Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Soft strawberry cookies with a cheesecake-inspired center and nostalgic strawberry crunch coating.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 4 ounces cream cheese chilled and cut into small 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups strawberry-flavored cereal or strawberry sandwich cookies crushed (divided, see instructions)
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries finely crushed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the vanilla bean paste, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until no dry streaks remain; finish folding with a spatula to avoid overmixing.
- Gently fold in 1 cup of the crushed strawberry cereal or cookies and the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
- Gently fold in the cream cheese cubes, using a scooping and turning motion so they stay in small pieces and do not smear through the dough; if the dough feels very soft, chill it for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup crushed strawberry cereal or cookies, the crushed freeze-dried strawberries, and the melted butter, stirring until the mixture resembles damp, sandy crumbs.
- Use a 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon to portion the dough into 24 balls, then roll or press the tops of each dough ball into the strawberry crunch mixture to coat the top and sides lightly.
- Arrange the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 11 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are just lightly golden and the tops look set but still soft in the center.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Chill the cream cheese well and cut it into small cubes so it holds its shape inside the cookies and bakes into little pockets of cheesecake-like creaminess.
- If the dough spreads too much, chill the scooped and coated dough balls for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before baking to help the cookies stay thicker.
- If the dough spreads too much, chill the scooped and coated dough balls for 15 minutes on the baking sheet before baking to help the cookies stay thicker.