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These Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles are extraordinarily soft and absolutely melt in your mouth! The cream cheese adds a subtle extra tang to a classic Snickerdoodle cookie. You’re going to want to try this one out for your holiday cookie tray (or, really, for anytime!).
Cookies are kind of my thing. I live for the holiday season when I get to share all of my family favorites, from classic No Bake Cookies to Snickerdoodles and everything in-between! But I also love a good spin on an old classic, and that’s exactly what these Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles that I’m sharing today are!
Buttery soft, the signature tang of a classic Snickerdoodle is enhanced and transformed with the addition of half a brick of cream cheese into the batter. These cookies have the best flavor of any Snickerdoodle I’ve ever tasted. They’re also so soft that they positively melt in your mouth with each bite.
Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles are relatively simple cookies to make. The dough can easily be made with an electric mixer (I don’t recommend mixing by hand because it’s important that you cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugars together) and requires only a few minutes of chilling. However, I do have a few key tips I wanted to share with you before you begin.
TIPS FOR MAKING CREAM CHEESE SNICKERDOODLES
- Don’t leave out the cream of tartar! This is what gives Snickerdoodles their signature tangy flavor and it is a must for ANY Snickerdoodle recipe!
- This cookie dough needs to chill for at least 30 minutes. You don’t want the dough to be so sticky that it sticks to your hands more than it sticks to itself, so if you find that the dough is still too sticky after 30 minutes, return it to the fridge for another 15 minutes or so.
- To keep these cookies soft, make sure you don’t over-bake them. When you remove them from the oven the edges should be set and even lightly golden brown, but the centers may seem slightly under-done. Allow your cream cheese snickerdoodles to cool completely on the baking sheet, where they’ll finish baking all the way through without over-cooking. Over-baking cookies is the number 1 cause of dry, crumbly cookies. We want these to be soft and chewy and this is my favorite tip for making sure they end up that way!
- Don’t place cookie dough on a hot cookie sheet, it’ll make your cookies spread too thin. Nobody wants a paper-thin cookie!
Now you’re ready to bake your own Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles.
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Cream Cheese Snickerdoodles
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Topping
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl and use an electric mixer) and beat until creamy.
- Add sugar and beat until light and creamy and well-combined.
- Add eggs and vanilla extract. Stir well.
- In a separate bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture until completely combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Once dough has nearly finished chilling, preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare your topping by stirring together sugar and cinnamon until well-mixed.
- Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and scoop by 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized portions. Roll into a smooth ball between your palms and roll through cinnamon/sugar topping mixture until completely coated.
- Place on prepared cookie sheet at least 2” apart and bake on 350F for 10-13 minutes.
- Cookies may still seem very soft in the center when finished baking, allow to cool completely on cookie sheet where they will finish baking without becoming overdone and dry.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made a double batch of these delicious cookies. Since they needed to cool on the tray they were baked on I used 6 different trays. The cookies on the first two trays were flat but the cookies on the other trays stayed puffed. All of them were delicious, but I’m not sure why some baked flat.
Simply delicious !!!
I made these this afternoon and they are absolutely delicious! We like a soft cookie and these are perfect. Very easy to make and very easy to eat.. Thank you for a great recipe!
Can I freeze these cookies after they are made?
Hi Frances, thank you for your question. Yes. I recommend freezing them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet for 2-3 hours before transferring them to an air-tight container or freezer bag. They will keep for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for a couple hours when you’re ready to eat them! I hope this helps!
Can you freeze leftover dough?
Hi Shay, thank you for your question.
Yes, you may freeze the leftover dough. You can form the dough into balls and freeze in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container, or you can freeze it before it is portioned out in an airtight container or plastic bag. Either way, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator in an airtight container before baking as directed. I hope this helps.
These cookies were delicious and so easy to make! They came out perfectly on my first try– usually it takes me a couple to make them well. Thanks for the recipe, definitely going to make more soon!
Lee, thank you for the comment! I’m so glad they turned out the first time!
Made these for a work event and people inhaled them! I loved the slight tang that the cream cheese gave the cookies.
Love this crean cheese snickerdoodle cookie the best. It’s absolutely delicious 😋. TY💕💕💕
These Cookies are easy and delicious!
They look delicious!!!
Oh my goodness! These cookies are delicious and a huge hit with my family and coworkers. I froze some and they were perfect when thawed. I’ll be using this recipe again (but maybe not sharing the recipe so I can get all the raves.) Thanks for sharing!
I was looking for a recipe to use up a half block of cream cheese, tried these, and so glad I did. These are delicious and a huge hit with the whole family. I got 38 good size, soft, tasty cookies. First and only snickerdoodle recipe I’ll use. Thanks!
These are delicious, I’m so glad that you loved them too! Snickerdoodles are a favorite at my house! 🙂
Fantastic! First snickerdoodles I’ve ever made that didn’t turn out flat, and they were soft and tasty to boot. This recipe is a keeper and will be added to my list of Christmas favorites!!
Best Snickerdoodle recipe ever. This one is a keeper!
Everyone that have sampled these cookies are crazy over them. I’ve used Vietnamese Cinnamon from Penzeys Spice Company and it just takes the flavor up a notch!
If you are new to baking, try these cookies, they will be a hit. Follow the recipe, I baked for 13 minutes, in the freezer for 1 hour, and cooled on baking sheet lined with silicone mat. All my friends gave them award winning reviews!