Soft and creamy Cheesecake Cookies bring two desserts together in one! Made with cream cheese and cake mix, these tender treats disappear almost as fast as you can make them.
Can’t decide between cheesecake and cookies? You can have BOTH with this easy recipe. Unlike our chewy Raspberry cheesecake cookies, today’s recipe is soft and fluffy!
Why make Cheesecake Cookies
This Cheesecake Cookies recipe combines the flavor of a soft sugar cookie with cream cheese. Dusted with powdered sugar, they’re an easy treat.
Using a box of white cake mix, the cookies come out soft, creamy and just a bit buttery. Egg whites make them fluffy and pillowy, while a touch of almond extract adds an irresistible hint of flavor.
One note: these cookies don’t have exactly the flavor of cheesecake. The taste is more similar to a soft ricotta cookie. Or even a slice of fluffy angel food cake.
They do, however, have a creaminess that’s very similar to cheesecake.
Unlike traditional cake mix cookies, today’s recipe is thick and fluffy!
Ingredient Notes
- Cream cheese. The cream cheese sold in blocks is best here. Do not use spreadable cream cheese.
- White Cake Mix. Any box of white cake mix you enjoy should work well.
- Almond extract. Or swap the almond for vanilla. My homemade vanilla extract is delicious in these cookies.
- Egg whites. Save those egg yolks for homemade lemon curd!
- Butter. Always use unsalted butter in my baking, unless I specify otherwise (like with these chocolate chunk cookies). Use our tips on how to soften butter quickly.
Tips and Tricks
Do not over mix.
After adding the cake mix to beaten egg whites, butter and cream cheese, be careful not to over mix. Mixing the cookie batter too vigorously will result in tougher cookies.
Watch baking time.
Be careful not to bake these cheesecake cookies for too long. They are delicate and will become crunchy and crumbly if overbaked.
The cookies should be just lightly golden brown when you take them out of the oven. As they cool, they’ll set into light and fluffy treats.
Dust them generously with powdered sugar and serve!
Add Oreos. Make a batch of our Oreo Cheesecake Cookies for a delicious treat!
Recipe FAQs
These have a creamy soft texture that’s similar to cheesecake. That said, these are definitely cookies! The white cake and buttery cookie flavors are more prominent than the cream cheese.
Baked cheesecake cookies should be stored in an air tight container. They keep well at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can freeze cheesecake cookies for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight and enjoy.
I don’t recommend using low fat cream cheese in this recipe. The fat in regular cream cheese is necessary to give the cookies a creamy rich consistency.
Easy Cookie Recipes
See all Cookies recipes
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
Cheesecake Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 box white cake mix
- ¼ cup powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together. Beat in egg whites and almond extract.
- Add white cake mix and beat just until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Using a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop, spoon dough onto cookie sheet about 2-inches apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, just until the bottoms become lightly browned. Don’t overbake!
- Remove from oven and cool cookies on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, once cooled, if desired.
Notes
- Cream Cheese- do not use spreadable cream cheese here.
- Extract. Swap out the Almond Extract for vanilla extract- my homemade vanilla extract is perfect for today’s recipe!
- Do not overbake or overmix these cookies. They should be light and fluffy.
- STORAGE: store cooled cookies in airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or freeze cookies in airtight freezer safe container for up to three months.
Video
Nutrition
More Cookie Recipes
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Simple, delicious and always a hit, this Cheesecake Cookies recipe might just become your new favorite way to use white cake mix!
With the reduction in cake mix size in 2024 – what changes need to be made to the recipe? It looks delicious but needed to know what to add now. Thanks!
They taste just like eating the center of a cheesecake – delicious. Question though: Mine didn’t spread like the picture, they stayed in ball form. Ideas on why?
Can this dough be stored ot sit for s few hours before baking.
What flour????
Can this dough be stored ot sit for s few hours before baking
This recipe doesn’t work. Everything was fine until adding the flour. Its impossible to mix. It almost burnt up my mixer. I didn’t miss a step at all. Very simple recipe but it doesn’t work. Had to throw it all in the trash.
What flour????
These were amazing! I don’t like almond extract so I substituted vanilla.
OMG these are amazing 🥰🥰🥰
Can you make the dough a day ahead and just keep in refrigerator?
My husband loves cheesecake and he went crazy for these cookies! Such a great recipe!
I am obsessed with these cookies! I made a large batch to share with my friend and she loves them too! Thank you for this delicious recipe!
These are so amazing and so addicting! They were such a big hit and everyone loved them! Definitely making these cookies again!
Can I use chocolate cake mix instead of white? If so, any change in the instructions?