Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 18 mins

Chill: 60 mins

Total: 103 mins

Servings: 12 servings

Yield: 12 filled cookies

Imagine sinking your teeth into a soft and buttery cookie, exploding with the tarty sweetness of fresh strawberries. But wait, there’s more! Nestled within the cookie is a melty, creamy surprise layer of oozy cheesecake. And that’s not all—I also added a secret ingredient that brings it all together: miso. Yes, miso finds its way into both the filling and the cookie dough, infusing these cookies with a harmonizing umami and depth of flavor that keeps them perfectly balanced and not-too-sweet.

These incredible strawberry cheesecake cookies were born out of my craving for the ultimate combination of cheesecake and cookies. As luck would have it, an abundance of fresh strawberries awaited in my fridge, beckoning me to create a recipe that would satisfy my not-berry-sweet tooth while showcasing the bright and juicy flavors of summer.

Use Almost Any Fruit

While strawberries rightfully take the spotlight in this recipe, don't hesitate to let your imagination run wild. Swap them out with your personal favorite berries or explore the wonders of freeze-dried mangoes, dragonfruit, or blueberries for a burst of new flavors.

For those feeling adventurous, why not venture into the realm of a gooey mochi filling, adding a delightful twist to the cheesecake layer? The possibilities are truly endless.

The Best Kind of Cream Cheese to Use

For the best results, opt for full-fat cream cheese, as it adds a luscious creaminess that perfectly complements the other flavors. While vegan cream cheeses might not hold up as well and melt while baking, you can experiment with a mixture of silken tofu, nut flour, and cornstarch to mimic the creaminess of traditional cream cheese.

Using Fresh vs. Freeze-Dried Strawberries

Keep in mind that using fresh strawberries makes the batter wetter, making it a bit more challenging to assemble the cookies. However, the enhanced taste and beautiful aesthetics of fresh strawberries are truly worth the effort. (The cookies also come out moister than the ones made with freeze-dried strawberries.)

While freeze-dried strawberries can be used as an alternative, the flavor and overall appeal of the cookies are best achieved with fresh ones.

Serving Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

When it comes to serving these cookies, they pair beautifully with a comforting cup of coffee or a soothing mug of hot tea.

Tips for Making Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

• Handling the dough—Should you opt to use freeze-dried strawberries, the process of assembling the cookies will be easier due to a drier dough consistency. Conversely, cookies made with fresh chopped strawberries will look more visually appealing, but the wetter dough can make it more challenging, and a bit messy, to handle. A quick tip is to dust your hands with some flour or wear food-safe gloves while assembling the cookies.
• Use salt instead of miso—If you don't have miso on hand, a pinch of salt serves as an adequate substitute in both the filling and the cookie dough.
• Don’t forget the chilling time—Remember to plan in advance, since the filling needs at least an hour in the freezer to solidify, and it's important not to overlook the step of chilling the cookie dough. Additionally, allow these cookies some time to set on the baking sheet after baking.

Make Ahead

Both the cookie dough and the filling can be made ahead of time. You can chill the cookie dough, covered, in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you freeze the filling overnight, make sure to allow it some time to thaw slightly before baking.

«Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are exceptionally good and, for a filled cookie, quite easy to make. Both the filling and the dough are quick and simple. Since both must be chilled before assembling, you can make both ahead. This would be a fun project to do with kids, with absolutely delicious results!» —Joan Velush

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the cream cheese filling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

• 1 teaspoon red or white miso paste or 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• Cooking spray

For the Cookie Dough

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

• 1/3 cup (71 grams) light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup (60 grams) Greek yogurt

• 1 heaping teaspoon red or white miso paste or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 1 large egg

• 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries or 3/4 cup fresh strawberries, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest, more to taste, optional

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Make the cream cheese filling. In a small bowl, mix the 8 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 teaspoon red or white miso or 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract until smooth.

   

3. Grease or spray a standard size muffin tin with cooking spray and drop a tablespoonful of mixture into each cup. Since we’re making 12 cookies, you want 12 portions of filling.

   Alternatively, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop tablespoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture onto the sheet. Freeze until frozen solid, about 1 hour. 

   

4. Make the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, cream the 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened, 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar, and 1/3 cup (71g) light brown sugar until light and fluffy, a few minutes. Scrape the bowl with a spatula as needed.

   

5. Mix in the 1/4 cup (60 g) Greek yogurt, 1 heaping teaspoon red or white miso or 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, and 1 large egg until well combined.

   

6. Sift 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. At first the dough will appear dry, so mix until it comes together nicely, and it will.

   

7. Gently fold in 1/2 cup freeze-dried or 3/4 cup fresh strawberries, finely chopped and the 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest, more to taste, optional. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour or up to overnight.

   

8. Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350 F (175 C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

   

9. Assemble the cookies. Filling one baking sheet at a time (keep cookie dough refrigerated between batches), use a 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon to scoop 2 dough portions for each cookie. Flatten 1 piece of dough with your hand, add a frozen cream cheese filling ball to the center, and top with another flattened piece of dough.

   

10. Roll and shape the dough into a ball, being sure it covers all the filling. Place the 6 filled cookies evenly spaced onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling for the second baking sheet.

    

11. Bake one sheet at a time until the edges are set and slightly golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cookies set on the baking sheet. These cookies are best enjoyed warm when the cheesecake filling is ooey-gooey.

    

How to Store or Freeze

Refrigerate the cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Frozen? They can last for months. To enjoy them later, warm up in 10-second bursts in the microwave or reheat in the oven at 350 F for 10 minutes if frozen.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

• Make the cookies pink—Add drops of red food coloring to the cookie batter for cute pink cookies. You can also add food coloring to the filling for a colorful filling.
• Try other fruit—Next time, try using blueberries or raspberries instead of strawberries, or even freeze-dried mangoes.
• Make it mochi—Instead of a cream cheese filling, consider a soft mochi filling. 
• Roll them in sugar—Prior to baking, you can roll the cookie batter in granulated sugar for added sweetness and texture post-baking. 
• Add booze—Instead of vanilla extract, add 1 to 2 tablespoons whiskey to the filling for a boozy twist.
• Decorate the tops—While the cookies are setting, add slices of strawberries, sea salt flakes, and/or edible gold foil to the tops. 
• Plus them up with mix-ins—Feel free to add more mix-ins to the cookie dough, like white chocolate chips or macadamia nuts, when you’re folding in the strawberries.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	312
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g	19%
Saturated Fat 9g	44%
Cholesterol 55mg	18%
Sodium 179mg	8%
Total Carbohydrate 40g	14%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 19g
Protein 5g
Vitamin C 5mg	25%
Calcium 49mg	4%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 86mg	2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.