Caramel Cheesecake Cookies (Printable)
Soft cream cheese cookies swirled with rich caramel, an elegant sweet treat for any occasion.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cookie Dough
01 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
02 - 4 oz cream cheese, softened
03 - 1 cup granulated sugar
04 - 1 large egg
05 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
06 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
08 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Caramel Swirl
09 - 1/2 cup soft caramel sauce, slightly cooled
# How To Make:
01 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, approximately 2 minutes.
02 - Add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
03 - Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until well combined and the batter is uniform.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
05 - Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to firm up for easier handling.
06 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
07 - Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them approximately 2 inches apart.
08 - Use the back of a spoon to gently press an indentation into the center of each dough portion.
09 - Place about 1/2 teaspoon of slightly cooled caramel sauce into each indentation. Swirl gently with a knife or toothpick for a marbled effect.
10 - Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. The centers may appear slightly underdone but will set as they cool.
11 - Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The cream cheese in the dough makes these impossibly tender, almost like a cross between a cookie and a tiny cheesecake you can eat with your hands.
- That caramel swirl looks fancy enough for a dessert platter but takes zero artistic skill, which is honestly my favorite kind of baking.
02 -
- Overmixing the flour turns these from tender to tough, so resist the urge to keep stirring for the sake of making it look perfectly uniform.
- One time I skipped the chilling step because I was impatient and the cookies spread into one giant caramel blob on the sheet, which tasted fine but was definitely not the look I was going for.
03 -
- Dip your spoon in hot water between scoops to keep the caramel flowing smoothly and prevent it from dragging the cookie dough around when you are trying to fill the wells.
- The secret to that perfect swirl is less movement rather than more, because two or three gentle passes with a toothpick look way better than aggressive stirring.