I know we are all crazy busy getting ready for the holidays. I wanted to share one last recipe post before Santa makes his way down the chimney. I was recently asked to bake 48 homemade cookies for the annual tree lighting ceremony at my kids school.
Everyone’s go-to cookie is chocolate chip, so I decided to do a playful twist on the classic.
These Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookies make the perfect dunker for your morning coffee or steamy cup of hot chocolate.
These cookies have a firm texture which means they will stay in one place when you dunk ’em. The cream cheese adds a bit of a tangy flavor versus an all butter cookie. A friend said they are a cross between a butter cookie & rugelach.
I used light Muscovado brown sugar. I love the sweetness and molasses flavor that natural sugar adds to baked treats. These cookies are not very sweet, simply add more chocolate chips if you prefer a sweeter cookie.
I also used white whole wheat pastry flour. These ingredients make this cookie taste a bit more wholesome than the traditional cookie with white sugar & flour. I let the dough chill in the fridge overnight. This helps the flavors develop & intensify.
If you are up for something new then I suggest you try these cookies. Make ’em as big or small as you want. I had to get 48 cookies out of this batter, so I went really small.
They were super fun to decorate too. Go with seasonal colors for whatever holiday you are celebrating. Blue & white would be perfect for Hanukkah. You can go red, pink & white for Valentines Day.
What cookies are you baking for Christmas? Do you participate in a cookie exchange?
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:347]
Variations
- Add some butterscotch, peanut butter chips or cinnamon chips.
- I like bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can also use milk chocolate or white chocolate chips.
- Mint chocolate chips would be great too!
- Add a handful of dried cranberries, chopped apricots, dates or raisins to the batter.
- Add a handful of chopped toasted nuts to the batter. Pecans, walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, pistachio, almonds, etc.
Cream Cheese Cookies Recipe Links
- Avocado Cream Cheese Cookies Angie’s Recipes
- Coconut Cream Cheese Cookies Vanilla Sugar
- Cream Cheese Cookies Caffeina
- Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies Sugar Crafter
- Creme de Menthe Cream Cheese Cookies Sweet Treats and More
- Jam Filled Cream Cheese Cookies Culinary Covers
- Raspberry Cream Cheese Cookies Use Real Butter
These look delicious Marla!! I love that you used cream cheese! I can’t wait to try these 🙂
marla, these are adorable. i love all the special added touches to give them their holiday feel. happy holidays to you and your gorgeous family! i cannot wait to see you in two weeks!!
Susan: I know it is those little touches that add so much fun to holiday baking. Cookies & cakes can go from “everyday” to “holiday” in seconds with colorful sprinkles, sugars and decorations,
Heather: Glad you are gonna think outside the box with these cookies!
Julia: Love that you reached out & touched your screen. Glad that the photos grabbed you 😉
Amanda: They can even go in the kids lunchbox & you won’t feel like you gave ’em too much sugar.
Everything about these makes me so happy! And the pictures made me touch my screen, in hopes that the cookies would come to life and I could eat them.
i love cream cheese cookies, but i’ll admit i never thought about adding chocolate chips til now…yum! 🙂
I love adding cream cheese to cookie dough; I love the softness and the bit of tang it adds. Your cookies look lovely!
Fun! These looks delish! My kids will love these. Just in time for Santa
What a fun and unique recipe… that I would actually not feel bad about feeding to my kids!! Great job girl!
I love cream cheese cookies and they are a Christmas favorite with my family. Never have tried chocolate ones yet but I sure will now!
Mmm, I love how soft cream cheese cookies are – and I love that you once again made a cookie semi-nutritious. I need to take some tips from you!
Yum! Chocolate and cream cheese 2 of my most favorite things. I love your reindeer tea pot! So festive. See, it’s true you can enjoy Christmas and not gain 10 lbs while enjoying yummy treats! The sprinkles are wonderful!
I love them! Never thought of adding cream cheese, but they look divine!
I love the use of whole wheat pastry flour in your recipe. Just curious how much it affected the texture and taste in the cookie.
Cream cheese makes everything better…these cookies look sweet and chewy
These look so good, and soft, wonderful photos too, as usual!
Love these babies! YUM!
Super cute cookies Marla! Love them!
Oh wow, Santa might leave extra presents with these under the tree. 🙂 Love ’em Marla!!
Beautiful Marla, so Christmassy & festive – lovin’ your cookies 🙂
I think that is so cool that you used cream cheese in these! It’s such a yummy flavor to go with chocolate. You’re a super star baking up all those cute cookies to take with you.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday!
I ADORE rugelach dough and really could eat it without even making the rugelach! So I’m sure I would love these cookies. What a great twist on a classic!
I love the cute deco with colorful balls on the cookies. Lovely recipe, must try for the new year celebrations. Beautiful clicks.
These would be a perfect treat to set out for Santa on Christmas eve too. With all effort he must expend, surely he needs bites that are both delicious AND healthy to give him an energy boost? Happy holidays, Marla!
How yummy! I am all about a dunkable cookie 🙂
Actually I am all about a cookies in general. I’m not exclusive 🙂
Have a great holiday!
I love your addition of cream cheese, Marla! I love a good dunking cookie (perfect afternoon treat with a cup of tea or coffee) and these look wonderful!
I’m with you – I love using whole wheat flour in my cookies. Sometimes I’ll use whole white wheat flour too. These look like perfect cookies for the holidays. Thanks!!
Marly: Just updated the post – that is the flour I used. Either way these cookies would taste great, but they might be a bit less wheatie tasting with the white whole wheat pastry flour versus the traditional. Thanks so much for your comment & for reading the ingredients so carefully.
Faith: These would be your kind of cookie & they would go great with your homemade hot chocolate too!
Barbara: Yes, Santa could use some slightly healthier nibbles.
Valerie: Back at you my friend. I hope you have a glorious holiday time with your family 🙂 XO
These cookies look beyond tasty! Great recipe 🙂
Love these Marla! Especially the use of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. I’m sure Santa and his reindeers would love these.
Have a great holiday!!
Marla!
Your posts are so bright and cheerful and happy and pink and pretty they just make me smile!
Merry, Merry Christmas, to you and your lovely family!
I wish you warmth, and love, and happiness (which should be a given, considering your rich “foodie” life)
Big Hug,
Valerie
Yummie! These cookies look fabulous, love the idea of cream cheese and chocolate, perfect for the Holidays. Great photos 🙂
These look great! My kids love to dunk cookies- they’d love
these! I hope you have a very merry Christmas!
Marla, I have a feeling when Santa sees this plate of
cookies he’s bound to cave in and leave you an item or two from
your wishlish. 😉
Josie: ya think??!! You just made me giggle. I wonder which item he has tucked away for me on his sleigh 😉
Marla…what incredibly festive treats and healthy at the
same time…how wonderful. This was a great time for me to re-visit
your kitchen. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder ;o)
Here’s wishing you and your family the best of holiday seasons.
Flavourful wishes, Claudia
I love cream cheese in cookies! These look great.
Marla, these are so festive and absolutely perfect for the
holidays. The kids would have a great time decorating these. I hope
you have a wonderful holiday with your family.
These are too pretty to be chocolate chip cookies! I’m
guessing the kids loved the little decorations on these.
Cream Cheese and Chocolate Chips, what’s not to love ; )
Merry Christmas Marla!
those’re some fat cookies, marla, and i say that a fat
cookie is a happy cookie. nice work!
Cream cheese and chocolate chips were made for eachother. I
love that they’re in cookie form too. Would you believe I’ve never
participated in a cookie exchange? I’ve never been asked to, but I
bet it would be fun! This is my first time here and I have to say
you have a really beautiful blog. I hope you and your family have a
wonderful holiday. ~Monica H
I love adding cream cheese to cookies. You decorated it perfectly. I love it. I will try this at home. Thanks for the great recipe.
Hello! I just made these and they were delightful to say
the least. And small enough for just a quick pick me up snack 🙂
Great recipe!
Amber: I am so happy you enjoyed your snack. They are delightful little cookies and I need to make more asap. Thanks for the sweet comment.
These sound so good!
I love the variations of topping use on the cookies, thanks for sharing.
These chocolate cookies are awesome! I love chocolate, prepared in every possible way!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!!