What does cream cheese add to cookies? I love how it adds richness and produces a softer but tender cookie. Cream cheese adds a little tang to the flavor and works well with chocolate. Since cream cheese has a little acid, it reacts to leavening agents like baking powder or baking soda to help the cookies rise and achieve a lighter texture.
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Ingredients for Cookies
- Butter unsalted
- Cream Cheese
- Sugar white
- Vanilla Extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (Guittard Cocoa Powder)
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
- Green mint baking chips
Green Mint Baking Chips
To celebrate this holiday (St Patrick's Day), I wanted mint and chocolate together in a cookie. I thought I remembered seeing mint baking chips by Hershey's some years ago, but I could not find them anywhere. I searched the stores and then the Internet, but I still could not find them.
My search took me to a brand I have not used before, but I will certainly use more of their baking chips in the future. I found Green Mint Baking Chips from Guittard that are to die for. They are creamy and have a fantastic mint flavor. These were the perfect compliment to my cream cheese chocolate cookies. The green color of the chips was a bonus against the chocolate color.
My Favorite Cocoa Powder for Cookies
I have always used Hershey's Cocoa. Since I live only 30 minutes from the factory, all the stores carry their products. I was making another cookie and cutting back on the sugar, and the cookies tasted bitter. So, I started to research different cocoa powders. The two most common cocoa processes are alkalized (Dutch-processed) and non-alkalized (Natural). This website gives a great explanation of the different benefits of both; Cocoa Nusa.
There is also a difference between a home baker and someone who has a business selling fine chocolate desserts. I want to give choices of good cocoa that will not break the bank. Also, you can either find or request that your grocery store carry it, and it still gives you awesome cookies without the high price.
I still use Hershey's 100% Natural Cocoa for some cookies, but I have also swapped out Hershey's cocoa for Guittard Cocoa Rouge, a Dutch-processed cocoa. It has a richer and, I think, awesome taste for my chocolate cookies. Give it a try using this recipe as the test: My Favorite Cream Cheese Chocolate Cookies.
Making Chocolate Mint Cookies
I start by getting all my ingredients together and around my mixer, so I do not forget anything.
Weigh or measure the sugar and set the bowl aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. I use a whisk to blend the dry ingredients together.
Slice and cube the cream cheese and butter in a mixer bowl. Start the mixer on a low setting and then turn it to a medium setting.
Mix the butter and cream cheese for about 2 to 3 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides.
Add the white sugar and mix at medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. You want the mixture to look creamy.
Now, add the vanilla extract to the bowl. Crack open one of the eggs and add it to the mixture. Separate the second egg and add the egg yolk. This is going to make your cookie dough look thin, but that is OK; this is how it should look.
Turn the mixer to low speed and start adding the dry flour mixture to the wet. This will produce a rich-looking chocolate cookie dough. Finally, add the mint chips and turn the mixer on low for 5 seconds to distribute them. Use a spatula if you think the chips need to be distributed more.
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Bake the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
Using a medium cookie scooper, I scoop twelve mounds onto one of the prepared sheet pans.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. After pulling the cookies from the oven, leave them on the pan for a minute or two before moving them to a cooling rack.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
I store them in an airtight container, and they last for a week. You can extend the time by storing them in the refrigerator. I think they taste fresher if you leave them out to come to room temperature before you want to serve them.
You can! You could add some chocolate chips, maybe ¾ mint and ¼ chocolate chips. They also sell mini mint chocolate chips at Nuts.com. I use these chips in my Mint Chocolate Shamrock Cookies.
Cream cheese is a main component for this cookie. It adds richness and flavor to these cookies. I have not tried any of these suggestions from Allrecipes, but if you are in the experimental mood, you might want to try one of these. 9 Cream Cheese Substitutes (and 1 Recipe) for When You Can't Find the Real Thing
Other Rich Chocolate Cookies
Recipe
Chocolate Mint Cream Cheese Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) Cream Cheese room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) Sugar white
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Vanilla Extract
- 2 (2) Eggs
- 1 ¾ cups (218.75 g) All-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (64.5 g) Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
- 1 ¼ cup (236.59 g) Green mint baking chips
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the sugar into a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, weigh or measure the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, then use a whisk to blend all the ingredients. Just be careful of the cocoa powder; it is light and can fly everywhere if you are not careful.
- Add the cream cheese and butter to a stand or handheld mixer. Start at a low speed and increase to a medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the mixer off and scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the sugar. Mix on medium speed for another 2 minutes. It should start to look smooth and creamy at this point. Add the vanilla extract and crack one of the eggs into a small bowl before adding it to the mixer bowl. I do this in case a piece of eggshell happens to break off when I crack the egg open. Incorporate the egg before adding the second egg to the mixer. I stop and scrape down the sides and across the bottom before adding the flour combination.
- Turn the mixer back to a low speed and slowly add the flour combination until incorporated. At this point, I scrape down the sides and across the bottom to make sure all the flour is mixed into the cookie dough. Add the green mint baking chips and turn on the mixer for 5 seconds or less. You want the mint chips distributed but not breaking apart. I take the bowl off the stand, and I make sure that the chips are evenly disbursed using a spatula. Cover lightly and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C), and line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper. Taking the cookie dough out of the refrigerator, I use a medium cookie scoop to add 12 scoops to a cookie sheet pan and bake for 10-12 minutes. They will be a little soft but firm up on the outside as they cool. I got 2 full pans of cookies, but in the 3rd pan, I only got 8 scoops, and the last of the cookie dough at the bottom of the bowl did not have as many mint baking chips. So, I just added some onto the top of each scoop before putting the cookies into the oven. You could certainly do this on the whole batch if you want to show off the green against the chocolate cookie.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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