Name: Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Prep time: 2 h 10 min
Cook time: 9 min
Total time: 2 h 19 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter, softened; ¼ cup cream cheese, softened; ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed; ¼ cup granulated sugar; 1 large egg; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ¼ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste; 2 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (1 cup chips + 1 ¼ cups chunks recommended)

If you love cookies that are soft, chewy, and absolutely indulgent, this Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe is about to become your new favorite. The subtle tang of cream cheese combined with melty chocolate chunks makes every bite irresistibly delicious.

A close-up image of three thick chocolate chip cookies stacked vertically on a wooden surface. The bottom cookie is whole, light golden brown, with visible large melted dark chocolate chunks. The middle cookie is broken in half, showing a soft, moist inside filled with melted chocolate that is oozing out. The top cookie half rests on the middle piece, with more visible melted chocolate pieces. Around the cookies, scattered chocolate chunks add a textured, warm touch. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 2:3 --v 7

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients & Why They Work
Make It Your Way
Step-by-Step: How I Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Top Tip
How to Serve Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
Make Ahead and Storage
Frequently Asked Questions:
Final Thoughts
Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe

I can’t get enough of how effortlessly these softbatch cookies come together while delivering bakery-level texture and flavor right at home. Once you try this recipe, you’ll understand why it’s a staple in my kitchen.

Perfectly Soft & Chewy: Thanks to cream cheese and cornstarch, these cookies stay tender with a slightly cakey crumb that's pure comfort.
Thick, Pillowy Cookies: Chilling the dough before baking prevents spreading and helps achieve that perfect shape and texture.
Chocolate Lover’s Dream: A mix of semi-sweet chips and chunks provide melty, gooey pockets of chocolate in every bite.
Make-Ahead Friendly: The dough can chill in your fridge up to five days, so you can bake fresh cookies whenever the craving hits.

Ingredients & Why They Work

Before we dive in, let’s talk ingredients. Using full-fat cream cheese is essential here, as it adds richness and moisture without thinning out the dough. For the chocolate, I love combining both chips and chunks to get a satisfying mix of gooey melting and chocolate bursts.

Flat lay of a small square of unsalted butter, a quarter cup of fresh cream cheese shaped in a small white ceramic bowl, a small white bowl of packed light brown sugar, another small white bowl of granulated sugar, one large whole egg with a clean shell, a small white bowl of vanilla extract, a small white bowl filled with all-purpose flour, a small white bowl of cornstarch, a small white bowl of baking soda, a small white bowl of salt, and a small white bowl overflowing with semi-sweet chocolate chips and chunks, all arranged with perfect symmetry, placed on a clean white marble surface, soft natural light, photo taken with an iPhone, professional food photography style, fresh ingredients, white ceramic bowls, no bottles, no duplicates, no utensils, no packaging --ar 2:3 --v 7 --p m7354615311229779997

Unsalted Butter: Provides a creamy richness without extra salt, so you control the seasoning perfectly.
Cream Cheese: Adds moisture and a tender crumb, giving these cookies a unique softness you won’t find in typical chocolate chip recipes.
Light Brown Sugar: Brings deep molasses flavor and chewiness.
Granulated Sugar: Balances sweetness and helps with crispy edges.
Egg: Binds the dough and contributes to the soft texture.
Vanilla Extract: Enhances all the flavors with warm, sweet notes.
All-purpose Flour: The backbone of the dough, providing structure.
Cornstarch: A magic ingredient for softness—it lightens the flour and keeps the texture tender.
Baking Soda: Gives lift and helps cookies spread just the right amount.
Salt (optional): Balances sweetness and intensifies flavors if you like a pinch.
Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips & Chunks: Melty, luscious pockets of chocolate that are evenly distributed for maximum indulgence.

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Note: You'll find the complete list of ingredients, along with their exact measurements, in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Make It Your Way

The beauty of this Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe is how wonderfully flexible it is! Whether you want to add a personal twist or adjust it for special diets, there are plenty of ways to make these cookies uniquely yours without losing their soft, chewy charm.

Variation: For a nutty crunch, I love folding in a half cup of toasted walnuts or pecans along with the chocolate—it adds a delightful texture that contrasts perfectly with the pillowy softness.
Seasonal twist: Swap out the semi-sweet chocolate chips for white chocolate chunks and toss in some dried cranberries for a festive, holiday-inspired cookie that’s bursting with flavor.
Diet-friendly option: Substitute all-purpose flour for a gluten-free baking blend to accommodate gluten sensitivities, and use dairy-free cream cheese to keep that luscious softness intact while making the recipe vegan-friendly.
Chocolate variations: Mixing 1 cup of classic semi-sweet chips with 1¼ cups of irregularly chopped chocolate chunks, as suggested, really amps up the gooey melt factor and gives each bite a fun, rustic feel.
Make it ahead: The chilling step is key! You can refrigerate the dough for up to 5 days, making it easy to bake fresh cookies as cravings hit. I recommend letting the dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before baking to get that ideal chewy edge and soft center.

Step-by-Step: How I Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

This image shows a close-up of several soft, chunky cookies with dark brown chocolate pieces inside and on top. Each cookie is thick and uneven in shape, with a light golden brown color and a rough, bumpy texture. The cookies sit on a wooden surface with visible grain lines, scattered with rectangular chocolate chunks around them. The focus is mainly on one cookie in the center, with the others softly blurred in the background. Photo taken with an iphone --ar 2:3 --v 7

Step 1: Cream the Butter, Cream Cheese, and Sugars

Start by combining the softened unsalted butter and cream cheese with both light brown and granulated sugars in your stand mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and pale in color. This step is essential—it builds the foundation for a tender cookie with that famous soft, chewy texture. If you’re using a hand mixer, beat for at least 7 minutes to achieve the same creamy consistency. You’ll know you’re ready when the batter looks almost whipped and holds soft peaks.

Step 2: Add the Dry Ingredients

Next, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly incorporated. Then add your all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and a pinch of salt if you like (optional but recommended for flavor balance). Mix on low speed for about 1 minute until just combined. Be careful not to overmix here—overworking the dough can make the cookies tough, and we want them beautifully tender and soft.

Step 3: Incorporate the Chocolate Chips and Chunks

Gently fold in 2¼ cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips and chunks using the mixer briefly or by hand. This combination, ideally 1 cup chips and 1¼ cups chunks, gives you that irresistible mix of melty, gooey chocolate with slightly firmer bites. It’s one of the secrets behind the perfect texture balance in these cookies.

Step 4: Form the Dough and Chill

Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, portion out heaping mounds of dough—expect to get about 28 cookies. Place them spaced out on a large plate or tray, and lightly flatten each mound with your palm to help them spread evenly while baking. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days. Chilling is a must! It prevents the cookies from spreading too thin and helps achieve those thick, pillowy centers with crispy edges.

Step 5: Bake Until Just Set

When you’re ready, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or lightly spray it with cooking spray. Arrange your chilled cookie dough mounds at least 2 inches apart to allow space for spreading. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes—you're looking for edges that are set and tops that still look slightly glossy and a bit underbaked in the center. Resist the urge to overbake; the cookies will continue to firm up as they cool, ensuring a soft, chewy bite every time.

Step 6: Cool and Enjoy!

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. This step helps them firm up enough so they’ll transfer cleanly without breaking. Then move them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store these treasures in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week or freeze for up to three months. And if you’ve saved extra dough in the fridge, simply bake fresh batches whenever the craving hits.

Top Tip

These tips come from a lot of love (and a few happy cookie batches) to help you get the absolute best results with your Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.

Chill the Dough: I've found that refrigerating the dough for at least 2 hours is non-negotiable; it stops cookies from spreading too much and delivers that perfect soft, thick texture every time.
Beat the Wet Ingredients Well: Beating butter, cream cheese, and sugars thoroughly for 5 minutes gives you light, fluffy dough that bakes into a tender crumb – skipping this means less lift and chewiness.
Use a Mix of Chocolate Chunks and Chips: Using both 1 cup chips and 1 ¼ cups chunks adds delightful texture and melty pockets of chocolate with every bite.
Don’t Bake Warm Dough: Baking warm dough leads to flat cookies—wait patiently for that chill to ensure fluffy, pillowy cookies just like you want.

How to Serve Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

A woman's hand is using a silver ice cream scooper to place small balls of light brown cookie dough with dark chocolate chunks onto a black baking sheet lined with white parchment paper. The baking sheet holds eleven dough balls arranged in four uneven rows, showing texture with visible chocolate pieces. To the bottom left, there is a white wire cooling rack holding three baked cookies that are golden brown with large dark chocolate chunks on top. A small brown bowl with broken chocolate pieces sits on the white marbled counter in the top left corner. A blue cloth lies folded on the white marbled counter in the bottom right corner. The scene is lit with natural light, casting soft shadows around the objects. photo taken with an iphone --ar 2:3 --v 7

Garnishes

Add a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top just as they come out of the oven to enhance the sweetness and deepen the chocolate flavor. For a festive twist, try dusting lightly with powdered sugar or drizzling melted white chocolate over the cooled cookies for an elegant touch.

Side Dishes

Serve these cookies alongside a cold glass of whole milk or a creamy vanilla latte for a classic pairing. They’re also wonderful with a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream for a dreamy dessert, or alongside fresh berries to balance the richness.

Make Ahead and Storage

Storing Leftovers

Keep your baked cookies fresh by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. This keeps them soft and chewy, ready whenever a sweet craving strikes.

Freezing

You can freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Just layer them between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container or freezer bag. For dough, shape into mounds and chill airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days before baking fresh cookies—perfect for baking on demand!

Reheating

To enjoy cookies warm and melty again, pop them in a 300°F oven for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, microwave a cookie for 10–15 seconds, but watch carefully so it doesn't get too soft or dry out.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why is cream cheese used in this cookie recipe?

Cream cheese adds moisture and a subtle tang that balances sweetness. It also helps create an irresistibly soft, tender crumb and chewy texture that sets these cookies apart from the usual chocolate chip varieties.

Can I use light or whipped cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese?

For best texture and flavor, use full-fat block or spreadable cream cheese. Fat-free, light, or whipped varieties don’t provide the same moisture or consistency and may lead to drier, less tender cookies.

Why is chilling the dough so important?

Chilling firms up the dough which prevents the cookies from spreading too thin while baking. It also helps develop flavors and yields thick, pillowy cookies with crispy edges and gooey centers.

Can I freeze the cookie dough before baking?

Yes! You can refrigerate the unbaked dough for up to 5 days, allowing you to bake fresh cookies whenever you like. For longer storage, freeze the dough mounds in an airtight container—just thaw in the fridge before baking.

Final Thoughts

My Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe is one I always come back to when I want a cookie that’s soft yet substantial, sweet but balanced, and bursting with melty chocolate. Whether it's for an everyday treat or a special occasion, these cookies offer a little bite of comfort and warmth. I hope you enjoy baking and savoring them as much as I do!