Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookies

Similar to your classic Peanut Butter Cookies, these cookies are make with cheesecake instead of butter, creating a smoother, thicker, texture. 

These cookies have been a long time coming. I’ve had the idea floating around in my head for a few weeks and finally made them. It’s really a simple concept- simply substituting butter for cream cheese in your cookies to give a completely different flavor and texture. I was scared to do this for a while because I don’t know a lot about recipe development and baking science quite yet, but I got lucky and this recipe worked out on the first try!

Cream cheese adds so much to cookies, it’s wonderful- and I don’t even like cream cheese! These are the thickest and most moist cookies I have EVER made. Something I’ve learned through baking so many cookies is that you can use almost any fat in cookies. I say almost because I get the feeling that if you used oil in your cookies, you’d get a goopy, brownie like mess… which doesn’t sound too bad, does it?

These are my favorite cookies I’ve ever made. I know, I say that with every cookie post. I guess that means I just like cookies! (Or that I’m getting better at making cookies, which is also a possibility.) But I love how thick they bake up; how moist the cream cheese keeps the cookies, and how little they spread.

Because cream cheese is sweeter than butter, I reduced the sugar. Most cookie recipes I have call for 1.5 C of sugar, and I reduced that to 1 C. I kept the ratios almost the same- I wanted moist cookies that don’t spread a lot, so I added more brown sugar than white. These cookies use only 1/4 C of white sugar, which isn’t much to induce spreading. I suggest pressing down slightly with your hand before baking if you want a flatter cookie rather than a mound of a cookie.

I plan on doing more baking with cream cheese… it’s not a skinny or healthy thing, but summer is my time to indulge before going back to school. So indulge with me. Treat… Yo’Self. (is that getting old yet?) Besides, cream cheese just adds soooo much to cookies! Try substituting it with my classic chocolate chip cookies, or in my s’mores cookies! Mmmm… cream cheese s’mores… I may need to make that next!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookies
Source: Pixiedustkitchen.com
Ingredients

• 8 oz (1 Cup) Cream Cheese (Full fat, not Neufchatel or low fat)
• 3/4 C Creamy Peanut butter
• 3/4 C Brown sugar
• 1/4 C granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 C all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

1. Cream cream cheese peanut butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add in eggs one at a time.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and soda. Mix into wet ingredients.
3. Let chill 1 hour and up to two days. Scoop 2 tbs size balls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. (Even if the middles look overdone, they will continue to cook and set up as they cool.) Let cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling wrack.
4. Cookies will keep for 2 weeks. Store in an airtight container.

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Soft Baked Peanut Butter Cookies