We all love and adore classic cookies like chocolate chip, sugar, and oatmeal. But for a second let’s throw them all to the side because we need to make room. These strawberry cheesecake cookies are delicious, creamy, and absolutely divine. Perfect for a spring treat, you MUST go make these cookies right now!

I honestly was inspired to make these cookies because of all the hype surrounding Crumbl Cookies. Now personally, I was not the biggest fan of their cookies but I love their creativity and commitment to new weekly flavors. It inspired me to get to thinking about what “crazy” flavor I’d want to make into a cookie and WOW! I sure did make a perfect choice.

Needed Ingredients:

This recipe was adapted from one I found and loved on deliciouslysprinkled.com. I highly recommend you all check out their site for more delicious desserts to try out!

The benefit of this dessert is that it is made up of ingredients that you already have at home. Like most cookies, you are going to need flour, baking soda, and powder, sugar, butter, eggs and this is not required but highly recommend, lemon zest. The lemon zest is going to balance out the sweetness of the cookie and add some lightness that is nice to have in desserts. Be sure to pay attention to how recipes are written. Often times they will be specific about things like butter and eggs, mentioning words like “softened” or “room temperature”, as this recipe does. This is important to note and follow to help better combine everything and give a better taste. Now, this is all for the cookie base, but for the cheesecake filling that is what makes the cookie divine, you will need cheesecake, strawberries, powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream. Make sure to use fresh strawberries!

PRO TIP: To soften butter just leave it out for a few hours. To get room-temperature eggs, place the amount you need in a bowl of warm water and let sit for a few minutes.

The Cookie Dough:

This cookie is very simple and quick to make. The first thing you are going to do is whisk together all the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Then in a separate bowl, you’ll begin the wet mixture or also known as the egg mixture. Add the softened butter to the bowl and beat it until it is soft and creamy as shown in the first picture above. This is where it is very nice to have a stand mixer as it would easily do it for you however if you do not own one, you will definitely be getting in that arm workout. The softer the butter, the easier it will be. To that your then going to add in the sugar, which should create a light and fluffy consistency. At this point add in the lemon zest as well if being used. Now it’s time for the egg’s. For this we will only be needing the egg yolks. The last step for the wet mixture is the vanilla. Once that is added you can pour the flour mixture as well and combine. Be sure to not over-mix! The dough should be thick and crumbly.

At this point, most people would get ready to bake the cookies however when you bake right away you are skipping a crucial step. It is important to let your dough refrigerate before baking to prevent spreading, and to give the best possible taste. It is best to let sit overnight but if you want the treat for the same day, then let it sit for a minimum of an hour. Now you could just put the bowl in the fridge, but I prefer to portion out my dough so that one less step is done. I portion the dough into 4 oz balls, which does create a cookie on the larger side which I prefer especially for this recipe since we are topping them off with a cream, but of course, it is all preference. If you want a smaller cookie, do something smaller than 4 oz.

Cheesecake Filling:

Like I said before, for the cheesecake filling all you need is a block of cream cheese, I always use Philadelphia Cream Cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, strawberries, and heavy cream. The same way you creamed the butter is what you will do to the cream cheese. The same smooth and creamy consistency is key. To this mix in the powdered sugar, and vanilla. Then add in and mash the sliced strawberries. Since we are using fresh strawberries it is important to make sure they are washed thoroughly. To do this I like to soak them in vinegar and water, with a 1:4 ratio. Let them sit for no more than 20 minutes or they will become soggy. Take them and dry them completely with paper towels. Be sure that there is no water left!

This cheesecake filling is very creamy, fluffy, and light similar to a mousse. What gets it to that level is heavy cream. In a separate bowl pour the heavy cream and whip up until stiff peaks form. With that, you have just created whipped cream, and I’m sure your arm is extremely sore as well. Again, if you have a stand or electric mixer, be sure to use that! Fold in the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture. Let it stiffen in the fridge.

Baking the Cookies:

Wheter it is a few hours later or the next day, your cookies can now be baked! Bake them at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until the cookies are lightly golden. Do not over bake them! Once the cookies are done let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool.

Get to Eating:

With everything prepared the only thing left to do is assemble. This is my favorite part because I know soon I will have something delicious to eat! For a mess free assemble, I decided to do it on parchment paper but you could also do it on a plate. Place a generous amount of the cheesecake filling on to the cooled cookies. Personally, I like to make all my desserts look as good as they taste so we of course have to garnish. I just sliced a strawberry in half and placed it on top of each cookie. I thought I’d be done at this point but out of the corner of my eye I saw my gold leaf and I knew I had to add it for that boujee touch. Now all that’s left is to eat! If your wondering, yes I ate all 4 cookies and no I don’t have an ounce of guilt! All that baking requires some type of reward.

With spring coming, I think these cookies are perfect to make to celebrate warm weather again. The cookie gives the perfect buttery, moist, crunchy (from the crisp edges) base to the creamy, sweet, airy and fluffy cheesecake cream placed generously on top. Taking a bite of this cookie is like tasting heaven, and no one can say no different.