Description

Softbatch Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies are delightfully soft and chewy, featuring a unique addition of cream cheese that adds extra tenderness and richness. These cookies boast a perfect balance of sweet brown and granulated sugars, vanilla, and an abundance of semi-sweet chocolate chips and chunks for irresistible flavor. Chilling the dough before baking ensures a thick, pillowy texture with chewy edges and soft centers, making them a perfect homemade treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Dairy

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup cream cheese, softened

Sugars

¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
¼ cup granulated sugar

Wet Ingredients

1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt (optional and to taste)

Chocolate

2 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (recommended 1 cup chips and 1 ¼ cups chunks)

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Instructions

Cream the Butters and Sugars: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter, cream cheese (packed into a ¼ cup measure), light brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Beat at medium-high speed until the mixture is well-creamed, light, and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Alternatively, use an electric hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes.
Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are well combined. Add the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt if using. Mix on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Avoid overmixing to keep cookies tender.
Add Chocolate: Add the chocolate chips and chunks to the dough and beat briefly to incorporate evenly. You can also fold them in by hand to avoid overworking the dough.
Form and Chill Dough: Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds of dough (approximately 28). Place these mounds on a large plate, slightly flatten each with your palm. Cover the plate tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. Chilling is essential to prevent spreading and to achieve the soft, thick cookie texture.
Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheet: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat non-stick baking mat or lightly spray with cooking spray. Arrange the chilled mounds on the baking sheet spaced at least 2 inches apart to allow room for spreading.
Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies for 8 to 9 minutes, or until the edges have set and the tops are just beginning to set, even if they are slightly undercooked, pale, and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes to avoid firm cookies; they will firm up as they cool.
Cool Cookies: Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This helps them set without breaking.
Storage: Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, allowing you to bake fresh cookies whenever desired.

Notes

Use regular cream cheese in a block or spreadable form. Avoid fat-free, light, or whipped cream cheese for best texture.
The recipe suggests using 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 ¼ cups of chocolate chunks for ideal texture and chocolate distribution.
For optimal texture, chill cookie dough overnight and let it come to room temperature for 15 minutes before baking. Rotate trays halfway through baking for even cooking.
The cookies have chewy edges with soft, pillowy centers when baked correctly.
If the dough is warm when baked, cookies will spread too thinly and lose their characteristic softness.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 cookie
Calories: 189 kcal
Sugar: 13 g
Sodium: 72 mg
Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Unsaturated Fat: 3.4 g
Trans Fat: 0.1 g
Carbohydrates: 23 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 2 g
Cholesterol: 17 mg