The Best Fudgy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cream Cheese: Rich, Soft, and Chewy (No Chill Required!)
Prepare to fall in love with these extraordinary double chocolate chip cookies, uniquely crafted with a secret ingredient: cream cheese! Forget everything you thought you knew about traditional chocolate cookies, because adding cream cheese transforms them into an unparalleled delight. These aren’t just any chocolate cookies; they are incredibly rich, luxuriously ultra-soft, and perfectly chewy, promising an unforgettable bite every time. Trust us, once you experience the magic of cream cheese in your cookies, there’s no turning back!
If your heart beats for deep chocolate flavors and irresistibly fudgy desserts, then these cookies are about to become your new obsession. Each cookie boasts a perfectly fudgy center, reminiscent of your favorite brownie cookies, but with that distinctive soft and chewy texture only cream cheese can provide. This isn’t just a cookie recipe; it’s the ultimate chocolate indulgence designed to satisfy every chocolate lover’s sweet tooth. For those moments when you crave a delicious cookie with a little less chocolate intensity, be sure to explore my popular brown butter chocolate chip cookies. It’s my beloved spin on the traditional chocolate chip cookie, elevated with a significant flavor boost!
Why These Double Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies Are a Must-Try
This particular double chocolate chip cookie recipe stands head and shoulders above the rest, thanks to a few clever techniques and that star ingredient. Here’s why it consistently delivers perfect results and will quickly become a favorite in your kitchen:
- The Cream Cheese Advantage: If you’re new to using cream cheese in cookies, prepare for a revelation. Beyond imparting a subtle, delightful tang that enhances the chocolate, cream cheese has a higher melting point than butter. This scientific marvel means that when these incredible cream cheese chocolate cookies are baking in the oven, they steadfastly hold their shape. Unlike many cookies that can spread thin, these maintain their desirable thickness, ensuring a plush, substantial bite that is both soft and delightfully chewy. It’s the secret to their superior structure and irresistible texture.
- No Chilling Required – Instant Gratification! One of the biggest advantages of this recipe is the complete absence of chilling time for the dough. While many of my other cookie recipes (and most traditional ones) necessitate chilling to prevent spreading and develop flavor, this one skips that step entirely. That’s right – you can mix, bake, and be enjoying these soft, rich chocolate cookies within a mere 20 minutes! It’s perfect for impromptu baking sessions or when a chocolate craving simply can’t wait.
- Incredibly Versatile: Not only are these double chocolate chip cookies divine on their own, but their robust structure and incredible flavor make them ideal for other desserts. Elevate your summer treats by using them in my cookie ice cream sandwich recipe. Their rich chocolate base pairs perfectly with a scoop of your favorite ice cream!
Key Ingredients for Unforgettable Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Crafting the perfect double chocolate chip cookie with cream cheese relies on a balance of high-quality ingredients, each playing a vital role in achieving that rich, soft, and chewy texture. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why:
- Cocoa Powder: This is where the “double” in double chocolate truly comes to life! We use cocoa powder in the dough itself, creating a dark, intensely flavored base that perfectly complements the added chocolate chips. There’s simply nothing like a chocolate-on-chocolate experience to deliver that ultimate indulgent flavor profile. Opt for a good quality natural cocoa powder for the best results.
- Granulated Sugar: While many cookie recipes blend both granulated and brown sugar, this specific recipe focuses solely on granulated sugar. The absence of brown sugar is deliberate, as the cream cheese steps in to provide the essential moisture, chewiness, and depth of flavor that brown sugar typically contributes. This keeps the recipe simple yet incredibly effective.
- Cream Cheese: The star of the show! Adding cream cheese to these cookies is an absolute game-changer. It’s the secret behind their thick, incredibly chewy, and extraordinarily soft texture. Ensure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature for optimal creaming with the sugar.
- Vegetable Oil: Oil plays a critical role in this recipe, primarily by providing exceptional moisture. It helps keep the cookies wonderfully moist and contributes to their rich, luxurious mouthfeel. While one commenter, Laurie, bravely substituted melted butter for oil and found them “incredible,” our recipe calls for vegetable oil to achieve its signature texture. Feel free to experiment if you wish, but for consistent results with this recipe, vegetable oil is recommended.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: I prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips for these cookies because their slight bitterness and balanced sweetness beautifully complement the dark, rich cocoa dough. This pairing prevents the cookies from becoming overly sweet, allowing the complex chocolate flavors to shine through more effectively than milk chocolate might.
- All-Purpose Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, Large Egg, Vanilla Extract: These standard baking ingredients work in harmony to provide structure, leavening, balance the sweetness, and enhance the overall flavor profile. A large egg acts as a binder and adds moisture, while vanilla extract deepens the chocolate notes.
Easy Step-by-Step Instructions to Bake Perfect Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Get ready to create some of the most delicious cookies you’ve ever tasted! Follow these simple steps for perfectly soft, chewy, and fudgy double chocolate chip cookies with cream cheese.
- Prepare Your Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, meticulously whisk together the all-purpose flour, rich cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt. Whisking thoroughly ensures all leavening agents and flavorings are evenly distributed, leading to a consistent cookie texture. Set this bowl aside for later.
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Whisking together the dry ingredients ensures an even distribution. -
The well-combined dry ingredients are ready for the next step.
- Cream the Sugar and Cream Cheese: In the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine the granulated sugar and softened cream cheese. Beat them together on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is beautifully smooth and creamy. Ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature to prevent lumps and achieve this silky consistency.
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Softened cream cheese and granulated sugar beginning the creaming process. -
The perfectly creamed mixture of sugar and cream cheese, light and fluffy.
- Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Next, add the vegetable oil, large egg, and pure vanilla extract to the creamed sugar and cream cheese mixture. Mix again until everything is thoroughly combined and smooth. Remember, the oil is crucial here; it infuses the cookie dough with lasting moisture and a wonderful richness, contributing to that irresistible fudgy texture.
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The wet ingredients are added to the creamed mixture, ready for blending. -
The fully combined wet mixture, smooth and ready for the dry ingredients.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: With your wet ingredients perfectly mixed, gradually add the dry ingredients (from step 1) to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed until they are just combined. Be careful not to overmix the dough, as this can lead to tough cookies. Once the flour streaks have mostly disappeared, fold in your semi-sweet chocolate chips by hand. The resulting dough will be delightfully thick and ready for scooping.
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The dry ingredients are being gently mixed into the wet base to form the cookie dough. -
The finished, thick cookie dough, studded with delicious chocolate chips.
- Scoop and Prepare for Baking: Using a 2-tablespoon sized cookie scoop, portion out the thick cookie dough. Uniform scoops are key to ensuring all cookies bake evenly. Place the dough balls onto a baking sheet that has been lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Leave ample space, about 2 inches, between each cookie to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake to Perfection: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the centers still look slightly soft. This is critical for achieving that signature soft and chewy texture. Be careful not to overbake! Over-baked cookies will turn out dry and hard, losing all the wonderful qualities we’re aiming for. It’s better to underbake slightly for a chewier result.
- Cool and Enjoy: Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven. Let them rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes to firm up slightly before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. This cooling process helps them set properly and develop their full flavor and texture.
Expert Tips for the Best Cream Cheese Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
Achieving the perfect batch of these fudgy, soft, and chewy cookies is easy with a few simple tricks. Keep these expert tips in mind for consistently delicious results:
- Room Temperature Cream Cheese is Non-Negotiable: Always ensure your cream cheese is at true room temperature before you begin mixing. This crucial step allows it to cream smoothly with the sugar, creating a uniform, lump-free base for your dough. Cold cream cheese will result in a clumpy batter and a less even cookie texture.
- Invest in Quality Baking Surfaces: For effortless cleanup and to further minimize any potential spreading, always line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. While the cream cheese in this dough inherently helps prevent excessive spreading, these liners provide an extra layer of insurance and make removing your perfectly baked cookies a breeze.
- Master the Art of Not Overbaking: This is arguably the most important tip for soft and chewy cookies! Begin checking your cookies at the 8-minute mark. The ideal baking time is typically 9-11 minutes, but oven temperatures can vary significantly, and even altitude can play a role. You want the edges to be just set and the centers to still look slightly soft and gooey. A slightly underbaked cookie is soft and chewy; an overbaked cookie becomes dry and hard. Don’t be afraid to pull them out when they still seem a touch doughy in the middle – they will continue to set as they cool on the hot baking sheet.
- Smart Storage for Freshness: Due to the cream cheese content, these cookies have specific storage requirements. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day. For longer storage, or if you prefer them firm, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate them. When refrigerated, they will remain delicious for up to 3-4 days. For extended freshness, consider freezing them!
Delicious Variations to Customize Your Cookies
While these double chocolate chip cookies are perfect as is, feel free to get creative with your mix-ins. Switch out the semi-sweet chocolate chips for any of these delightful alternatives to create your own unique flavor combinations:
- Peanut butter chips
- Butterscotch chips
- Mint chocolate chips (for a festive touch!)
- White chocolate chips (for triple chocolate cookies!)
- Chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans
- Sprinkles (for a fun birthday cookie!)
Frequently Asked Questions About Baking Cookies
Adding an extra egg to a cookie recipe typically increases the moisture content and acts as an additional binder. This results in a chewier cookie with a denser, more cake-like texture. While it can enhance chewiness, it might also make the cookie less crispy on the edges, depending on the overall recipe balance. In this recipe, one large egg provides the perfect balance with the cream cheese.
Keeping cookies from spreading too much is a common baking challenge. Fortunately, these double chocolate cream cheese cookies have a built-in advantage! Thanks to the cream cheese in this recipe, which has a higher melting point than butter, these cookies inherently spread less than many traditional butter-based chocolate chip cookies. The cream cheese helps maintain their thick, fudgy structure even when baked. Additionally, using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat is highly recommended, as it creates a non-stick surface without adding extra fat that could encourage spreading. For other cookie recipes, chilling the dough is often a key step to firm up the fats and prevent over-spreading, although it’s not needed for this particular no-chill recipe.
Yes, it is possible to make cookies without eggs, but the resulting texture will be notably different. Eggs serve multiple crucial functions in baking: they act as a binder, holding ingredients together; they contribute moisture, making the dough softer; and they aid in leavening, creating a lighter texture. Without eggs, cookies tend to be much denser and more crumbly. If you’re looking for an egg-free option, you’d typically need to use egg substitutes or adjust other liquid and binding agents in the recipe.
For this specific recipe, I highly recommend against skipping or substituting the cream cheese! It truly is the star ingredient that gives these cookies their unique, ultra-soft, thick, and chewy texture, along with a subtle flavor that sets them apart. While it might seem unusual to some, trust me – the cream cheese is absolutely amazing here and essential to achieving the intended result. Substituting it would fundamentally change the cookie’s structure and flavor profile.
Absolutely! Both the cookie dough and the baked cookies can be successfully frozen for future enjoyment.
- To freeze dough: Scoop the dough into balls as directed, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until solid (about 1-2 hours). Transfer the frozen dough balls to an airtight freezer-safe container or a Ziplock bag and store for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, you can bake from frozen, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time, or let them thaw in the refrigerator until firm but not frozen solid. Because of the cream cheese, always store this dough in the fridge or freezer, not at room temperature.
- To freeze baked cookies: Allow the cookies to cool completely. Once cool, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then, transfer the frozen cookies to a freezer-safe Ziplock bag or airtight container. They can be stored in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw at room temperature or gently warm in the microwave for a fresh-baked experience.
Explore More Delicious Cookie Recipes
If you’re a fan of homemade cookies, be sure to check out some of these other fantastic recipes from our kitchen:
- Irresistible Chocolate Orange Cookies
- Perfectly Soft Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
- Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Quick Small Batch No-Bake Cookies
- Easy Brownie Mix Cookies
Did you bake this incredible recipe? We’d absolutely love to hear about your experience! Click here to leave a star rating and review, or simply scroll down to the recipe card below and share your thoughts. Your feedback helps us and other bakers!
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Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Cream Cheese!)
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup natural cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 7 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup + 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat to prevent sticking and promote even baking. Set this prepared sheet aside.
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In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, natural cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until they are well combined. This ensures uniform leavening and flavor distribution in your cookies. Set this mixture aside.
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In the bowl of your stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), combine the granulated sugar and softened cream cheese. Beat on medium speed for approximately 2 minutes, or until the mixture is light, fluffy, and completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then, add the egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Mix again on medium speed until all these wet ingredients are fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
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Gradually add the prepared dry ingredients (from step 2) to the wet mixture in the stand mixer. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are just combined, being careful not to overmix. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour, leading to tough cookies. Finally, fold in the semi-sweet chocolate chips by hand until they are evenly distributed throughout the thick dough.
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Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion out the dough into uniform balls. Place these dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet, ensuring there is about 2 inches of space between each cookie to allow for proper spreading during baking.
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Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the centers still appear slightly soft. This slight softness in the middle is key to achieving a truly fudgy and chewy cookie. Remember: it’s better to slightly underbake than to overbake, as overbaked cookies will lose their softness and become dry.
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Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes to firm up slightly before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy these rich, soft, and chewy double chocolate chip cookies!
Video
Notes
Let the cream cheese come to room temperature. This will make it easier to cream with the sugar and will reduce the chance of clumps.
Use parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet for quicker clean up and to further reduce the chance of cookies spreading while baking. However, thanks to the cream cheese in this dough, there won’t be much spreading. 👏🏻
Check on the cookies at the 8-minute mark just to make sure you don’t over bake them. The recommended bake time is 9-11 minutes, however, some ovens are different and altitude can have an effect as well. We don’t want these cookies overdone or else they won’t be as soft and chewy as they should be!
These double chocolate cream cheese cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 day, but any longer they should be stored in the refrigerator due to the cream cheese in the cookies.
Variations:
Switch out the semi-sweet chocolate chips for:
- Peanut butter chips
- Butterscotch chips
- Mint chips
- White chocolate chips
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on April 28, 2018, and has been thoughtfully updated on January 16, 2020, with fresh pictures and clearer, more detailed instructions to enhance your baking experience.
