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'll 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 flavor.
- Graham swirl: The cookie dough is swirled with graham crumbs and they’re topped with graham pieces after baking. This brings up the cheesecake flavor up a notch and makes it extra delicious.
This strawberry crunch cheesecake is the perfect no bake alternative to these cookies!
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- 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 flavor 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.
👩🍳 How to make strawberry cheesecake cookies
Start off with making the strawberry sauce to give it a chance to cool. Then make the cookie dough and as it chills, make the easy cheesecake filling. They get assembled and then baked!
Strawberry sauce step by step
Step 1: 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: 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 step by step
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and egg. Whisk until combined. Add vanilla and melted butter, and whisk until smooth.
Step 2: 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 3: Scoop or shape the cookie dough into 16 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.
Step 4: Make sure the cream cheese is very soft so it’s easy to blend. Pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it softer. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
Step 5: 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. Use a toothpick to swirl the cheesecake filling.
Step 6: Bake 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.
✔️ Expert tips
- Weigh the flour: This will give you consistent results and create the perfect texture. 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.
- Don't overmix: Overmixing the cookie dough after the flour is added causes a dense, tough texture.
- Don't overbake: For the perfect chewy texture, the edges should be golden brown and set. The cookies will continue to bake out of the oven.
- Chill the cookie dough: This helps prevent it from spreading too much and helps enhance the cookie flavor.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
These cookies are great served warm or chilled! Store the baked cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They will become softer the longer they're stored because of the cheesecake filling.
The strawberry sauce can be made a day or two ahead of making the cookies. The cookie dough can be made up to 2 days before baking. Scoop, indent, and store in fridge on parchment lined baking sheet. Alternatively you can make and fill the cookies the day before baking! Keep them on a parchment lined sheet or plate and store in the fridge. Bake the cookies the next day as per instructions.
🍪 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! I love this cookie dough recipe so much that I used it in my blueberry cheesecake cookies and my pumpkin cheesecake cookies.
🍓 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! These strawberry cinnamon rolls are loaded with strawberry sauce making them ultra gooey.
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 they'll still be delicious.
🍭 Graham cracker swirl
One of my favorite 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 - like these epic cookie butter cookies!
📖 Recipe FAQs
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.
You didn't mix it enough or your cream cheese is too cold. Use an immersion blender to help it come together.
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📖 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 large egg room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 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 brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and the egg. Whisk until combined. Add melted cooled butter and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.1 cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon sea salt, 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 or blend 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. Use a toothpick to swirl the fillings together.
- 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
Video
Notes
- Weigh the flour: This will give you consistent results and create the perfect texture. 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.
- Don't overmix: Overmixing the cookie dough after the flour is added causes a dense, tough texture.
- Don't overbake: For the perfect chewy texture, the edges should be golden brown and set. The cookies will continue to bake out of the oven.
- Chill the cookie dough: This helps prevent it from spreading too much and helps enhance the cookie flavor.
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! 😀