in the cookie. I love layers of flavor in cookies, with the cheesecake center and cheesecake flavor in the dough, it is a cookie experience that will have you coming back for more.
Best Served Cold-the soft cheesecake filling is wonderful when chilled. It keeps the inside of the cookie soft and doughy. The cornstarch in the pudding keeps the cookie soft even after refrigeration which makes this cookie great to bring to BBQ’s, just keep them in a tightly sealed container in a cooler or fridge and you have yourself a cool summer treat that’s big enough to share with a crowd. I prefer them at room temperature or slightly chilled, my husband is a fan of them frozen.
Fun Twist- Though they may look like a chocolate chip cookie, the surprise cheesecake filling is such a fun experience when enjoying these cookies. It is a fun twist on a classic chocolate chip cookie.
Texture- These have the perfect crisp, chewy, gooey ratios! The bottoms and tops of these cookies are baked to golden perfection and have a nice crisp to them. Followed by the soft and pillowy dough with melted chocolate chips and the smooth and creamy cheesecake center, these cookies have a great combination of textures that add to the enjoyment.
Size-These are extra large cookies that are wonderful for sharing. You can make them into a 3 ounce cookie but I find the extra-large cookie has a much better ratio of cheesecake filling in the middle.
Ingredients You Need
-Butter- softened at room temperature for easier mixing into dough.
-Eggs-room temperature as well, this will help them mix into the dough easier and not chill your butter.
-Brown and Granulated sugar
-Cheesecake Pudding Mix-I use the Jello brand of cheesecake pudding. Pudding mix has cornstarch, stabilizers and artificial flavorings that will add to the cheesecake flavor of the cookie dough. If you do not want to use a pudding mix you can substitute 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and extra vanilla extract.
-Flour-I’m not using as much flour as I usually do in my cookie recipes, this is because the pudding mix adds to the total amount of dry ingredients, and I don’t want my cookies to have too much flour and come out dry. So I scaled back the flour to allow for an extra dry ingredient addition.
-Vanilla Extract
-Baking Powder and Baking Soda
-Chocolate Chips- I am using Nestle Toll House semisweet chocolate chips. These chocolate chips are very nostalgic for me since I, and so many other bakers, grew up making the popular Nestle Toll House cookie recipe. I go to these when I want a simple, classic chocolate chip cookie and it takes me back to my earlier baking days. You can use any semisweet chocolate chips you prefer.
-Milk Powder-this is a secret ingredient of mine when I want to impart more flavor and texture into a cookie. I love using milk powder to add more flavor to any cheesecake or creamy type cookie recipes. Milk powder does two things in this recipe: it adds to cheesecake type flavor I am giving the dough. Combined with the cheesecake pudding mix, it allows the dough to develop a subtle tangy flavor that will highlight the cheesecake filling in the center. Second, it gives the cookie a chewier texture. I want this cookie to be able to hold up being stored in the fridge without drying out or becoming too firm. The milk powder helps the integrity of the cookie stay soft and chewy.
-Cream Cheese-I use full fat cream cheese softened at room temperature. This will make it easier to mix with the powdered sugar for the filling. I have used reduced fat cream cheese before and honestly, I hate it. It needs full fat to have that luxurious, creamy cheesecake mouthfeel and reduced fat or Neufchatel cream cheese has too much of a sour tangy flavor that overpowers the cookie. I like being able to reduce fat where I can for certain recipes or have alternatives I can use, but this isn’t one of them. You can try it if you want but I highly do not recommend.
Powdered Sugar-this is finely milled sugar and mixes into the filling easily.
Let’s Make Cookies!
First up, I make the filling and get it ready for piping into the cookies for later. In a bowl combine softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. A few lumps here and there is fine, but you want all the sugar to mixed in.
Using a pastry bag or a gallon storage bag, spoon the filling inside and twist the end to close it. You can use a rubber band to keep it closed. I don’t cut the tip of the bag until I’m ready to pipe so I don’t have filling spill out. Set aside for later.
In a stand mixer add softened butter and sugars and mix until creamy. I crack the eggs in a separate bowl and add to the mix, making sure they are mixed in well, then I add in the vanilla extract.
I sift all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl then add the pudding mix and milk powder on top. I add this to the mixer on low and mix until it just comes together. Then I add the chocolate chips for a few turns of the mixer on low, turn off and take the paddle attachment out, then hand mix the bottom to make sure the chocolate chips are dispersed evenly in the dough.
Cookie Scoop Technique for Fillings
**I will be posting video snippets of this technique on my social media, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, if you want a visual aide on how I fill the cookie dough**
I have used this technique to fill so many cookies when my home bakery was open, and I thought it would be fun to share that with you today. It’s a technique that requires a 5-ounce cookie scoop, filling in a piping bag and either a spoon or a food service glove. I use a food service glove because it provides a mess free clean up after the cookies are filled.
First, I get a parchment lined baking sheet ready for the dough. I get my cookie scoop and place on the baking sheet, put on a food service glove on my non-scooping hand, and get my pastry bag filled that is filled with cheesecake filling ready. I cut about an inch off the tip so that I can pipe the filling into the cookie.
I take a scoop of cookie dough, not a full scoop but almost full, and with my thumb I push the dough to the edges of the scoop and make a well in the center. This is where you have to gauge how far to push the dough, don’t make the well too deep or you risk the filling popping out of the top when you release the dough on the baking sheet.
After I make a well in the center of the dough that is still inside the cookie scoop, I take the cheesecake filling and pipe into the center of the well. I fill it up 2/3 of the way up so that I still have room to pinch the dough together and place extra dough on top if needed.
Gently smooth dough over the filling and take additional dough if needed to seal the filling inside. Carefully release the stuffed dough onto the baking sheet and repeat the process with the remaining dough.
Chill dough in the fridge for at least an hour and up to overnight. This will help the dough firm up and the filling to stay in the middle when baking.
I preheat my oven to 375*F. This is my go-to temp for baking most cookies.
Place 4-6 cookies per baking sheet, making sure to evenly space them out, they will spread slightly during baking.
I bake them for 12 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown on the tops and sides. The cornstarch from the pudding mix tend to keep these cookies a bit on the paler side so I am looking for a slight golden color as opposed to all over golden color on the cookie.
I let these cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Sometimes I will drizzle melted semisweet chocolate chips on top for an extra kick of chocolate and a decorative finish. I opted for a naked cookie this time because I wanted the cheesecake flavor to shine a little brighter than the chocolate.
These cookies are wonderful at room temperature and even better cold. The cheesecake filling is delicious when it’s chilled and the cheesecake pudding and milk powder will keep these cookies soft. Storing cookies in the fridge is not recommended since they will dry out and lose flavor, which is why I focus on a creamy center and conditioning the dough with pudding and milk powder to keep them yummy even when stored in the cold. It makes a great cookie to take to potlucks or BBQs and is a great addition to your cool summer treats menu.
If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram and Facebook. New posts every Tuesday and Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!
Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter unsalted, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 package cheesecake pudding mix 3.4 ounce package
- 1 tspn vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2½ cups flour
- 2 tbspn milk powder nonfat dried powder
- 1 tspn baking soda
- 1 tspn baking powder
- ½ tspn salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese full fat, softened to room temperature
- 3 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tspn vanilla extract
Instructions
Cheesecake Filling
- In a bowl add softened cream cheese and all of the other ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Scoop into a plastic piping bag for filling the cookies later. Set aside.
Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie
- In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine sugars and butter. Mix on medium high for 3-5 minutes until very creamy.
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl sift together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add in pudding mix and salt and lightly mix through.
- Add dry ingredients to mixer on low and mix just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Add chocolate chips and mix on low.
- Using a 5 ounce scoop, take a scoop of cookie dough. Make sure the scoop is not full and there is a gap at the top of the scoop.
- With a spoon or a clean finger, push the dough to the sides of the scoop to make a well in the center.
- Cut the tip off of the plastic pastry bag and pipe out the cheesecake filling into the center well. Fill just a little past halfway so the filling doesn't leak out.
- Fold over the edges of dough on top of the filling carefully.
- Take the scoop and release the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
- Chill dough for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight in the fridge.
- Preheat oven to 375*F
- Bake 4-6 cookies per baking sheet. They will spread slightly during baking.
- Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling.
- Enjoy!
