These Crackled Cream Cheese Cookies have a soft, tender center with a delicate crackled sugar coating that adds just a hint of crunch to every bite. The cream cheese gives these cookies a subtle tang that perfectly balances the sweet vanilla flavor, making them a delicious cookie to enjoy any time of year. If you're a fan of baking with cream cheese, be sure to browse my Cream Cheese Cookies category for even more delicious recipes.
You can see the tiny cracks that develop outside the cookies from the superfine sugar coating after they are baked. When I roll these cookies in superfine sugar, they develop a light crunch on the outside while staying soft and tender on the inside. If you enjoy cookies with a sugar coating, try my Cherry Caramel Sea Salt Cookies. For a bright citrus flavor that's perfect for spring and summer, my Key Lime Cookies with Coconut are another delicious cream cheese favorite.
A Quick Look:
Recipe Name: Crackled Cream Cheese Cookies
Ready In: About 1 ½ hours (including chill time)
Yield: 24 cookies
Texture: Soft and tender with a delicate crackled sugar coating
Flavor Profile: Sweet vanilla with a subtle cream cheese tang
Difficulty: Easy
Why You'll Love This Cookie
🍪 Soft and tender centers: The cream cheese helps give these cookies a soft texture that stays tender after baking.
✨ Delicate crackled coating: Rolling the dough in superfine sugar creates a lightly crisp outside with tiny cracks across the surface.
🤍 Simple vanilla flavor: The vanilla and cream cheese give the cookies a sweet, lightly tangy flavor without being overly rich.
🥣 Easy to make: The dough comes together with basic ingredients and only needs 1 hour of chilling before baking.
Ingredients
Superfine Sugar
Rolling the cookie dough in superfine sugar before baking creates the delicate crackled appearance and light crunch that make these cookies special. Because the crystals are much finer than regular granulated sugar, they coat the cookie dough more evenly and melt into a thin, crisp layer as the cookies bake. Regular granulated sugar will still work, but the cookies won't have the same delicate crackled appearance or light crunch.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Crackled Cream Cheese Cookies
Before I start mixing, I gather all my ingredients and place them near the mixer. It helps me stay organized and makes it less likely that I'll forget an ingredient.
Prep
Step 1: Weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
Mixing the Dough
Step 2: Add the cubed butter and cream cheese to a mixer bowl.
Step 3: Mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until the butter and cream cheese are smooth and well blended.
Step 4: Scrape down the sides and add the powdered sugar. Turn the mixer on to the lowest speed until the sugar is incorporated. Then, increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture should look smooth and creamy.
Step 5: Add the vanilla extract and egg, then mix until fully incorporated.
Step 6: After adding the egg, the mixture may look a little like vanilla pudding. Don't worry, it will come together once the dry ingredients are added.
Step 7: Scrape down the sides and, on a low mixer speed, add the flour about a third at a time. Mix just until the flour is incorporated. I usually take a spatula and scrape along the bottom to ensure everything is mixed.
Chill
Step 8: Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Scoop
Step 9: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
Step 10: I set up my assembly line for scooping and rolling the cookie balls. I also have a small container with the superfine sugar for coating the cookie balls.
Step 11: Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop portions of dough about 1 ½ inches in diameter.
Step 12: Now, roll them in the superfine sugar until they are completely coated.
Step 13: I put 12 cookie balls on one of the prepared sheet pans. Using two fingers, gently press each cookie dough ball slightly to create a nicely domed cookie.
Bake
Step 14: Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for about 2 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Once completely cooled, you can lightly sprinkle the tops with powdered sugar, if desired.
🫙🍪 Storage
Store the cookies in a container with a tight-fitting lid. They will stay fresh for about 5-6 days.
FAQs
Yes! These cookies are delicious on their own, but you can add frosting if you'd like to dress them up for a party or holiday. A buttercream frosting works best because it pairs well with the soft, tender cookie. Lemon, raspberry, or blueberry buttercream are all excellent choices, depending on the occasion.
The crackled appearance comes from coating each dough ball completely in superfine sugar before baking. If the sugar coating is thin or uneven, the cookies may not develop the same delicate crackled finish. Be sure to roll each dough ball until the entire outside is covered, then gently flatten it slightly before baking.
Chilling firms up the butter and cream cheese, making the dough easier to handle and helping the cookies hold their shape while baking. You may even find that halfway through rolling the cookie dough balls, the dough starts to get a little tacky. If that happens, just pop it back into the refrigerator for about 5 minutes before continuing.
Still Have Questions?
Need help with ingredient swaps or wondering if these cookies freeze well? I've added a few extra baking helpers below for common home baker questions.
Other Cream Cheese Cookies
If you tried this Crackled Cream Cheese Cookies recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it goes below. Thanks!
Recipe
Crackled Cream Cheese Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113.5 g) Butter unsalted room temperature
- 4 ounce Cream cheese regular room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (180 g) Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Egg room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups (218.75 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Power
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) Superfine sugar
DUSTING ON TOP
- ⅓ cup (40 g) Powdered sugar sifted right on top (optional)
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the powdered sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Next, weigh or measure the flour, baking powder, and salt into another bowl. I run a whisk through the dry ingredients to blend them together.
- Cream the cubed butter and cream cheese together on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and well blended.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar. Mix on the lowest speed until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract, then mix until fully incorporated.
- Gradually add the flour mixture, about one-quarter at a time, mixing on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix the dough. If needed, use a spatula to finish mixing any flour left on the bottom or sides of the bowl.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough into 1 ½-inch balls. Roll each dough ball in superfine sugar until completely coated, then place them about 1 ½ inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Using two fingers, gently press the top of each dough ball to flatten it slightly.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will be white with just a hint of golden brown around the edges. They may look slightly underbaked, but leaving them on the cookie sheet for about 1 minute helps them firm up before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, add a little powdered sugar to a small sifter and lightly dust the tops of the cookies, if desired.
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Notes
- Roll each cookie dough ball completely in superfine sugar before baking to create the delicate crackled coating.
- Mix the flour just until incorporated. Overmixing can make the cookies less tender.
- If the dough becomes a little tacky while rolling the cookie balls, refrigerate it for about 5 minutes before continuing.
- Powdered sugar is optional. Once the cookies have cooled completely, lightly dust the tops just before serving.
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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