These strawberry cheesecake cookies are crispy on the edges, gooey on the inside, and filled with a molten strawberry cheesecake filling. The cookies have graham crumbs swirled throughout. The cookie dough and cheesecake filling are so easy to make - you don’t need an electric mixer for any of it! Just a wire handheld whisk. The cookies have melted butter inside so they’re even easier to make.
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Why you will LOVE this recipe:
- Easy: You don’t need to use an electric mixer at all for this recipe, and everything comes together so quick!
- Molten cheesecake: The cheesecake filling is gooey and creamy. It makes for super delicious, decadent strawberry cheesecake cookies.
- Strawberry sauce: There’s homemade strawberry sauce swirled into the cheesecake. Easy to make and packs a lot of strawberry flavour.
- Graham swirl: The cookie dough is swirled with graham crumbs and they’re topped with graham pieces after baking. This brings up the cheesecake flavour up a notch and makes it extra delicious.
Jump to:
The best one bowl cookie dough
This is the ultimate cookie dough recipe. It comes together in no time, uses melted butter (no waiting for butter to soften) and you don’t even need an electric mixer.
Most importantly, it makes a cookie with crispy edges and a gooey middle every time. The ultimate cookie texture!
Homemade strawberry sauce
For the strawberry sauce, just throw everything together and let it simmer and thicken on the stove. Then it needs to cool down and it’s ready to use. You can spoon any remaining sauce on top of the molten cheesecake middles after baking if you like!
If you want a shortcut you can use a store bought strawberry sauce or jam. The strawberry cheesecake cookies won’t taste as bright and fresh but it will still be delicious.
The filling
To make it much easier to mix the cheesecake filling together, make sure the cream cheese is very softened. If you squish it with a spoon it should be very soft. To get the cream cheese extra soft, you can pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
Whisk all the ingredients together and you’re all set. You only need half an egg for it. To divide an egg in half, whisk it with a fork and pour half of it into the cheesecake filling.
If the filling turns out lumpy you can use an immersion blender to help smooth it out. But this can be avoided by making sure the cream cheese is soft enough beforehand.
Graham cracker swirl
One of my favourite parts of a cheesecake is the rich, crunchy graham cracker crust. That’s why I added a graham swirl into the cookie dough! Fold in graham crumbs at the very end to make ribbons of graham cracker crumbs. I also topped the strawberry cheesecake cookies with crushed graham crackers for some extra texture (optional).
To make graham cracker crumbs, blend crackers in a food processor or a clean coffee grinder. Alternatively, place crackers into a food safe bag and crush with a rolling pin. You can also find them pre-crushed in the baking aisle at the grocery store.
If you can’t find graham crackers, you can use digestive biscuits or any other similar, not overly sweet cookie. You can also try biscoff.
Key ingredients
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below. But read through these for all the tips you will need for success!
Cream cheese: Use a full fat, brick style cream cheese for best results. A low fat cream cheese will make the filling too watery.
Strawberries: Fresh or frozen strawberries will both work great.
Graham crackers: Alternatively, you can try using digestive biscuits or even biscoff. Any not overly sweet similar cookie will work great.
Cinnamon: The dough has a touch of cinnamon for a subtle warm flavour that really helps the strawberry filling pop.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Step by step
Step 1 - Make strawberry sauce. In a small saucepan combine all ingredients for strawberry sauce. Heat on medium-low, stirring constantly. It will start to release liquid and then will thicken up. Add a tablespoon of water if it becomes too thick.
Step 2 - Cool. When thickened, remove from heat and mash with a potato masher or an immersion blender. Transfer to a non-metal container to cool completely. This can be made a day or two ahead - store in fridge.
Step 3 - Wet ingredients. In a large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Whisk until combined. Add vanilla and egg, and whisk until thickened, about 30 seconds.
Step 4 - Dry ingredients. Sift flour, cinnamon, and baking soda right into the bowl. Fold until no more dry streaks remain. Add graham crumbs and fold until mostly incorporated - you still want there to be streaks for a marbled effect.
Step 5 - Scoop or shape the cookie dough into 12 large balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use the back of the scoop or your fingers to press into the middle of each cookie, making space for the filling.
Step 6 - Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 45 minutes (or up to 2 days) or in the freezer for 15 minutes if you’re in a rush.
Step 7 - Make cheesecake filling. Make sure the cream cheese is very soft so it’s easy to blend. Pop it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to make it softer. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
How to assemble and bake
Step 1 - Fill. Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Scoop the cheesecake filling evenly into the cookies. Add about one teaspoon of strawberry sauce on top of each cheesecake filled cookie.
Step 2 - Bake cookies in batches on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 4” of space between each cookie because they will spread. Keep the uncooked filled cookie dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
Step 3 - Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges become slightly golden. As soon as they come out of the oven, push crushed graham crackers onto the tops. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.
FAQ
Digestive biscuits, or any other not overly sweet cookie will work great. You can even try biscoff!
I haven't tried it myself but I've had people reach out to tell me that they've used them successfully.
Yes, you can even use storebought strawberry pie filling or jam instead. It won't taste as fresh or bright as making it at home from scratch but it'll still taste amazing.
Check out these other recipes:
Happy baking!
Did you make this recipe? I would love for you to rate this recipe and hear what you think in the comments below! Share your creation on Instagram and tag @flouringkitchen. Follow me on Pinterest to save and for more recipe ideas.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce
- ½ cup strawberries destemmed and diced
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 ⅛ cups all purpose flour 260g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs 60g
Cheesecake Filling
- 6 oz cream cheese very soft
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ large egg room temperature and whisked lightly
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Assembly
- 4 graham crackers crushed
Instructions
Strawberry sauce
- In a small saucepan combine all ingredients for strawberry sauce. Heat on medium-low, stirring constantly. It will start to release liquid and then will thicken up. Add a tablespoon of water if it becomes too thick.½ cup strawberries, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- When thickened, remove from heat and mash with a potato masher or an immersion blender. Transfer to a non-metal container to cool completely. This can be made a day or two ahead - store in fridge.
Cookies
- In a large bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Whisk until combined.1 cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Add vanilla and egg, and whisk until thickened, about 30 seconds.1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Sift flour, baking soda, and cinnamon right into the bowl. Fold until no more dry streaks remain. Add graham crumbs and fold until mostly incorporated - you still want there to be streaks for a marbled effect.2 ⅛ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- Scoop or shape the cookie dough into 12 large balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Use the back of the scoop or your fingers to press into the middle of each cookie, making space for the filling.
- Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 45 minutes (or up to 2 days) or in the freezer for 15 minutes if you’re in a rush.
Cheesecake Filling
- Make sure the cream cheese is very soft so it’s easy to blend. Pop it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to make it softer. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to fill.6 oz cream cheese, 4 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ½ large egg, ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Scoop the cheesecake filling evenly into the cookies. Add about one teaspoon of strawberry sauce on top of each cheesecake filled cookie.
- Bake cookies in batches on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 4” of space between each cookie because they will spread. Keep the uncooked filled cookie dough in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges become slightly golden. As soon as they come out of the oven, push crushed graham crackers onto the tops. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to cooling rack.4 graham crackers
Abi
These were so delicious, loved them. They were gone in 2 minutes!
Mary
Thank you so much, I'm so happy you loved them! 😀
Allison
So so yummy!! A big hit with my family.
Mary
I'm so happy everyone loved them! 😀
George
DELICIOUS 😋
Mary
Thank you, glad you liked them! 😀