Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are the perfect fusion of two beloved desserts rolled into one irresistible bite! These soft, pillowy cookies are stuffed with a creamy cheesecake center and swirled with homemade strawberry jam that bursts with fresh berry flavor.
Love More Strawberry Desserts? Try My Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish or this Fried Strawberry Cheesecake Sandwiches next.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These cookies are pure magic in your mouth – imagine biting into what looks like a regular sugar cookie, only to discover a luscious cream cheese center surrounded by pockets of sweet-tart strawberry jam! They’re like having cheesecake and cookies all in one perfect package. Plus, they look absolutely stunning on any dessert table.
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Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Total Time: 2 hours 11 minutes
- Yield: 18 cookies
Description
Soft cookies stuffed with frozen cream cheese and swirled with thick homemade strawberry jam.
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 6 oz (≈ 170 g) cream cheese, cold
- 3 tablespoons (≈ 38 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Strawberry Jam
- 12 oz (≈ 340 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and finely diced
- ¼ cup (≈ 50 g) granulated sugar
For the Cookies
- 2 ¾ cups (≈ 344 g) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (≈ 200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (≈ 227 g) unsalted butter, very softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (≈ 50 g) granulated sugar (for rolling dough)
Instructions
Line a small baking sheet with parchment. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth – about 2 minutes with my mixer. Scoop 18 little portions onto the sheet, about 2 teaspoons each. Flatten them into thick discs with your fingers. Stick them in the freezer until rock hard. This part’s crucial – learned that the messy way!
Dice your strawberries really small – big chunks make lumpy jam. Cook them with sugar in a saucepan over medium heat for about 45 minutes, stirring now and then. Halfway through, I mash them up with a spoon. You’ll know it’s ready when you drag a spoon through and it doesn’t immediately fill back in. Let it cool in the fridge while you make cookie dough.
Heat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Cream your super soft butter with sugar until fluffy – takes about 2 minutes. Don’t rush this step, it matters for texture.
Add egg and vanilla to your butter mix and beat until pale and fluffy, maybe 1-2 minutes. Then add your flour mixture and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix or you’ll get tough cookies.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Push most of your dough to one side of the bowl. Flatten some dough on the bottom, add some jam. Add more dough, more jam. Keep layering like this until all jam is mixed in. Then cut through with a spatula and fold gently. You want jam streaks, not pink dough.
Scoop dough into 18 portions – I use about 2 tablespoons each. Flatten slightly, then put one frozen cream cheese disc in the center. Wrap dough around it completely – no gaps or it’ll leak. Flatten just a little, then roll in that extra sugar.
Bake 6 cookies at a time for 11-12 minutes. They should look set but still soft. I sometimes use a round cutter to reshape them while warm. Let them sit on the pan for 10 minutes, then move to cooling racks. Don’t skip the cooling time – the centers need to set up.
Notes
Don’t worry if your cookies aren’t perfectly round – mine never are and they taste just as good. Some jam might leak out while baking – that’s normal and actually makes crispy caramelized edges. The dough doesn’t need chilling unless you’re making it ahead. If you do chill it, let it come back to room temperature before scooping.
Your butter should be so soft you can easily poke holes in it, but not melted. Room temperature eggs mix better – I take mine out an hour before baking. Don’t overmix that jam – those little pockets are what make each bite different. I use a cookie scoop to make them all the same size. Press the seams where you close the dough so nothing leaks out.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredient List
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 6 oz (≈ 170 g) cream cheese, cold
- 3 tablespoons (≈ 38 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Strawberry Jam
- 12 oz (≈ 340 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and finely diced
- ¼ cup (≈ 50 g) granulated sugar
For the Cookies
- 2 ¾ cups (≈ 344 g) all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (≈ 200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (≈ 227 g) unsalted butter, very softened
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (≈ 50 g) granulated sugar (for rolling dough)
Why These Ingredients Work
The cold cream cheese trick came to me after my first disaster batch melted everywhere. Cold cream cheese freezes solid so it won’t leak out during baking. Fresh strawberries make better jam than the jarred stuff because you cook out just enough water. I tried store-bought jam once – total mess, too runny. Very softened butter matters more than you think. Mine sits on the counter for hours until I can poke it easily with my finger.
Essential Tools and Equipment
- Stand mixer (hand mixer works too but takes longer)
- Medium saucepan for jam making
- Small baking sheet for freezing cream cheese
- Two large baking sheets
- Parchment paper (don’t skip this!)
- Cookie scoop or big spoon
- Round cookie cutter if you want perfect circles
- Cooling racks
How To Make Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Step 1: Prepare the Cheesecake Filling
Line a small baking sheet with parchment. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth – about 2 minutes with my mixer. Scoop 18 little portions onto the sheet, about 2 teaspoons each. Flatten them into thick discs with your fingers. Stick them in the freezer until rock hard. This part’s crucial – learned that the messy way!
Step 2: Make the Strawberry Jam
Dice your strawberries really small – big chunks make lumpy jam. Cook them with sugar in a saucepan over medium heat for about 45 minutes, stirring now and then. Halfway through, I mash them up with a spoon. You’ll know it’s ready when you drag a spoon through and it doesn’t immediately fill back in. Let it cool in the fridge while you make cookie dough.
Step 3: Prepare the Cookie Dough Base
Heat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Cream your super soft butter with sugar until fluffy – takes about 2 minutes. Don’t rush this step, it matters for texture.
Step 4: Finish the Cookie Dough
Add egg and vanilla to your butter mix and beat until pale and fluffy, maybe 1-2 minutes. Then add your flour mixture and mix just until combined. Don’t overmix or you’ll get tough cookies.
Step 5: Incorporate the Jam
Here’s where it gets interesting. Push most of your dough to one side of the bowl. Flatten some dough on the bottom, add some jam. Add more dough, more jam. Keep layering like this until all jam is mixed in. Then cut through with a spatula and fold gently. You want jam streaks, not pink dough.
Step 6: Assemble the Cookies
Scoop dough into 18 portions – I use about 2 tablespoons each. Flatten slightly, then put one frozen cream cheese disc in the center. Wrap dough around it completely – no gaps or it’ll leak. Flatten just a little, then roll in that extra sugar.
Step 7: Bake to Perfection
Bake 6 cookies at a time for 11-12 minutes. They should look set but still soft. I sometimes use a round cutter to reshape them while warm. Let them sit on the pan for 10 minutes, then move to cooling racks. Don’t skip the cooling time – the centers need to set up.
You Must Know
Those cream cheese discs must be frozen solid before you wrap them in dough. I cannot stress this enough – I ruined my first batch because they weren’t hard enough. Also, your jam needs to be thick. If it’s runny, it’ll make your dough wet and the cookies will spread everywhere.
Personal Secret: I always make double the cream cheese discs because my kids eat them straight from the freezer like little cheesecake popsicles. Can’t blame them!
Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks
Your butter should be so soft you can easily poke holes in it, but not melted. Room temperature eggs mix better – I take mine out an hour before baking. Don’t overmix that jam – those little pockets are what make each bite different. I use a cookie scoop to make them all the same size. Press the seams where you close the dough so nothing leaks out.
Flavor Variations & Suggestions
Try mixed berries instead of just strawberries – blueberries and raspberries work great. Add lemon zest to both the cream cheese and cookie dough for a citrus twist. Mini chocolate chips in the dough are amazing too. I’ve done peach jam in summer and apple butter in fall. A pinch of cinnamon in the dough makes them taste like fall.
Make-Ahead Options
Make your cream cheese discs and jam up to a week ahead. Keep discs in the freezer, jam in the fridge. You can even freeze the whole assembled raw cookies for a month – bake them straight from frozen, just add 1-2 minutes. Having these ready to bake is a lifesaver when unexpected company shows up.
Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips
Don’t worry if your cookies aren’t perfectly round – mine never are and they taste just as good. Some jam might leak out while baking – that’s normal and actually makes crispy caramelized edges. The dough doesn’t need chilling unless you’re making it ahead. If you do chill it, let it come back to room temperature before scooping.
Serving Suggestions
These are perfect on their own with milk or coffee. I like serving them slightly warm so the cream cheese center is extra creamy. For parties, I dust them with powdered sugar. They look fancy but they’re actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Always the first thing gone at bake sales!
How to Store Your Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Keep them in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days max. The cream cheese centers taste even better after sitting overnight. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies up to 2 weeks. Just thaw at room temperature when you want to eat them.
Allergy Information
Contains: Dairy (butter, cream cheese), eggs, gluten
Dairy-Free: Use vegan butter and dairy-free cream cheese – make sure it’s thick enough to hold shape when frozen
Gluten-Free: Try 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, though texture will be different
Questions I Get Asked A Lot
Can I use store-bought strawberry jam instead of homemade?
I tried this once and regretted it. Store-bought jam is usually too thin and makes the cookies spread like crazy. If you absolutely must, choose the thickest jam you can find and maybe cook it down more on the stove first.
My cream cheese filling leaked everywhere – what happened?
Your cream cheese discs weren’t frozen solid enough, or you didn’t seal the dough completely. Make sure they’re rock hard and press those seams really well when you wrap the dough around.
Can I make these smaller or bigger?
Sure! Smaller ones (1 tablespoon dough) bake in 8-9 minutes. Bigger ones need 13-14 minutes. Just watch them carefully since oven times vary.
Why did my cookies spread too much?
Usually means your butter was too warm, your jam was too runny, or you overmixed the dough. Butter should be soft but not melty, and that jam needs to be really thick.
Can I freeze the unbaked assembled cookies?
Yes! Freeze on a baking sheet first, then transfer to a bag. Bake straight from frozen, adding 1-2 extra minutes.
💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to see photos of your cookies – the messier the better!
