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A fun twist on a holiday favorite! These cheesecake stuffed gingerbread cookies are soft and spiced to perfection, filled with a rich and creamy filling. Each bite is a dream!
Get into the holiday spirit by trying a few of these other amazing desserts: gingerbread cheesecake, gingerbread cupcakes, and gingerbread bundt cake!
Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies
Craving something sweet and festive this holiday season? Look no further than these cheesecake stuffed gingerbread cookies! They’re the perfect bite-sized desserts, combining the classic gingerbread cookie with a creamy, dreamy cheesecake filling inside.
It’s two holiday favorites in one delightful cookie! And don’t forget the finishing touch – a sprinkle of spiced sugar adds a little extra crunch and extra flavor. Trust me, these stuffed gingerbread cookies are so good, they’ll be the star of any party platter. Here’s what you need to make them:
Ingredient List
These stuffed gingerbread cookies use a lot of simple ingredients! I’m sure you’ll have most of them ready to go in your pantry.
Cheesecake Filling:
- Cream Cheese: Softened so it mixes smoothly with the other ingredients.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds just the right touch of sweetness to complement the tangy cream cheese.
- Vanilla Extract: Infuses the filling with tasty, warm flavor.
Gingerbread Dough:
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of the cookies.
- Baking Soda & Powder: Give these cookies a gentle lift, keeping them nice and fluffy.
- Salt: Just a pinch is all you need to enhance all the flavors.
- Melted, Unsalted Butter: Adds richness and makes the dough soft and pliable.
- Sugar: I used both dark brown sugar and granulated sugar here.
- Unsulphured Molasses: Infuses the cookies with a deep caramel flavor.
- Egg: Binds the dough together.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds another layer of warm, delicious flavor.
Spiced Sugar Coating:
- Granulated Sugar: Adds a delightful crunch and sweetness.
- Spices: I mixed the sugar with ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves for the perfect holiday flavor.
How to Make Cheesecake Stuffed Gingerbread Cookies
Grab those ingredients and get ready to make some cookies that are perfect for Christmastime! I know it looks like a lot of instructions, but they’re actually pretty straightforward to prepare.
Cheesecake Filling
- Cream Cheese Mixture: Add the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to a medium sized bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
- Chill: Place parchment or wax paper on a large plate or baking sheet and use a small cookie scoop to scoop 1 ½ teaspoon portions of the cream cheese onto the paper. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Gingerbread Dough
- Mix Dry Ingredients: While the cheesecake filling chills, prepare the cookie dough by sifting the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices together in a medium bowl. Then set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and molasses together. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
- Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat until just combined. Then cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
- Prepare Sugar Coating: Make the spiced sugar coating by whisking together the sugar and spices in a small bowl. Set aside until needed.
Baking
- Preheat Oven: When the dough and cheesecake filling are nearly done chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Shape: Remove the dough from the fridge and for each cookie use a medium cooking scoop to scoop two 1 ½ tablespoon portions of dough. Gently press them each out into discs that are about 1 ½ inch wide, keeping the center thicker and the edges a bit thinner. If the dough rips or tears, use your fingers to pinch it back together. Use your thumb to make the disc slightly bowl shaped.
- Add Filling: Place one of the chilled cheesecake filling scoops into the center of one of the discs and top with a second one. Very carefully but firmly pinch just the very edges of the two discs together to create a seal around the filling. Be careful not to pinch too much of the dough, otherwise the filling will squeeze out the other side. If the dough cracks on the edges or on the tops, use your fingers to smooth it out. This dough is very pliable and it’s alright to warm it up a bit with your fingers to get it smoother.
- Roll: Once the two discs are sealed together, gently round out the pinched edge with your fingers and give a light roll of the dough to form a uniform and smooth circle where it was sealed.
- Coat in Sugar, Bake: Roll the dough in the spiced sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 ½-3 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Cool and Serve: Let the stuffed gingerbread cookies cool on the baking rack for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a baking sheet or serving while they are still warm.
Tips and Tricks
Use these extra tips to ensure your cheesecake stuffed gingerbread cookies turn out perfectly! Soft, sweet, and filled with spiced winter flavor.
- Chill the Filling: The cheesecake filling doesn’t need to be chilled until it is solid, but it should hold its shape pretty well. This will help prevent it from completely melting and disappearing into the cookie as it bakes.
- Shape the Dough: The two discs of gingerbread dough should be a little bowl-shaped, so that once the cheesecake is added between them they cup around it and all you need to do is pinch the edges of the cookie dough together to seal it in.
- Be Gentle With the Dough! If you pinch too far into the dough, the cheesecake filling will squeeze out the other side. A very gentle, small pinch will be enough. You can even use your fingers to smooth and spread the dough in the direction you need it to go if you feel like there isn’t enough dough to pinch it together.
- Roll the Cookies: You can stop after you pinch the dough together, but rolling the seam in your hands will help smooth everything out and give you really nice looking gingerbread cookies.
- Let Them Cool: Let your stuffed gingerbread cookies cool on the pan for a couple minutes. The cookies are still baking when they come out of the oven. They need that extra time to finish setting up.
- Don’t Use Blackstrap Molasses! Blackstrap molasses is very strong and bitter. You should use unsulphered molasses.
How Long Do Cheesecake Stuffed Gingerbread Cookies Last?
Your tasty stuffed gingerbread cookies will stay soft and flavorful for almost a week as long as you keep them in a sealed container.
- In the Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Reheating: For that just out of the oven freshness, pop your cheesecake stuffed gingerbread cookies in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until soft and warm.
Try These Other Holiday Cookie Recipes!
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Cheesecake Filling
-
Add the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla to a medium sized bowl and beat with a hand mixer until smooth.
-
Place parchment or wax paper on a large plate or baking sheet and use a small cookie scoop to scoop 1 ½ teaspoon portions of the cream cheese onto the paper. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Gingerbread Dough
-
While the cheesecake filling chills, prepare the cookie dough by sifting the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and molasses together. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.
-
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat until just combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
-
Make the spiced sugar coating by whisking together the sugar and spices in a small bowl. Set aside until needed.
Baking
-
When the dough and cheesecake filling are nearly done chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
Remove the dough from the fridge and for each cookie use a medium cooking scoop to scoop two 1 ½ tablespoon portions of dough. Gently press them each out into discs that are about 1 ½ inch wide, keeping the center thicker and the edges a bit thinner. If the dough rips or tears, use your fingers to pinch it back together. Use your thumb to make the disc slightly bowl shaped.
-
Place one of the chilled cheesecake filling scoops into the center of one of the discs and top with a second one. Very carefully but firmly pinch just the very edges of the two discs together to create a seal around the filling. Be careful not to pinch too much of the dough, otherwise the filling will squeeze out the other side. If the dough cracks on the edges or on the tops, use your fingers to smooth it out. This dough is very pliable and it’s alright to warm it up a bit with your fingers to get it smoother.
-
Once the two discs are sealed together, gently round out the pinched edge with your fingers and give a light roll of the dough to form a uniform and smooth circle where it was sealed.
-
Roll the dough in the spiced sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 ½-3 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes.
-
Let the cookies cool on the baking rack for 3-4 minutes before transferring to a baking sheet or serving while they are still warm.
Calories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 174mgPotassium: 131mgFiber: 1gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 341IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
