Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies

5 from 8 ratings

Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies

These cream cheese shortbread cookies have a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture and are so delicious! This recipe uses only 5 ingredients and is so easy to make!!

Prep Time5

Cook Time14

Additional Time2

Total Time2 19

Course: Cookies

Cuisine: American

Servings: 16 cookies

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies

3/4 cup (6 oz) block full-fat cream cheese, room temperature 170g
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature 170g
1/2 cup granulated sugar 100g
1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 4g
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 215g
1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles - optional 60g

Instructions

Mix together 3/4 cup of cream cheese and 3/4 cup butter on a medium-high speed until fully combined.
Add in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix on a medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes lighter in color.
Slowly mix in 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour on a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as need. The cookie dough should be thick and a bit sticky.
Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Preheat your oven to 350 F / 175 C and take your cookie dough out of the fridge.
Cut the block of cookie dough into 16 equal sized pieces.
Toss each block of cookie dough in a small bowl filled with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar until lightly coated, then use the flat bottom of a glass to flatten each cookie to be about 1/3 inch thick. If your glass is sticking to your cookies as you flatten them, dunk the bottom of the glass in the bowl of granulated sugar.
If desired, sprinkle a tsp of sprinkles on top of each flattened cookie and gently press them into the cookie using the bottom of the same glass.
Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown. Keep an eye on these cookies, they brown quickly, and you don't want to over-bake them.
Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or for up to a week in the fridge.

Video

Notes

Making Mini Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies

Make mini cream cheese shortbread cookies that are half the size! Roll out 32 cookie dough balls and bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 F / 175 C.

This recipe can also easily be doubled to increase the yield!

Tips to Make the Best Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies:

Make sure your butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. They won't mix together properly if they're cold.

Really cream together the butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar. It helps incorporate air into the dough which makes tender cookies.
Don't overwork your cookie dough once you've added in the flour. Mix the flour in slowly and on a low speed just until the flour is incorporated. This will help ensure they up crisp rather than chewy.
Flatten your cookies to a consistent thickness of about 1/3 inch. If some are thicker or thinner than others, they may over or under bake.
Chill your cookie dough. It helps prevent your cookies from over-spreading while they bake.
Don't over bake your cookies. Err of the side of underbaking your cookies and remember that the cookies continue to bake once they're out of the oven.

How to Store These Cookies:

You can store these cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or for up to a week in the fridge.

This cookie dough can also be frozen for up to 1 month if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container. I like to move the cookie dough to the fridge the night before I plan to roll it out and bake the cookies.

Baked cookies can also be frozen! These cookies last for up to 3 months if frozen in an airtight container or a freezer bag.

Move them to the fridge the day before you plan to eat them, then either enjoy them cold out of the fridge or let them sit out at room temperature for a couple hours before serving.

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