Creamy lemon cheesecake filling in between two soft strawberry cookies. These cookies are fruity, buttery and tangy, perfect for summer!
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I was looking over my blog the other day and realised just how many cheesecake recipes I have on here... My blog is definitely a reflection of my own tastes, and I guess it shows how much I love cheesecake! This time I've got a cheesecake inspired cookie. The creamy cheesecake filling is surrounded by two soft strawberry studded cookies to create a fruity, yet rich dessert.
Tips for making cookies with fruit
Making cookies with fresh fruit is very different to making cookies with chocolate or nuts as they will release liquid into the batter. This can bring extra softness and flavour to the cookie, but it can also make it soften quicker and fall apart. Make sure to follow these tips to prevent the latter from happening!
- Use fresh strawberries: After experimenting both fresh and frozen fruit in my cookies I found that fresh fruit holds up a lot better in cookies. Frozen fruits tend to release a lot of water as they thaw, and that transfers to the cookie, resulting in a soft and slightly soggy cookie that will have a hard time holding itself together.
- Cut the strawberries into large chunks: Make sure you don't cut your strawberry too finely. The finer you cut the strawberries the more they are distributed through the cookie dough. This will change the texture of the cookie, making your dough significantly softer
- Chill your dough: It is important to chill your dough as it makes it easier to handle, as well as preventing excessive spreading once the cookies are in the oven
- Work quickly: The more you handle the dough, the more the strawberries will breakdown in the batter. This releases extra moisture so don't spend too much time rolling the cookie dough balls
- Use a cookie scoop/ice-cream scoop: This is optional, but if you have one they are perfect for portioning the dough as it decreases the amount of time spent handling it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know when the cookies are ready?
The cookies are ready when they are lightly golden brown, and darker brown around the edges. The cookies will look set, but will still be soft if you try to pick them up. They will firm up as they cool don't worry!
Why are my cookies so soft?
These cookies tend to be on the softer side due to the use of fresh fruit, that's why it is important to make sure the cookies are fully baked. If they are under baked they have a tendency to be softer.
They can also be softer if you cut the strawberries too finely. There is no need to dice the strawberries as it causes them to distribute throughout the cookie dough, adding extra moisture. All you need is a rough chop/dice!
What kind of cream cheese should I use?
To make the filling it's better to use block cream cheese rather than spreadable cream cheese. This is because the texture is firmer, creating a denser, creamy cheesecake filling.
Do I have to make the filling?
Nope! If you just want some delicious strawberry cookies feel free to just bake the cookies. They are equally as delicious.
Can I use frozen strawberries?
I would recommend against using frozen strawberries. Frozen fruits tend to release a lot of water when they thaw, causing the surrounding cookie dough to be very wet. This can give the appearance of the cookie still being raw despite a longer bake time. Use fresh strawberries when possible.
How long do these last?
These are best 1-2 days from when they are made. As they have fresh fruit the strawberries will release their juices into the cookie the longer they sit. This creates an incredibly flavourful and moist cookie, but it won't hold up as long as chocolate chip cookie.
How should I store these?
It is important to store these cookies in the fridge as they have a cream cheese filling. This prevents it from spoiling as well as giving it more of a cheesecake texture. Place these cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for optimum storage!
Let's Get Baking
If you love cheesecake, if you love strawberries, if you love cookies, if you love a subway cheesecake cookies..?! No matter what you love you'll love these so I hope you make them!
If you make these make sure leave a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how it went. Also tag me on instagram @catherine.justdessertsau and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your creations.
Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy baking!
PrintStrawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Creamy lemon cheesecake filling in between two soft strawberry cookies. These cookies are fruity, buttery and tangy, perfect for summer!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Strawberry Cookies
- 120g Unsalted butter, room temperature (½ cup)
- 100g White sugar (½ cup)
- 45g Brown sugar (¼ cup)
- 1 Egg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 180g Plain flour (1 ½ cup)
- ½ tsp Baking soda
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup Strawberries, roughly chopped
Cream Cheese Filling
- 200g Cream cheese (7.05 oz)
- 60g Unsalted butter, room temperature (¼ cup)
- 50g White sugar (¼ cup)
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Strawberry Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 355F
- Combine butter, white sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat on high speed until light and fluffy
- Add egg and vanilla, beat until combined
- Add flour, baking powder and baking soda, mix until just combined
- Gently fold in chopped strawberries
- Cover bowl with cling wrap and chill for at least 1 hour
- Remove and shape into 12 balls, flatten slightly
- Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper (make sure to leave enough space between each ball for the cookie to spread)
- Bake for 12-13 minutes until golden brown
- Cool completely
Cream Cheese Filling
- Combine the cream cheese, butter, sugar, lemon juice and zest in the bowl of a stand mixer
- Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until smooth and creamy
- Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip
- Pipe a large dollop on the bottom of a cookie and top with a matching sized cookie
- Place in an airtight container and store in the fridge until it's time to eat!
Keywords: strawberry, cheesecake, lemon, cookies, berry, butter, baking
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Do you think this would work if baked as bar cookies? My thought was to bake them in a brownie pan, cut them, and put the cream cheese mixture in between two bars. It seems like it would be less time consuming and less handling of the cookie dough.
Hi Linda, Yes you could definitely bake them as bars, but be aware the baking won't be as even. I would recommend baking them a little thinner than the cookies as the big surface will take longer to bake. Hope this helps!
Love the cookies
Thanks Tony!
Will this work with freeze dried strawberries?
Hi Leah, Yes definitely!
Hi! I tried your recipe after I saw it on tik tok and even though I chilled the bowl of cookie mix in the fridge for an hour, they still spread a lot!! They became quite thin and kinda tasted like a sponge cake in cookie form. Any tips on how to make them stay thicker and spread less in the oven?
Hi Shevaun,
Yes there are a couple of tips! If you used cup measurements I highly recommend weighing out the ingredients as it gives you more accurate measurements. Don't mix your dough too much as this distributes moisture from the strawberries, making them spread more. And try not to flatten your cookies as after placing them on the tray!
Hello. what is the temperature of the oven?
180C 🙂
holaaa y como se hace para que las galletas no queden duras después de enfriarlas
★★★★★
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Hello! I tried this recipe today and it turned out better than I expected! I only added half a tbsp of lemon juice because I I was afraid it would be too much for me. 🙁 It turned out amazing though and the combo of the lemon and strawberries is perfect!
★★★★★
Hi Jamie! So glad they turned out well 🥰🥰