These Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are filled with Cheesecake and amazing strawberry flavor, made from only real strawberries. They're ultra soft, chewy, and the perfect addition to your summer table. All you need is 9 ingredients and 20 minutes to make!
I absolutely love incorporating berries into my cooking and baking once the weather warms up!
If you love sweet recipes with berries, I highly recommend my Gluten Free Chocolate Donuts with Strawberry Glaze or my Gluten Free White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies.
I love that you can incorporate strawberries into any meal of the day!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Tools You'll Need
- WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR THE GF COOKIE BATTER
- WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING
- Substitution
- How to Make This Strawberry Cheesecake Cookie Recipe
- Prep Ahead Options for Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Recipe FAQs
- Cookie Making Tips and Tricks
- More Berry Recipes You'll Enjoy
- Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Perfectly bite sized. These strawberry cheesecake cookies are made with a 1 tablespoon ice-cream scoop. They're the perfect small dessert for summer picnics and holidays like the 4th of July when you'd like a taste of a couple of sweets or for packing in school lunchboxes for littles.
- A favorite summer baking activity. When the kids are out of school for the summer, baking with the whole family is a must. If you and your family love these cheesecake filled cookies, you're guaranteed to love my White Chocolate Raspberry Blondies or my Gluten Free Oreo Cheesecake!
- These cookies don't taste gluten free. You know what I am talking about. There's nothing worse than dry and over crumbly cookies and unfortunately, if you've been gluten free for some time, you've likely experienced this a few times. These gluten free pumpkin cookies are just as soft, buttery, and chewy as the classics.
Tools You'll Need
- Small saucepan
- Stand mixer
- Mixing bowl
- 1 tablespoon ice-cream scoop
- Baking sheet
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR THE GF COOKIE BATTER
Creaming together the sugar and unsalted butter is the first step in making the best light and fluffy strawberry cheesecake cookies. Try this method in my Gluten Free White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies, too!
When they are in season, there is nothing better than freshly cooked strawberries. They are delicious and add a powerful flavor punch in this easy gluten free cookie recipe.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING
Cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and kosher salt are the only ingredients you'll need to make the super simple cheesecake filling (aka the best topping for pumpkin pie cookies). I highly recommend baking with kosher salt if you have it, but if needed you can use table salt or sea salt and halve the amount called for.
Substitution
- Granulated sugar substitutions: I prefer to bake these strawberry cheesecake cookies with regular granulated sugar. If you want to try it with light brown sugar it may not pair well with the fresh strawberry flavor. Note that strawberry cheese cookies baked with light brown sugar will be darker in color and bolder flavor due to the additional molasses.
- Unsalted butter substitutions: I highly recommend using unsalted butter, but you can use salted butter, if you prefer. Simply omit the kosher salt from the cookie dough batter.
- GF flour substitutions: My favorite gluten free flour mixture is Bob's Red Mill. If you are not gluten free, you can substitute all purpose flour 1 to 1 for the gluten free flour blend.
How to Make This Strawberry Cheesecake Cookie Recipe
- Cook the strawberries with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Over medium heat, stir together the strawberries and a bit of sugar, cooking until they become tender and juicy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
- Cream the butter, sugar, and freshly cooked strawberries. Place butter, granulated sugar and strawberries in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until smooth and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, mixing just until combined. Add all the dry ingredients, and mixed until just combined.
- Form the cookies. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop strawberry cookies onto parchment paper, using a 1 tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop.
- Chill the cookies. Place the strawberry cookies in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- Prepare the cheesecake filling. Next, whisk together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside, keeping at room temperature.
- Arrange the cookies on a cookie sheet. Remove the strawberry cookie dough balls from the refrigerator, and place on a parchment-lined sheetpan, about 2 inches apart.
- Form a small crater in each cookie. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and gently press your thumb into the center of each cookie dough ball, pressing outward, until a 1 - inch crater is formed.
- Fill strawberry cookies with cheesecake filling. Dollop about 2 teaspoons of cheesecake mixture into the center of each pumpkin cookie. This is easiest to do using a small teaspoon, a small ice-cream scoop or a piping bag.
- Bake and cool. Place the gluten free strawberry cookies in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Once baked, let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Prep Ahead Options for Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
If you'd like to prep these strawberry cheesecake cookies ahead of time and bake right before serving, follow steps 1-6 and store the cookie dough balls in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap until you are ready to bake.
I also recommend refrigerating the cream cheese filling in a separate airtight container, then allow it to come to room temperature when you're ready to fill the pumpkin cookies with cheesecake.
Recipe FAQs
Gluten free cookies can be vegan, but not always. This gluten free pumpkin cookie recipe is made with both butter and eggs, making them suitable for vegetarians. If you are looking for a vegan and gluten free cookie recipe, make sure they are made without eggs, dairy, and gelatin.
I recommend 1 to 1 gluten free flour blends for the best soft and chewy gluten free strawberry cookies with a tender crumb. I use Bob's Red Mill, but your favorite 1 to 1 blend will work, too.
Yes, absolutely. If you'd like to freeze this cookie dough, place it in the freezer instead of the refrigerator after forming the dough balls. Once the dough balls are frozen solid, about 2 hours, transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container. Then, when you'd like to bake them, remove them from the freezer, place the dough balls back on a cookie dough sheet and thaw completely in the refrigerator before continuing the remaining instructions.
This recipe has only been tested with fresh strawberries. Frozen strawberries will work, but should be cooked for 2-3 minutes longer, as they produce more liquid. Raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries may work in this recipe, but I have not tested it this way, so I cannot say for sure.
Cookie Making Tips and Tricks
- Use room temperature butter and eggs. This helps ensure all ingredients are able to mix well and make the best, soft and fluffy batter.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl after each addition of ingredients. If the butter is not well mixed into the batter, it will melt out of the sides of the strawberry cheesecake cookies and burn while the cookie bakes.
More Berry Recipes You'll Enjoy
Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (4 ounces)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, divided (reserve 2 tablespoons for the strawberries)
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups gluten free all-purpose flour (1:1 ratio)
- ½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
Cheesecake Filling Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coarse Kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the strawberries and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar into a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, the strawberries are tender and thick syrup has formed. Set aside to cool for about 20 minutes.
- Place butter, granulated sugar, and strawberries in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and well creamed, scraping down the bowl of the mixer as needed.
- Next, add egg and vanilla extract, mixing until combined. Scrape down the bowl. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine gluten-free all purpose flour, salt, and baking soda.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and mix on low until just combined. Remove from the mixer, and scrape the bottom of the bowl, ensuring the mixture is well combined.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop cookies onto parchment paper, using a 1 tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop. Place the cookies in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
- Next, make the cheesecake mixture by whisking together the cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Set aside, keeping at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the cookie dough balls from the refrigerator. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and gently press your thumb into the center of each cookie dough ball, pressing outward, until a 1 - inch crater is formed.
- Once each cookie has a crater formed in the center, dollop about 2 teaspoons of cheesecake mixture into the center of each cookie. You can do this by using a small teaspoon, a small scoop or a piping bag.
- Place the cookies in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, rotating halfway through baking. Once the cookies are baked, let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- The cookie batter can be made and scooped ahead of time. Simply freeze the dough balls instead of chilling. Wrap tightly, and store frozen for up to 2 weeks. Before baking, remove from the freezer, and let thaw completely, at room temperature for 1 hour.
- This recipe can be made using regular all-purpose flour. I recommend a cake flour.
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