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These cream cheese chocolate chip cookies are soft, chewy, and rich with thick centers and lightly crisp edges. Adding cream cheese and egg yolks to classic chocolate chip cookie dough creates a bakery-style texture that stays tender without becoming cakey or overly sweet.
This recipe was tested multiple ways to find the right balance of spread, structure, and flavor. Whether you bake on parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, these cookies bake evenly and hold their shape beautifully while staying soft long after cooling.
Since you are here, check out these cheesecake stuffed chocolate chip cookies, as well as these brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
Why Add Cream Cheese to Chocolate Chip Cookies?
Cream cheese adds moisture and richness to cookie dough without weighing it down. When combined with butter and sugar, it creates a smooth, cohesive base that helps cookies retain moisture as they bake.
Unlike recipes that rely on extra flour, cream cheese improves texture naturally, resulting in soft batch cream cheese chocolate chip cookies with a tender crumb and balanced flavor.
Why This cream cheese chocolate chip cookie Recipe Uses Egg Yolks
This recipe uses egg yolks instead of a whole egg. Egg yolks add fat and emulsifiers, which improve chewiness and richness while limiting excess moisture. That means the cookies spread evenly instead of puffing up and staying puffed up.
For best results, use egg yolks at room temperature so they blend smoothly into the butter and cream cheese mixture.
Key Ingredients That Make This Recipe Work
Table of Contents
- Why Add Cream Cheese to Chocolate Chip Cookies?
- Why This cream cheese chocolate chip cookie Recipe Uses Egg Yolks
- Key Ingredients That Make This Recipe Work
- How to Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Baking Tips for the Best Results
- Storage & Freezing Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Crinkly-Top Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe
- Cream cheese adds a richness to the texture of these cookies.
- Flour provides structure while still allowing spread
- Cornstarch helps soften the texture and keeps the cookies tender
- Light brown sugar adds moisture and depth of flavor
- Chocolate chips or chunks melt into the dough for pockets of chocolate throughout
- Vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor without overpowering the chocolate
- Sea salt on top of the cookies helps balance out the sweetness of these cookies while adding a stunning finish to them!
All of the dry ingredients are folded into the dough gently to avoid overmixing.
How to Make Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
This is an easy, one-bowl recipe, here is how to make it:
- Start by whisking melted unsalted butter, cream cheese, and sugars together in a large bowl until smooth. Add the egg yolks, vanilla extract, and milk, mixing until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture just until no streaks of flour remain.
- Fold in the chocolate chips/chunks (or M&M candies for a fun variation), then scoop the dough into cookie dough balls.
Baking Tips for the Best Results
- Always bake in a preheated oven for even spread
- Cookies spread slightly more on parchment paper than on silicone mats
- Pressing extra chocolate chips on top after you bake helps cookies flatten evenly and makes them look like they come from the fanciest bakery!
- Use the cookie cutter swirl trick on warm cookies for perfectly round edges
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack so they finish setting properly.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. The cream cheese helps them stay soft longer than traditional chocolate chip cookies.
To freeze, place them in a ziploc container and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow them to ge tback to room temperature before you enjoy them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 24 hours or freeze the cookie dough balls for longer storage. You might need to slightly flatten the cookie dough before baking so that they spread evenly.
Parchment paper allows slightly more spread, while silicone baking mats insulate the dough and create thicker cookies. Both are correct, it just comes down to preference.
Yes. M&M candies work well in this recipe and can be substituted for some or all of the chocolate chips.
No. Once baked, they can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
Crinkly-Top Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter salted or unsalted, fully melted and cooled until just warm
- 2 oz full-fat brick cream cheese very soft
- ⅔ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 & 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks use at least semi-sweet; darker is even better
Instructions
- Preheat the oven then preheat it to 360°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Read notes)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth, glossy, and fully combined.½ cup butter, 2 oz full-fat brick cream cheese, ⅔ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Whisk in the egg yolks, vanilla, and milk until the mixture is cohesive and shiny.2 large egg yolks, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon milk
- Switch to a spatula. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. Fold gently just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks. (You can reserve some to press on top after baking.)1 & 1/2 cups chocolate chips or chunks
- Scoop 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Place 4 cookies max per sheet, spaced well apart.
- Bake one pan at a time for 10-11 minutes, until edges are set and lightly golden, centers still look slightly soft and puffy still.
- Remove from the oven. Press extra chocolate on top if desired. (highly recommended)
- Let cookies cool on the pan for 15 minutes before transferring carefully to a wire rack.
Notes
- Parchment vs. silicone mats: These cookies will naturally spread slightly more on parchment paper than on silicone baking mats. Both options work great, parchment gives a wider, flatter cookie, while silicone mats produce a slightly thicker result. Choose based on personal preference.
- Chocolate on top = better shape: Pressing a few extra chocolate chips or chunks onto the cookies right after baking not only improves appearance but also helps the cookies settle and flatten more evenly as they cool.
- For perfectly round cookies: If desired, use the cookie cutter swirl trick while the cookies are still warm. Place a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie around it and gently swirl to shape into a perfect circle.
- Cooling matters: These cookies will continue to spread and set slightly as they cool. Let them rest on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before moving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
