Chocolate Chip Cookies: Cream Cheese Softbatch Chocolate Chip Cookies

A few months ago I did a line up of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes. Here is a new favorite so, I'm dedicating this recipe to my sister for two reasons. First, because she was at my house the first time I made them. Second, because she swears that she can't bake, and these cookies broke her bad baking streak.

Casey, my sister, insists she can't make cookies, breads, or rolls to save her life. Fresh flour, fresh yeast-doesn't matter. This is a tragedy because cookies, breads, and rolls are essential for a happy life, right? Still, she makes a mean stroganoff, she sings like no other, and is one of the most generous people I know. And now, thanks to this beautiful recipe, she can successfully make a mean batch of soft cream cheese chocolate chip cookies.

Why put cream cheese in a chocolate chip cookie? Can you even taste it? Honestly, no, you can't. The cookies don't have that cream cheese tang or flavor. The cream cheese replaces some of the butter, so the dough is still moist, but not intensely buttery, like Donovan's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies. There is enough butter to give the cookies a satisfying crisp on the outside. But, if you've been looking for a cookie that isn't overly rich and buttery, a cookie that is entirely soft-batch style, then this is the cookie for you.

The original recipe insists on refrigerating the dough for 2 hours. I'll be honest though. I've made these without refrigerating, and the cookies were still fat, soft and lovely. No spreading problems. (Could be a fluke though.)

I also always use an ice cream scoop so that my cookies are uniform in size. Plus, then they are all oversized! The only downside is that I get fewer cookies. The upside is that you can say that you only had one cookie- no need to mention it was the size of a baby hedgehog. This batch only yields about 16 massive cookies, so if you want more, double it.

 

Final tip, may I suggest using Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips? I have used semi-sweet, but I feel like this dough really lends itself to milk chocolate. The huge chips Ghirardelli makes hold their shape when they bake, but then they almost burst when you bite into them, warm, straight out of the oven.

Cream Cheese Softbatch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup cream cheese
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cup flour**
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Cream butter, cream cheese, and sugars until light and fluffy.
2. Add egg and vanilla. Continue to cream  until incorporated. 
3. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. 
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Chill dough for 2 hours. 
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into balls. Flatten the balls slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until just beginning to set. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling. 
7. IF YOUR COOKIES ARE HUGE, like mine usually are, it will take longer than 8-9 minutes. More like 10-12. Watch them carefully and do not over bake.

** I live at a high altitude, so I always add about 2 tablespoons of flour when I bake. It seems to help with spreading, especially when baking with butter. The 2 1/4 cups of flour is the original amount of flour, without any additional flour to accommodate high altitude bakers.



Bake the bread. Share the slices.