Cherry cheesecake cookies are some of the best cheesecake cookies I have ever had. They have the wonderful cheesecake flavor but the consistency of a cookie.
I always love a good cheesecake dessert, and this one is high on my list. It is perfect to bring to your cookie exchanges. I can almost guarantee you will be the only one with these amazing cookies.
Everyone loves a good cheesecake recipe, and this is a great recipe that is a different spin on cheesecake. If you want more great cheesecake recipes, try our Brownie Caramel Cheesecake, Berry Cheesecake Trifle Recipe, and our 5-Ingredient Cake Batter Cheesecake.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Cherry Cheesecake Cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- Butter, softened
- Cream cheese, room temperature
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon zest
- Salt
- Powdered sugar
- Flour
- Graham cracker
- Cherry pie filling
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How To Make Cherry Cheesecake Cookies
- In a medium bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and salt until fluffy.
- Gradually mix in powdered sugar and flour to make stiff dough.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about 2 hours.
- Remove from fridge and preheat oven to 325 ℉.
- Shape dough into small one inch balls.
- Beat egg white until foamy.
- Dip balls in egg white then roll in graham cracker crumbs. Arrange cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet and make a depression in the middle of each cookie with your thumb.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown on the bottoms.
- Remove cookies from baking sheet and let cool.
- Fill depression with a teaspoon of pie filling (or as much as you can fit on each cookie).
Storage Suggestions
If you manage to not eat the whole tray of cookies immediately, these Cherry Cheesecake Cookies store well. Once cookies have completely cooled, here is how you can store them:
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 7 days in a refrigerator.
Can I Use a Different Pie Filling?
Yes you definitely can! Use whatever pie filling you or your family like! You can even make your own pie filling with this homemade cherry pie filling recipe from Christina’s Cucina. It is surprisingly super simple to do and extremely tasty.
Enjoy More Delicious Valentine’s Day Cookie Recipes
There’s nothing like homemade cookies that the whole family will love. Check out our comprehensive collection of cookie recipes here.
- Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Red Velvet Whoopie Pie Sandwich Cookies
- Strawberry Crinkle Cookies
- Valentine Sugar Cookies
Cherry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 lemon, for zest
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 20 ounces cherry pie filling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, cream butter, cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and salt until fluffy.
- Gradually mix in powdered sugar and flour to make stiff dough.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for about 2 hours.
- Remove from fridge and preheat oven to 325 ℉.
- Shape dough into small one inch balls.
- Beat egg white until foamy.
- Dip balls in egg white then roll in graham cracker crumbs. Arrange cookie dough balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet and make a depression in the middle of each cookie with your thumb.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown on the bottoms.
- Remove cookies from baking sheet and let cool.
- Fill depression with a teaspoon of pie filling (or as much as you can fit on each cookie).
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Not big on Truvia, but if it works for you, that’s wonderful! It’s all about making what works for you and your family. Thanks to all of you girls for supplying me with endless recipes!
Wow these were so good!:) I went ahead and used the real cream cheese and sugar, but it is nice to know you can make them diabetic friendly.
How do you store these?
In the refrigerator in an airtight container or covered in plastic.
May be a silly question, but how solid are they? Are they easy to pick up, or are a fork/spoon usually required? Just asking, b/c I have to take cookies in to the office, and these look divine!
You can totally just pick them up with your fingers. No fork necessary! 🙂
I want to use these for my cookie exchange, can they be frozen?
We eat them too quickly to ever make it to the freezer. They should freeze just fine.
Can you substitute strawberry filling
You can substitute any filling in these cookies.
Sorry, 1 package of cream cheese = 3 oz?
Is it really only a 3 oz package of cream cheese and not the 8 ounce package??
You only need 3 ounces, so if your store doesn’t sell the small cream cheese packages, you will have to use 3 ounces of the 8 ounce package. You’ll have enough cream cheese for a second batch!! 🙂
Cream cheese comes in two sizes, 3 ounces and 8 ounces. If your store does not carry the 3 ounce package, you will just have to purchase the larger one and use a little less than half of the package.
Thx so much for your reply.
I’ll definitely try it.
These look soo good ,how many cookies do you get out of this dough
Makes about 30 cookies.
love this recipe!! My middle name should be ” cheesecake”. I always eat more than my share, so love the idea of the smaller temptation ( cookies)”. Thanks so much for this wonderful idea. Cookies….here I come!!!
These were a hit. I took them to my boyfriend’s work and now I’m popular. Anyway, the only “head’s up” I have on these cookies is regarding placing them on the cookie sheet. When I made the thumb impression in the cookies, it really pressed them onto the cookie sheet and then the cookies stuck really well after baking. I recommend lightly greasing the cookie sheet or using wax paper. Also, 3 ounces is correct. I was a little concerned about using only three ounces. I was afraid the cheese flavor wouldn’t be strong. But it was perfect!!!
I am confused when people put recipes they never say what kind of butter, salted or unsalted? N what other topping would b good to put in middle?
As sisters we all use whatever we prefer. Half of us like salted and the other half use unsalted. So whatever your preference. If we feel strongly about one or the other it will definitely be written in the ingredients. In these cookies you could add other pie fillings if your family isn’t big cherry fans.
Can you leave the dough in fridge over night and make them the next day?
You shouldn’t have a problem with that. I just have the last batch in the over for me. I used a cookie scoop to make balls, but apparently my scoop is a lot bigger then an inch lol. I doubled the recipe and only got 32 cookies. But 32 delious amazing fruit covered cookies!
That should work just fine to refrigerate overnight in an airtight container.
Do these have to be refrigerated after cooked or can they be kept out?
I just realized that I forgot a lemon at the store, for the zest….will it make a difference, if I don’t use it?
I have made these type of cookies for years, and they are a family/friend favorite. The recipe won a cookie contest a few years back with Cooks Country, and the recipe makes almost 5 dozen cookies. The cookie dough freezes well. So I keep a bag of frozen cookies (rolled and indented), and a container of crushed graham crackers, and cherry pie filling on hand at all times. This enables me to make cookies for unexpected guest, or give as a gift. The only problem I have with the finished cookie is that they do NOT transport or store well. If I stack them up, the cherries stick to the bottoms of the top layer of cookies. But to tell the truth the finished cookies don?t last long enough to get stacked ;-} If you are interested in my recipe, I would be happy to share.
Please send it to me;)
that time of year for these types of cookies, love the idea of cheescake cookie combo, thank you for posting this!
I made these cookies for Christmas last year, they were such a hit that I have been asked to make them again this year, I think my husband would like them all year round, there are delicious!
This recipe is great and the cookies are delicious. Thanks for sharing! However, I left out the lemon zest (I do not have lemon at the time) and reduced the powdered sugar to 3/4 cup instead of the 1 cup. The dough becomes extremely sticky really fast even after about 2 hours of chilling it in the fridge. I ended up rolling it into small balls after covering it with graham cracker crumbs first. Is it be ok to reduce the powdered sugar and could it be why the dough becomes extra sticky?
Can I get the recipe?
Yes, we can certainly cut ten 8oz bars to the 3oz mark or weigh it out for accuracy. However, I have not seen the 3oz packages in the stores in over 30 years!
Are you sure they are still sold anywhere in that size?
I haven’t seen 3 ounce bars in a long time at our store.
Great recipe! I used a recipe to make the cherry filling rather than the pie filling because it has more cherries. And since we like nuts I rolled them in crushed pecans instead of graham cracker crumbs. Delicious! I like to make these at Christmas.