Some friends and I were home over the holidays and wanted to bake together. This recipe was suggested by my friend Catie, and was a gooood choice. The cookies are thick, and flavorful, although there’s not a clear cream cheese flavor. Someone asked if their was coconut in them, which…I can’t particularly explain. We swapped out some of the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips, and I think it was a good move.

If you’re wondering why have cream cheese cookies which don’t taste like cream cheese, the benefit is in the texture. These are soft and rich and delightful!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (supposedly this is optional, but I wouldn’t skip it)
• 2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (we used 1 1/4 cup large chocolate chips, 1 cup peanut butter chips)

Combine the butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla in a mixer bowl and beat with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined, about a minute.

Add the chocolate chips and beat just long enough to evenly mix.

Using a 2″ cookie scoop, form heaping mounds of dough and place on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least two hours, up to 5 days before baking. The point of this refrigeration is to keep the dough from spreading during baking. We skipped this step, putting our dough balls directly onto a parchment lined sheet and baking, and actually found that they spread very little, but if you want to ensure that your cookies stay thick during baking, go ahead and do chill them first.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease or line a pair of baking sheets. Place your chilled dough balls at least 2″ apart on the pans, then bake 8-9 minutes, until the edges are set. They cookies may look undercooked and pale in the center – this is ok, they will firm up somewhat while cooling, without getting overcooked. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

From Averie Cooks.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks, or a combination of chocolate and peanut butter chips

Combine the butter, cream cheese, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla in a mixer bowl and beat with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt, and mix until just combined, about a minute. Add the chocolate chips and beat just long enough to evenly mix.

Using a 2″ cookie scoop, form heaping mounds of dough and place on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least two hours, up to 5 days before baking.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease or line a pair of baking sheets. Place your chilled dough balls at least 2″ apart on the pans, then bake 8-9 minutes, until the edges are set but centers remain pale. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.