Secret Recipe Cream Cheese Cookies (2024)

Introduction: Secret Recipe Cream Cheese Cookies

This recipe wasonce aclosely guarded secret. The story goes that someone's great aunt made the very best cream cheese cookies and fiercely guarded her recipe. She sweet talked her great aunt into giving her a copy but could never duplicate them just the same way her aunt had made. One day after her great aunt passed away a family member was to go through her things and happened upon her recipe box, where she found the original recipe for the cookies, and written on the recipe was "Secret Cream Cheese Cookies" and on the back was written, "DO NOT GIVE OUT UNTIL I AM DEAD". Luckily for me and you, this wonderful person shared the recipe here.

I made some alterations to this recipe, as well as added in some techniques, so hopefully you too can duplicate this recipe, to the enjoyment of your family and friends. I hear this makes a good spritz cookie base as well. It is also the base dough for my Double Cookie Cookie Monster Cookies Instructable

I chose this recipe because every time I bring this cookie somewhere I see several people eating the cookies, then eating more, telling others,or even grabbing extrasto bring to their spouses to try,and then of course the questions come "Who made these? Where can I get the recipe?"

Seriously...I had the wife of the deputy CIO of the company I work at trying to track down this recipe from me...it is that good.

My advice is to do yourself a favor and print at least 3 copies of the recipe to bring with you every time you bring these cookies somewhere. That or just tell them to search for this instructable.

And with that, I give you, Secret Recipe Cream Cheese cookies...the secret is out!

Step 1: The Recipe

If you are an established cook, this is probably all of the information you will need. But fear not, I will also provide step by step instructions with pictures later on.

Secret Cream Cheese Cookies
This recipe will make approximatel 70 cookies. If you do not have a stand mixer, you should halve both the dough and the frosting recipe. the original recipe was for half this quantity, but trust me, once you bring these somewhere, they will not last and you will want to keep some for yourself.

2cups butter
6 oz cream cheese
2cups sugar
2egg yolks
5cups flour
2Tbsp. vanilla

Cream butter and cream cheese . Slowly add sugar beat until fluffy
Beat in egg yolk, add flour and vanilla. Mix Well. Chill dough
For at least 1 hour. Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheet, or cookie sheet lined with a silpat. If your hands were warm or you let the dough sit at all at room temp, refridgerate again up to overnight.
Bake at 325 degrees for15-18 mins. The cookies will not brown but should not have any tranclucent shiny parts when they are done.

Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
4 tablespoons lime juice
4 tablespoons of butter

Cream butter and add sugar slowly add lime juice. Scoop frosting into a plastic ziplock sandwich bag, snip off the tip. Use the baggie to pipe lines of frosting on the cookies while still warm (let cookies sit about 10 minutes after being removed from oven on the pan to cool, then move them to the plate you wish to frost them on).

Step 2: Cream Butter and Cream Cheese

This step is pretty easy, just like the title...Cream the butter and cream cheese together. I've also noted that here you are using6 oz cream cheese, I like to use my fingernail to draw a line on the6 oz mark so when I go to cut, I can see where 6 oz is.2 cups butter isfour sticks of butter. Save the butter papers for greasing your cookie sheets. Mix the butter and cream cheese together until they look, well creamy.

Step 3: Slowly Add Sugar Beat Until Fluffy

Add the2 Cups of sugar in slowly as the beater is mixing. Beat until they look fluffy.

Step 4: Separate Egg and Add Just the Yolk

To separate an egg, using a clean bowl, crack the egg and then pour the egg yolk back and forth between the two halves of the egg shell until all of the white is left in the bowl. Save this for scrambled eggs or making macarons. You won't need the egg white for the rest of this recipe. Dump the 2 egg yolks into the mixer and run the mixer until it is incorporated.

Step 5: Add Flour and Vanilla

Add5 cups of flour, slowly so you don't get a giant puff cloud of flour. Mix. Add 2 Tbspvanilla. Mix well.

Take your bowl and park it in the fridge for at least 1 hour...chill out.

Step 6: Roll Out Dough Balls, Bake and Cool.

Shape into 1 inch balls. Place on greased cookie sheet, or cookie sheet lined with a silpat. If your hands were warm or you let the dough sit at all at room temp, refridgerate again up to overnight. Why's that? Well you can go ahead and bake them right away, but they will spread more. In my humble opinion they taste better when they remain thicker and denser, which is achieved by putting chilled dough into a 325 degree oven, versus room temp dough.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.Bake them for 15-18 minutes at 325 degrees. The cookies will not brown but should not have any tranclucent shiny parts when they are done.

Step 7: Make Frosting

Cream butter and add sugar slowly add lime juice.

You could if you wish use another type of flavoring but lime is my personal favorite, because we have a lime tree :)

Step 8: Frost the Cookies

Scoop frosting into a plastic ziplock sandwich bag, snip off the tip. Use the baggie to pipe lines of frosting on the cookies while still warm (let cookies sit about 10 minutes after being removed from oven on the pan to cool, then move them to the plate you wish to frost them on).

Step 9: Enjoy!

Enjoy your secret recipe cream cheese cookies. Whether you share the recipe or not is up to you!

Secret Recipe Cream Cheese Cookies (5)

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Secret Recipe Cream Cheese Cookies (2024)

FAQs

Why are my cream cheese cookies flat? ›

Q: Why are my cookies so thin and flat?
  • The butter or dough was too warm.
  • The dough was too wet.
  • Too much sugar, not enough flour.
  • The baking sheet was too warm or greasy.
  • Using too much baking soda.
  • Whipping too much air into the dough.
  • Adding too many eggs.
  • Using the wrong type of flour (or just too much flour).
Oct 9, 2023

What is the secret to a good cookie? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  • Always use butter.
  • Choose the right sugar.
  • Choose the right flour.
  • Check your flour is in date.
  • Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  • Cream the butter and sugar.
  • Beat in the eggs.
  • Fold in the flour.

Can I use sour cream instead of cream cheese? ›

Sour cream replicates cream cheese's taste but isn't quite as caloric, making it a good choice for a lower-calorie substitute. It gives baked goods a texture that's airy and moist, and even adds an extra bit of creaminess to cheesecake. You can substitute an equal amount of sour cream for cream cheese in recipes.

Can I use mayonnaise instead of cream cheese? ›

7 Recipes to Make With Mayonnaise Instead of Cream Cheese. The two are similar in texture and flavor: both are creamy and thick, easy to spread, and slightly tangy. Lady's Choice Real Mayonnaise also has a mild sweetness that Pinoys love, so it's the go-to for local faves like macaroni salad.

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

How do you make cookies fluffy instead of flat? ›

Adjust leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda are responsible for the rise and structure of cookies. If your cookies are too flat, try slightly increasing these leavening agents. Conversely, if your cookies are overly puffy and then collapse into flatness, it could be due to using too much leavening agent.

What makes cookies chewy and not hard? ›

If you enjoy your cookies soft and chewy, chances are likely the recipe contains a common ingredient that serves a very specific purpose. No, it's not granulated sugar, nor the butter. It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch.

Is cream cheese and Neufchatel the same? ›

The main difference is that cream cheese can be used as an ingredient for baked goods or as a thickening agent for sauces and soups. It provides a denser texture and sweeter taste. Neufchâtel can be a good option for use as a soft cheese with a richer, tangier flavor, but isn't as well suited for cooked applications.

Is the Laughing Cow cheese cream cheese? ›

What is the Laughing Cow made of? The Laughing Cow is creamy and delicious because of its secret recipe that includes skimmed milk and a variety of cheeses (Cheddar, Gouda, Edam, Emmental, Comté …) melted and blended in a way similar to a cheese fondue.

What replaces cream cheese? ›

Ten tried-and-true cream cheese swaps are thick strained yogurt, sour cream, Neufchâtel cheese, vegan cream cheese, mascarpone, ricotta, cottage cheese, fresh goat cheese, butter, and silken tofu.

Can I use Philadelphia instead of cream cheese? ›

Yes, it is. Philadelphia is a brand name, of course, and the product is a kind of cream cheese.

Can you substitute butter for cream cheese? ›

Cream cheese, mascarpone, ricotta and even cottage cheese can replace the butter in many recipes. Use high-quality whole milk cheeses in a 1:1 ratio for butter and consider straining ricotta or cottage cheeses through cheesecloth to help ensure they aren't adding too much liquid to your recipe.

Why did my cookies come out completely flat? ›

The Problem: Your Oven Is Too Hot

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot.

How do you fix cookies that are too flat? ›

Chilling cookie dough before baking it can prevent the fat from melting too quickly in the oven, which results in flat cookies. Be patient and let your dough rest in the refrigerator for the recommended time noted in the recipe before baking.

How to firm up cookies? ›

Chilling cookie dough in the refrigerator firms it up, which decreases the possibility of over-spreading. It not only ensures a thicker, more solid cookie but an enhanced flavor as well. In these soft chocolate chip cookies, for example, it helps develop a heightened buttery, caramel-y flavor.

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