These Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are the perfect sweet treat for any occasion! Fresh strawberries folded into a decadent cookie dough, these will be a new favorite for sure!
I don't know about you, but when summer hits, I am so excited. There is so much fresh fruit available and it is the best! I love strawberries so when it is strawberry season, I am trying to find ways to put them into anything I can get my hands on. These Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are the perfect Summer treat. Soft and fluffy cookie dough filled with fresh strawberries and vegan cream cheese, these cookies are soft and delicious!
For some other great recipes, check out this Dairy-Free Key Lime Pie, this Red, White and Blue Pound Cake, this Peach Cobbler Pound Cake, this Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake or this Vegan and Gluten-Free Pound Cake!
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What Makes These Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies So Great?
- Vegan and Dairy-Free- These cookies are both vegan and dairy-free! Perfect for those who can't tolerate dairy.
- Perfect Summer Dessert- Filled with fresh fruit, these cookies are the perfect Summer dessert. When strawberries are ripe, they taste just like candy!
- Perfect Shareable Dessert- Impress all your friends with these cookies! They are the perfect shareable dessert! I love bringing them to parties where they are a huge hit!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh Strawberries- It is important to use fresh strawberries in this recipe. I would not recommend using frozen strawberries as they hold a lot of excess water and will water down the cookies, making them spread out too much.
- Vegan Cream Cheese- Vegan Cream Cheese forms that delicious cream cheese filling. I love the Kite Hill brand of cream cheese but you can use your favorite brand.
- White and Brown Sugar- We use two types of sugar in this recipe to create a soft and chewy cookie that rises. If you just use brown sugar, you will get a flat, chewy cookie, if you only use white sugar, you will get a crisp cookie that doesn't have that great chewy texture.
See the recipe card for the full ingredient list and quantities.
Instructions
- Scoop out the cream cheese into 1 teaspoon-sized balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the freezer while making the cookie dough.
- Cream together the butter and the sugars until fully combined and no clumps remain.
- Add the flax eggs and vanilla, and cream together until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until a thick cookie dough is formed.
- Dice the strawberries into small, bite-sized pieces and gently fold them into the cookie dough, being careful not to crush the strawberries.
- Refrigerate the dough for 2-4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the cream cheese mixture from the freezer and the cookie dough from the fridge.
- Scoop large balls of cookie dough (I just used a large spoon) onto the baking sheet. Using the back of the spoon or your thumb, press an indent into the center of the cookie dough and place the vegan cream cheese.
- Form the dough into a ball around the cream cheese. Be sure it is completely sealed inside. Make sure to space the cookies about 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies are just set in the middle.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking pan before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Hint: Make sure to chill the cookie dough. If you don't chill the cookie dough long enough, it will spread and you will have a big mess.
Substitutions
- Strawberries - If you don't have strawberries on hand, you can copy this recipe with any fruit that you have. Just make sure to cut it up finely.
- Flax Egg - If you don't have flaxseed, the flax egg can be replaced with aquafaba.
- Sugar-Free - Feel free to use your favorite sugar-free substitute in this recipe to make it sugar-free.
You are going to love these Strawberry Crunch Cookies!
Variations
- Blueberry - Swap the strawberries for blueberries for a fun variation!
- Flavored Cream Cheese -Take this to another level by using Strawberry cream cheese! Just make sure it's vegan!
- Gluten-Free - Swap the all purpose flour with Gluten-Free 1:1 flour.
Check out these Vegan Lemon Cookies or these Matcha Cookies for another fun cookie recipe!
FAQ's
If you are wanting to keep these vegan then make sure to use vegan cream cheese. If keeping these vegan isn't a priority for you, then you can use regular dairy cream cheese.
Of course! Feel free to skip the filling, the chopped strawberries will be amazing on their own!
If you are in a pinch, you can but it is not recommended. The frozen strawberries hold a lot of extra water and will bleed into the dough. If you need to use frozen strawberries, add them to a colander and let them thaw completely and then using a paper towel, dab them dry.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. See below for the equipment you will need to make this recipe.
- Glass Mixing Bowls
- Stand Mixer or hand mixer
- Rubber Spatula
- Parchment Paper
- Baking sheet
Storage
Since the cookies contain cream cheese, it is best to store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze these cookies for up to one month.
Top tips
- Try not to add more strawberries to the dough than the recipe calls for. Too many strawberries will make the dough hard to work with.
- The dough will be a bit sticky. Keep a cloth nearby and wipe your fingers on it before moving to the next cookie to make it a bit easier to work with if the dough is too sticky.
- The chill time is important! Chilling the cookie dough relaxes the gluten allowing the cookies to taste more cake-like and spread less.
- Don't freak out that these cookies seem large. They are supposed to be! You will need enough cookie dough to completely surround the cream cheese mixture and that will result in big cookies!
Other Great Desserts to Try!
- Banana Pudding Lasagna
- Fruit Salad with Whipped Cream
- Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
- Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Red White and Blue Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles
Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies (Dairy-Free)
Equipment
- 1 Cookie Sheet
- 1 Glass Mixing Bowl
- 1 Measuring Cups
- 1 Measuring Spoons
- 1 parchment paper
- 1 Stand or Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup vegan butter
- 2 flax eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese
Instructions
- Scoop out the cream cheese into 1 teaspoon-sized balls. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the freezer while making the cookie dough.
- Cream together the butter and the sugars until fully combined and no clumps remain.
- Add the flax eggs and vanilla, and cream together until smooth.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until a thick cookie dough is formed.
- Dice the strawberries into small, bite-sized pieces and gently fold them into the cookie dough, being careful not to crush the strawberries.
- Refrigerate the dough for 2-4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the cream cheese mixture from the freezer and the cookie dough from the fridge.
- Scoop large balls of cookie dough (I just used a large spoon) onto the baking sheet. Using the back of the spoon or your thumb, press an indent into the center of the cookie dough and place the vegan cream cheese.
- Form the dough into a ball around the cream cheese. Be sure it is completely sealed inside. Make sure to space the cookies about 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until the cookies are just set in the middle.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking pan before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Try not to add more strawberries to the dough than the recipe calls for. Too many strawberries will make the dough hard to work with.
- The dough will be a bit sticky. Keep a cloth nearby and wipe your fingers on it before moving to the next cookie to make it a bit easier to work with if the dough is too sticky.
- The chill time is important! Chilling the cookie dough relaxes the gluten allowing the cookies to taste more cake-like and spread less.
- Don't freak out that these cookies seem large. They are supposed to be! You will need enough cookie dough to completely surround the cream cheese mixture and that will result in big cookies!
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Jere Cassidy says
These cookies are an absolute YUM! That is genius freezing the cream cheese in balls and stuffing the cookies with them. I'm a strawberry lover too, just bought a half-flat at the market so this recipe was put to good use.
Natalie says
My kids adore strawberries, so we spent an afternoon making these delightful cookies. Kids and I loved them, thanks!
Marta says
Strawberry cheesecake is my absolute favorite, so when I saw it in cookie form I had to make them. I was shocked, after tasting them, that they were vegan. They tasted like conventional cookies, not lacking or missing anything.
Andrea says
Aren't those fun! And they look pretty easy to make as well. Not too fussy. I can't wait to try them!
Michele says
The whole family loved the strawberry cheesecake cookies. Yum! We will be making these cookies again very soon!
Peter says
I was looking for a diary free cookie recipe, and these were delicious! Perfect for strawberry season!
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli says
mmmm...that cream cheese center was great with the strawberry pieces! Made these cookies extra gourmet!
Lauren Michael Harris says
mmm these strawberry cheesecake cookies sound amazing! I can't wait for fresh summer strawberries to make a batch!
Tammy says
Genius idea! I love the sound of these and cannot wait to make them..you've combined two of my favorites in one treat.
Marie says
Not sure what went wrong with mine. I refrigerated the dough for 2 hours and wound up with a runny mess after baking the cookies 🙁
kaydimaggio says
I'm so sorry to hear that, what brand of vegan butter did you use? I use Earth Balance buttery sticks when I bake, I have found that those have the best consistency.