Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies with a Creamy Surprise Inside

Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies

These gingerbread cheesecake cookies are soft and chewy, warmly spiced, and rolled in sugar before they bake.

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Tucked into the middle of each one is a creamy cheesecake filling made from cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. The recipe makes 11 large cookies, and every single one tastes like two desserts in one bite.

Notes from the baker

I have strong feelings about gingerbread. I want it soft, chewy, and a little sticky, never thin and snappy. So when December arrives, I skip the hard cutout cookies and bake soft gingerbread instead.

This recipe began as my favorite soft gingerbread dough, the one I have made so many times that I no longer measure the spices with a nervous hand.

Last holiday season I was testing a batch of that dough on the same afternoon I made a cheesecake for a family dinner. Halfway through, I wondered what would happen if the two met.

I froze small dollops of cheesecake filling, wrapped the gingerbread dough around them, and baked a test tray. The cookies came out puffy and cracked on top, the filling stayed creamy, and the warm spice kept everything from tasting too sweet.

Now this is the cookie I bring when I want people to ask for the recipe. If you already love cheesecake desserts, you will understand the appeal right away. The dough and the filling both need time in the fridge or freezer, so plan for a two day project. Trust me, the waiting is the easy part.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Here is what makes these cookies worth the extra step:

• Two textures in one cookie. Fresh from the oven, the sugar coating gives the outside a light crispness while the middle stays soft and chewy.
• A creamy center. Cream cheese and powdered sugar make a rich, smooth filling that balances the ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
• A friendly make ahead plan. The cheesecake dollops freeze and the cookie dough chills, so you can prepare everything one day and bake the next.
• Forgiving looks. A few cracks on top are completely normal, and they only make the cookies look more homemade.

Tools

You do not need a cupboard full of equipment, but two scoops make this recipe far easier.

• An electric hand mixer. Cream cheese and softened butter both need real beating to turn smooth and fluffy. You can do it by hand, but it takes longer and you are more likely to end up with lumps in the filling.
• A large cookie scoop that holds about 4 tablespoons. This is the size that gives you enough dough to wrap around the filling. Do not go smaller than 3 tablespoons, or there will not be enough dough to cover the cheesecake.
• A small cookie scoop or a spoon that holds about 1 tablespoon. This one is for the cheesecake dollops. Do not go larger, because big dollops are hard to wrap and they make the dough tear.
• A baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Any baking sheet or tray you already own will work.
• A plate and a small cutting board or another flat surface, both lined with parchment, for chilling the filling and the dough.
• A shallow dish for the rolling sugar and a wire rack for cooling.

Ingredient notes

Everything here is a standard baking ingredient, but a few small details change the final result.

Cream cheese. Use the brick form, not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub. Brick cream cheese has less water, so the filling sets up creamy instead of runny. Let it sit out until it is properly soft.

Butter and egg. Both should be at room temperature. Cold egg added to creamed butter and sugar can curdle the mixture, and cold butter will never turn fluffy.

Cooking molasses. This is a blend of fancy and blackstrap molasses. It gives gingerbread its deep, dark flavor and helps create that chewy texture, so please do not swap it for a lighter syrup.

The spices. Cinnamon and ginger lead, with cloves and nutmeg in the background. A little salt and baking soda round out the dough and give the cookies their lift.

Tips for making the best gingerbread cheesecake cookies

Start with the cheesecake filling

Line a plate with a small sheet of parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until it is creamy.

Add the powdered sugar and the vanilla extract and beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Use your small scoop or a spoon to drop small dollops onto the lined plate, then freeze them for at least 1 hour.

They will not freeze completely solid because of the powdered sugar, but they should be firm enough to hold their shape.

Mix and chill the cookie dough

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and line a small cutting board or another flat surface as well. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until it is very creamy, then add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until the mixture looks fluffy.

Add the molasses and beat until it is thoroughly combined, then add the egg and vanilla and mix on low speed.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until it is mostly combined, then finish with a spatula so you do not overmix the dough.

Scoop the dough into balls with your large scoop, set them on the lined board, and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until solid.

Stuff, roll, and bake

Preheat the oven to 350°F and put the rolling sugar in a shallow dish. There are two easy ways to stuff a cookie.

You can press the dough with your fingers until it becomes a flat sheet, set a frozen cheesecake dollop in the middle, and bring the dough back up around it.

Or you can split the dough in half, flatten each half into a round, place the filling on one round, top it with the other, and pinch the edges to seal.

Roll the ball between your hands, coat it in sugar, and place it on the lined baking sheet with about 2 inches of space between each cookie.

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the surface is puffy with a few cracks. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.

Chill the dough until it is firm

Freshly mixed dough is soft and sticky. If you try to wrap the filling too soon, the dough will slide and tear. Give it the full chill, and if it starts to soften while you are working, slide the board back into the fridge for a few minutes before you continue.

Split the work across two days

Both the filling and the dough need chilling, so the calmest plan is to make the cheesecake dollops and the cookie dough on day one, then stuff, roll, and bake on day two. Prep takes about 50 minutes, chilling takes 2 hours or more, and the bake itself is only 10 minutes.

Keep the ratio at 4 to 1

About 4 parts cookie dough to 1 part cheesecake filling is the sweet spot. If you pile in more filling, the dough cannot cover it and the cookie will leak in the oven. If you use less, you lose that creamy surprise in the middle.

Handle the frozen filling with a spoon

Because the powdered sugar keeps the filling from freezing fully solid, it can stick to the parchment. Use a spoon or a small offset spatula to lift each dollop instead of pulling at it with your fingers.

Do not worry about a perfect seal

If a little cheesecake peeks through the dough, that is completely fine. The cookies do not need a flawless seal, and a crack with a bit of filling showing is exactly how they are supposed to look.

Storage

Because of the cream cheese filling, these cookies belong in the fridge. Keep them in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They are perfectly fine at room temperature for a couple of hours, so you can leave them out on a party plate without worry.

Straight from the fridge they are a little firmer, and some people honestly prefer them that way. If you want that just baked texture back, let them sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before eating.

You can also freeze the unbaked stuffed dough balls for up to 1 month. Bake them from frozen at 325°F and add a few extra minutes to the bake time, since they start cold.

For reference, the source nutrition estimate for one cookie is 352 calories, 50 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 16 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 1 g fiber, 32 g sugar, 202 mg sodium, and 56 mg cholesterol.

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Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies

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Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies These gingerbread cheesecake cookies are soft and chewy, warmly spiced, and rolled in sugar before they bake. Tucked into the middle of each one is a creamy cheesecake filling made from cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla.

• Total Time: 180 min
• Yield: 11 large cookies 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Cheesecake Filling
125 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
75 g powdered sugar
0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gingerbread Cookies
250 g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
0.25 teaspoon ground cloves
0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
0.25 teaspoon salt
150 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
100 g brown sugar
50 g granulated sugar
100 g cooking molasses
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For rolling
50 g granulated sugar

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Instructions

Cheesecake Filling
1-Prep: Prep: Line a plate with a small sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
2-Mix cheesecake mixture: Mix cheesecake mixture: In a small mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3-Scoop out dollops: Scoop out dollops: Use a small 1-tablespoon cookie scooper or a spoon to scoop and drop small dollops of cheesecake onto your lined plate.
4-Freeze: Freeze: Freeze the cheesecake dollops for at least 1 hour until firm (they won’t become fully solid but they should be firm enough to hold their shape) while you prepare the cookie dough.

Gingerbread Cookies
5-Prep: Prep: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Line a small cutting board with parchment paper. This second board will be used to chill the cookie dough so it can be any flat surface like a plate or another baking sheet. Set aside.
6-Flour mixture: Flour mixture: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
7-Butter mixture: Butter mixture: In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter. Use a hand mixer to beat the butter until it becomes very creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat until creamy and fluffy.
8-Add wet ingredients: Add wet ingredients: Add the molasses and beat again until thoroughly combined. Finally, add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again on low speed until combined.
9-Combine flour and butter mixtures: Combine flour and butter mixtures: Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Switch to a spatula to finish mixing to avoid overmixing.
10-Scoop cookie dough: Scoop cookie dough: Use a 4-tablespoon cookie scooper to scoop the cookie dough. Release the cookie dough balls on your lined board. They can be placed close together.
11-Chill dough: Chill dough: Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight until solid.
12-Prep: Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the granulated sugar for rolling to a shallow dish.
13-Stuff the cookie dough with cheesecake: Stuff the cookie dough with cheesecake: You can do this in two ways. 1) Press the cookie dough with your fingers until it becomes a flat sheet. Place the frozen cheesecake dollop in the middle and wrap it up by bringing the cookie dough back up around the cheesecake. 2) Split the cookie dough in half. Flatten each half separately into two flat rounds. Place the cheesecake dollop on top of one round. Place the other round on top and pinch the dough together to seal.
14-Roll in sugar: Roll in sugar: Roll the cookie dough ball in between your hands and then roll it in granulated sugar until coated. Place the dough ball on your lined baking sheet, leaving about 2″ in between each ball to account for spreading.
15-Bake: Bake: Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes or until the edges are set and the surface is puffy and slightly cracked.
16-Cool: Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

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• Prep Time: 50 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 352kcal
• Sugar: 32g
• Sodium: 202mg
• Fat: 16g
• Saturated Fat: 9g
• Carbohydrates: 50g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 56mg