Caramel Cheesecake Cookies (Print)

Soft cream cheese cookies swirled with rich caramel, yielding 24 irresistible sweet bites.

# What You Need:

→ Cookie Dough

01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
03 - 1 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
06 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
08 - 1/4 tsp salt

→ Caramel Swirl

09 - 1/2 cup soft caramel sauce, slightly cooled

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, approximately 2 minutes.
02 - Add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
03 - Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined and uniform in texture.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up for easier handling.
06 - Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - Scoop heaping tablespoons of chilled dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing each portion about 2 inches apart.
08 - Use the back of a spoon to gently press an indent into the center of each dough portion.
09 - Dollop approximately 1/2 teaspoon of caramel sauce into each indent, then lightly swirl with a knife or toothpick for a marbled effect.
10 - Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers may appear slightly underdone but will set as they cool.
11 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The cream cheese in the dough makes them impossibly tender and gives them a slight tang that balances the sweet caramel perfectly.
  • They look like you spent hours but the whole process is surprisingly forgiving and fuss free.
  • That golden edge with the bubbling caramel swirl is straight up bakery level presentation.
02 -
  • If you skip the chilling step, the dough will be too soft to hold the caramel indent and your cookies will spread into thin flat discs with burnt edges.
  • Test one cookie first before baking the whole batch because oven temperatures vary wildly and an extra minute can mean the difference between gooey and dry.
03 -
  • Soften the cream cheese and butter at the same time on the counter for at least an hour because cold cream cheese will leave stubborn lumps no amount of mixing can fix.
  • If your caramel sauce is very thin, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes before using it so it sits nicely in the indent instead of running everywhere.

Go Back