These high altitude cream cheese cookies are different from my recipe for soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, with a slight tangy flavor from the cream cheese, and a very soft, cakey texture.
You might also love these recipes for olive oil chocolate chip cookies, flourless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, and brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Super Soft. If you prefer a soft cookie, then you’ll love these chocolate chip cream cheese cookies. With their cakey texture, they’re almost like chocolate chip muffin tops. It’s also important not to under-bake these cookies, so that you don’t bite into raw, doughy batter in the centers.
Make them Plain. You can leave out the chocolate chips for a simple cream cheese cookie. The plain cookies would be wonderful sandwiched together with different flavors of buttercream.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Butter + Cream Cheese. The combination of butter and cream cheese gives these cookies their soft texture. Be sure both are softened to room temperature so they can be creamed together with the sugar.
- Granulated Sugar.
- Egg + Egg Yolk. You’ll be using a whole egg, plus a yolk, so just save the leftover egg white for another use.
- Vanilla Extract.
- All-Purpose Flour.
- Baking Powder.
- Salt.
- Chocolate Chips.
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar on medium speed for about five minutes, until fluffy, stopping to scrape down the bowl several times.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, and mix for one minute, until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips to the dough, mixing just until combined.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a large cookie scoop (2 1/2 – 3 tbsp capacity) to scoop equal portions of the dough, then roll the dough balls smooth between your hands. Do not flatten the balls.
- Place the dough balls on the baking sheet with 2-3 inches between each. Bake the cookies for about 12-14 minutes, until the cookies are fully baked and there is no wet or raw dough in the center. Do not under-bake these cookies. Refrigerate the extra dough balls until time to bake the next batch.
- While the cookies are hot, I like to decorate the tops with extra chocolate chips, but this step is optional. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for one minute, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
The key to picture perfect chocolate chip cookies is to decorate the tops of the cookies with chocolate chips after baking them. While the cookies are hot from the oven, simply press chocolate chips onto the cookies. They will slightly melt and adhere to the hot cookie, making a beautiful cookie with perfectly placed chocolate chips.
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High Altitude Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cookies
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- Large Cookie Scoop with Release Lever (2 1/2 – 3 tbsp capacity)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 4 oz block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk (save the extra white for another use)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar on medium speed for about five minutes, until fluffy, stopping to scrape down the bowl several times.
- Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla, and mix for one minute, until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients and the chocolate chips to the dough, mixing just until combined.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a large cookie scoop (2 1/2 – 3 tbsp capacity) to scoop equal portions of the dough, then roll the dough balls smooth between your hands. Do not flatten the balls.
- Place the dough balls on the baking sheet with 2-3 inches between each. Bake the cookies for about 12-14 minutes, until the cookies are fully baked and there is no wet or raw dough in the center. Do not under-bake these cookies. Refrigerate the extra dough balls until time to bake the next batch.
- While the cookies are hot, I like to decorate the tops with extra chocolate chips, but this step is optional. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for one minute, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/
These are delicious! I live at 5560’…and I had to cook them 16 minutes. I also made smaller cookies, making 41 cookies!
They turned out exactly as described…cakey and tangy and soft. Simple, yet unique recipe and I think these cookies make for great gifts/gestures. Thank you.