Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies – Texanerin Baking

These strawberry cheesecake cookies are the ultimate fusion of fruity sweetness and creamy decadence. With fresh strawberries folded into the dough and a luscious cheesecake ball nestled in the middle, every bite offers a delightful contrast of textures and flavors.

Whether you choose to make them with all-purpose or gluten-free flour, these cookies are a treat that’s sure to impress. Perfect for any occasion, they’re a delicious way to enjoy the classic taste of strawberry cheesecake in a fun, portable form.

Ingredients

Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients you’ll need to make these strawberry cream cheese-filled cookies.

Raw sugar, often referred to as turbinado sugar or demerara sugar, is a type of minimally processed sugar with large, coarse crystals. It’s typically golden or light brown in color and retains a bit of the natural molasses from the sugarcane.

When used for rolling cookie dough balls, raw sugar adds a crunchy texture and a hint of caramel-like flavor to the cookies after baking. The large crystals also give the cookies a slightly sparkly appearance.

You can use granulated sugar if that’s all you have. You can also omit it.

The cookies are sweet enough on their own, but rolling them in sugar makes them sturdier. They’re pretty big and with the filling, they’re more delicate than normal cookies.

Once chilled, I was able to toss the cookies in a cookie box to give away, and they held up just fine.

Fresh vs. freeze-dried strawberries

It seems as though some people prefer freeze-dried strawberries in their strawberry cookies, but I tried both on a few different occasions and believe fresh strawberries are the way to go.

Fresh strawberries add juicy bursts of flavor throughout the cookies and create a nice contrast between the creamy cheesecake filling and the tender dough. However, fresh strawberries add extra moisture to the dough, which can cause the cookies to spread more during baking.

To minimize this, it’s crucial to pat the strawberry chunks dry with paper towels before mixing them into the dough. I forgot to pat them dry the first time I made these cookies, and the dough made me so nervous because it was really wet, but they still came out nicely.

But please remember to pat them dry for best results!

And you must use fresh strawberries. You absolutely don’t want to use older strawberries that are on the soggy side.

Freeze-dried strawberries don’t add any moisture, which helps the cookies maintain their shape better during baking. They also add a slight crunch and a concentrated taste, making the cookies more stable and easier to handle.

But I feel like the strawberry flavor was MUCH better with fresh. And the freeze-dried berries turn reddish brown when baking, which wasn’t so pretty.

If you want to use freeze-dried in place of fresh, then you’ll have to add whatever looks like a good amount. I don’t remember how much I used, but I know it wasn’t a cup.

Perhaps, had I used more they’d have been more full of strawberry flavor.

Also, freeze-dried strawberries are way, way more expensive than fresh. So that’s another point for the fresh strawberry cookies!

How to make them

Any cream cheese-stuffed cookie is going to take longer than a basic cookie. But you’ll be rewarded and very happy in the end. 🙂

I really love cheesecake stuffed cookies and will be posting more of these cheesecake cookie recipes soon.

Make the cheesecake balls

You just mix together the cheesecake ball ingredients and scoop balls of it onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Or whatever will fit in your freezer.

I actually use a tupperware lid because I will never in my life have space in my freezer for a baking sheet!

Then you freeze them for at least an hour or until firm. I used the same process and filling that I used in my Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies.

Before I made them for the first time, it sounded like quite a bit of work, but it’s not really all that bad.

The cheesecake portion probably adds 10 minutes of active prep to the whole recipe.

If you don’t want the cream cheese filling, I bet these Strawberry Preserves would make for a great filling!

If using that, you’d probably need to divide the dough balls in half, flatten both, and put jam in the middle. Then seal the dough around the edges.

Or freeze balls of jam and use the same method I used in this recipe.

Make the dough and assemble

The full recipe is at the bottom of this post! These photos are to just give you an overview.

If you’re hesitant to make these cookies, thinking that the strawberries will make a mess, I get it. I almost didn’t make them because I thought it’d be a disaster.

But they clearly worked out. 😉

One thing I wouldn’t recommend is making the cookies smaller. I tried it, and it’s just too troublesome. And the cookies didn’t come out very well.

Like I said in my Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe, sometimes cookies just bake up better when you make them on the larger side.

How to make ahead

You can prepare the cream cheese filling up to a week in advance and keep the balls frozen until you’re ready to use them.

I wouldn’t recommend making the dough ahead of time, though. You don’t want to make the dough as written and then chill it for very long due to the strawberries.

And you don’t want to make the dough without the strawberries, and then add the strawberries before baking because the dough will be too firm to incorporate the strawberries.

If you need a dough to make in advance, these Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies I just posted are a great choice. So are these Gluten-free Lemon Cookies.

And both are nice and summery!

How to store

Once baked, store the cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for up to 4 days, maintaining their soft texture and fresh taste.

If you need to store them longer, you can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Just be sure to let them thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

Variations

These strawberry cheesecake cookies are a great base for trying out different variations.

• Mixed berry – try using a mix of fresh berries like blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries for a more complex fruity flavor.
• Chocolate drizzle – add a drizzle of melted semi-sweet or white chocolate over the cooled cookies for an extra layer of indulgence.
• Lemon zest – mix in a teaspoon of lemon zest with the cookie dough to add a bright citrus flavor that complements the strawberries.
• Graham cracker crumbs – for a more authentic cheesecake experience, roll the cookie dough in crushed graham cracker crumbs before baking.
• Almond extract – substitute the vanilla extract with almond extract for a nutty twist.

Tips for success

Here are a few tips to ensure your strawberry cheesecake cookies turn out perfectly every time.

• Pat the strawberries dry – to prevent excess moisture in the dough, make sure to pat the strawberry chunks dry with paper towels before adding them to the dough.
• Freeze the filling until firm – freezing the cream cheese filling balls makes it easier to wrap the dough around them and keeps the filling intact while baking. It won’t work if you just refrigerate the balls.
• Don’t skip the dough chilling – chilling the dough is crucial for maintaining the shape of the cookies and preventing spreading during baking.
• Roll in sugar lightly – avoid rolling the entire cookie in sugar to prevent the bottom from caramelizing too much and sticking to the baking sheet.
• Use fresh, firm strawberries – fresh, firm strawberries work best in this recipe. Soft or overripe strawberries can add too much moisture to the dough.

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Gluten-free option

So far, I’ve only tried this cookie recipe with King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour.

It’s just as delicious as the version made with all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried it with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour, but based on similar recipes I’ve made, the cookies would likely be a tiny bit gritty in comparison to the King Arthur version.

I have no idea how other baking blends would work. Whatever you use, it needs to be a 1:1 sub for all-purpose flour. So that means no coconut/almond/oat flour, etc.

I’d be afraid that other brands wouldn’t absorb the liquid just the same, resulting is soggy cookies. If you try out another brand, please share the results. 🙂

I hope you’ll enjoy these strawberry cheesecake cookies! If you give them a try, I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. Thanks!

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• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 16 min
• Ready in: 1:20 h
• Yield: 12

Ingredients

Cream cheese filling:

• 8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, room temp
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Cookies:

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar
• 1 large egg (50 grams, out of shell), room temp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour or for gluten-free, use King Arthur Flour Gluten-free Measure for Measure Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (150 grams) of FRESH (not older, soggy ones) strawberry chunks, patted dry with paper towels

For rolling:

• 3-4 tablespoons raw sugar

Directions

Make the filling:

1. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar at medium until light and fluffy, and then mix in the vanilla and salt.
2. Place a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap on top of a cutting board, small baking tray or whatever will fit in your freezer. Scoop out 12 22-gram (4-teaspoon) sized balls of filling and place in mounds on the prepared tray. I used a small cookie scoop. You don’t want to freeze them as flat discs, as you’ll be wrapping the dough around the filling balls.
3. Freeze for an hour until frozen. The last 20 minutes of freezing time, preheat the oven to 375 °F (175 °C) and prepare the cookie dough.

Prepare the cookies:

4. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
5. In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
6. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, mixing until well incorporated.
7. Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the top and mix until just combined. Beat in the flour on low. The dough may appear crumbly and weird at this stage.
8. Use a large wooden spoon to mix in the strawberries. I had to use my hands for this, but figure that’s not practical for the photos. It’s okay if they get smushed a bit.
9. Divide the dough into twelve 67-gram balls.
10. In the palm of your hand, flatten one about as flat as you can get it.
11. Place a frozen cheesecake ball in the center and wrap the dough around it. Close to seal any spots where cream cheese is peeking out.
12. Roll the top half of the ball in coarse sugar (I say to not roll the bottom in sugar because the sugar that’s at the bottom of the cookies caramelized and made a mess on the baking sheet).
13. Place on the baking sheet (don’t press down) and repeat with the remaining balls.
14. Bake the cookies for 16-18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned and the tops aren’t wet and seem somewhat firm.
15. Let cool completely on the baking sheet. They’ll need about 1-2 hours to firm up.
16. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

1. I cut the strawberries to be about 1/4″ or 1/3″ in size.

Recipe by Texanerin Baking | www.texanerin.com