Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been awhile since I posted anything!  Today I was baking and I had some extra time to snap some photos so I thought I would post something.  I've been steadily baking all along - I've just been lazy about snapping pics & taking time to post them.  These cookies are incredibly good so I figured I'd share them with you.  I found them on a blog called Averie Cooks.  I'm not sure how I came across her blog but when I saw these cookies, I knew I had to try them. I'm always excited to try another chocolate chip cookie recipe.

I followed this recipe exactly and I left the dough in the fridge overnight.  The dough was so firm when I went to scoop it out that I really had to use a lot of muscle to get a good round scoop. But I think the firmness of the dough is what kept them from spreading alot. Therefore, the cookies are really thick. They are soft and gooey and you cannot taste the cream cheese in them but somehow it slightly changes the flavor.  I used semi sweet chips and some Guittard vanilla chips.  These cookies are really fragile when you first remove them from the oven.  I had to let them sit a good 15 minutes before I could pick one up.  At first I thought maybe I undercooked them but no, they just needed to sit awhile.  I removed them from the oven when the edges were golden brown. The middle is so thick that it was still slightly doughy when I removed them from the oven, but that's how I like my cookies!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies

Averie Cooks

YIELD: about 28 medium-small cookies

 

PREP TIME: 10 minutes

 

COOK TIME: 8 minutes

 

TOTAL TIME: 3+ hours, for dough chilling

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened (use cream cheese in a block or spreadable, don't use fat-free, light or whipped)
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste

2 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (I used 1 cup chips and 1 1/4 cups chunks)

DIRECTIONS:

1. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, cream cheese (measure it by smooshing it into a 1/4-cup measure), sugars, egg, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-creamed, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes (or use an electric hand mixer and beat for at least 7 minutes).
2. Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, optional salt, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
3. Add chocolate chips and chunks, and beat momentarily to incorporate, or fold in by hand.
4. Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping mounds (I made 28). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly with your palm, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
5. Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat Non-Stick Baking Mat or spray with cooking spray and place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet). Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 10 minutes as cookies will firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 15 minutes, and were baked for 8 minutes, with trays rotated at the 4-minute mark. They have chewy edges with soft, pillowy centers). Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
6. Cookies will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.