Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies: Soft, Spiced, and Stuffed with Creamy Cheesecake

Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies

Two holiday favorites meet in one cookie here. A soft, chewy gingerbread cookie wraps around a creamy cheesecake center, and the whole thing gets rolled in granulated sugar before baking.

That sugar coating turns lightly crisp in the oven while the middle stays tender and rich. Warm spices, a cool tangy filling, and a texture that keeps you reaching for one more.

The recipe makes 11 large cookies and takes about 3 hours from start to finish, and most of that is hands off chilling time. It is festive enough for a holiday cookie tray and relaxed enough for a quiet weekend baking session.

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Notes from the baker

This recipe comes from Gail Ng of Teak and Thyme, published in December 2024. The idea behind it is simple and very good. Soft gingerbread cookies are the baker’s favorite holiday cookie, so she took her go to soft gingerbread dough and hid a cheesecake surprise in the middle of it.

That means you are not starting from a random holiday cookie. You are starting from a dough that was already a favorite before the cheesecake showed up, and the cheesecake is what pushes it into rich, decadent territory. If you love cheesecake and you love gingerbread, this is the cookie where both get to shine at once.

They also look wonderfully unassuming. On the tray they read as sugar dusted gingerbread rounds, and then someone breaks one open and finds that creamy center hiding inside.

If you would like to read the original gingerbread cheesecake cookies in full, including the author’s own notes, you can find them at Teak and Thyme.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Three things make these cookies worth the chilling time.

• Texture. Fresh from the oven, the sugar coated outside is slightly crisp while the inside stays soft and chewy.
• The filling. Cheesecake and gingerbread are a natural pairing. The creamy, lightly tangy center cuts through the warm spice so every bite stays balanced instead of heavy.
• Make ahead ease. Both the filling and the dough can be prepared in advance, which means you can bake fresh cookies whenever you want them.

Source nutrition, per cookie: 352 calories, 50 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 16 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 1 g fiber, 32 g sugar, 202 mg sodium, and 56 mg cholesterol.

If you like the idea of a stuffed cookie, our Stuffed Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies With Brown Butter takes that same creamy center idea in a fruity direction.

Tools

You do not need much equipment here, but two scoop sizes genuinely matter. The filling needs to stay small and the dough needs to stay generous, otherwise there will not be enough dough to wrap the cheesecake.

• Electric hand mixer. It makes quick work of beating the cream cheese smooth and creaming the softened butter with the sugars.
• A cookie scoop that holds about 4 tablespoons. This is your dough scoop. Do not use anything smaller than a 3 tablespoon scoop, because there will not be enough dough to wrap around the filling.
• A small scoop or spoon that holds about 1 tablespoon. This is for the cheesecake dollops. Do not go larger than 1 tablespoon, for the same reason.
• A baking sheet and parchment paper. Any standard baking sheet or tray works. You will also want parchment for a plate and for a flat surface used to chill the dough.
• A shallow dish. For the granulated sugar you roll the dough balls in.
• A wire rack. For cooling the baked cookies.

Ingredient notes

There are three groups of ingredients here: the cheesecake filling, the gingerbread cookie dough, and the sugar for rolling. A few of them deserve a closer look before you start measuring.

Cheesecake filling

• 125 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 75 g powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gingerbread cookies

• 250 g all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 150 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 100 g brown sugar
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 100 g cooking molasses
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For rolling

• 50 g granulated sugar

Use brick style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub. Soften it at room temperature first so it beats into a creamy filling with no lumps. The butter should be softened too, and the egg is best at room temperature, which helps keep the mixture from curdling when it goes in.

Cooking molasses is the ingredient that gives these cookies their character. It is a thick, sweet syrup made as a by product of sugar production, and it brings both the deep flavor people expect from gingerbread and the chewiness that makes these cookies so satisfying.

The version used here is a blend of fancy molasses and blackstrap molasses, which balances sweetness with a little bitterness.

Tips for making the best gingerbread cheesecake cookies

This is a two part recipe. The filling is made and frozen first, then the dough is mixed, chilled, stuffed, rolled in sugar, and baked. Here is how it all comes together.

Make and freeze the filling. Line a plate with a small sheet of parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until creamy.

Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Scoop small 1 tablespoon dollops onto the lined plate and freeze them for at least 1 hour until firm.

They will not become fully solid, but they should hold their shape. Make the cookie dough while they firm up.

Prep your pans and your flat surface. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Line a small cutting board, a plate, or another baking sheet with parchment paper as well. That second surface is where the dough balls will chill.

Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set it aside.

Cream the butter and sugars. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter until it becomes very creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until creamy and fluffy.

Add the wet ingredients. Add the molasses and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until combined.

Finish the dough. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until it is mostly combined, then switch to a spatula to finish mixing. This keeps you from overmixing the dough.

Chill the dough. Use a 4 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough, releasing the balls onto your lined board. They can sit close together. Chill them in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight, until solid.

Get ready to bake. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and put the granulated sugar for rolling into a shallow dish.

Stuff the cookies. There are two ways to do this, and both work well. Press a dough ball with your fingers until it becomes a flat sheet, place a frozen cheesecake dollop in the middle, and wrap the dough back up around the cheesecake.

Or split the dough ball in half, flatten each half into a round, set the cheesecake dollop on one round, top it with the other, and pinch the edges together to seal.

Roll and bake. Roll each stuffed ball between your hands, then roll it in granulated sugar until coated. Place the balls on the lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart to leave room for spreading.

Bake for 10 to 11 minutes, until the edges are set and the surface is puffy and slightly cracked. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

If there is one thing to remember, it is this: cold dough and frozen filling give you neat, well wrapped cookies. Warm, sticky dough fights back.

A few practical notes help here. The dough is very soft and sticky right after mixing, and chilling until firm is what makes it workable. If it starts getting sticky again while you shape, put it back in the fridge until it firms up.

Because both parts need chilling, you can make the filling and the dough the day before and let them sit overnight, which spreads the work over two days.

Keep the proportions in mind. Around four parts dough to one part cheesecake gives you enough dough to enclose the filling comfortably.

Since the powdered sugar keeps the filling from freezing completely solid, a spoon or a small offset spatula is the easiest way to lift the dollops off the parchment without them sticking to your fingers.

And if a few cookies crack or do not seal perfectly, especially the generously stuffed ones, that is completely fine. A little cheesecake peeking through is not a problem.

Storage

Because of the cream cheese filling, these cookies belong in the fridge. Keep them in an airtight container and they will stay good for up to 3 days. They are also fine at room temperature for a couple of hours, which is handy when you are serving them at a gathering.

Straight from the fridge they are a little firmer, and plenty of people enjoy them that way. If you want that original soft texture back, let them sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before eating.

You can also get ahead on the baking itself. Stuffed dough balls can be frozen, then baked from frozen at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, which gives you fresh cookies on demand. For another make ahead holiday option, our No Bake Gingerbread Cheesecake brings the same warm spice profile to the table without turning on the oven.

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Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies

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Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies Two holiday favorites meet in one cookie here. A soft, chewy gingerbread cookie wraps around a creamy cheesecake center, and the whole thing gets rolled in granulated sugar before baking.

• Total Time: 180 min
• Yield: 11 large cookies 1x

Ingredients

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Cheesecake Filling
125 g cream cheese, softened to room temperature
75 g powdered sugar
0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract

Gingerbread Cookies
250 g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
0.25 teaspoon ground cloves
0.25 teaspoon ground nutmeg
0.25 teaspoon salt
150 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
100 g brown sugar
50 g granulated sugar
100 g cooking molasses
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For rolling
50 g granulated sugar

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Instructions

Cheesecake Filling
1-Line a plate with a small sheet: Line a plate with a small sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
2-In a small mixing bowl, use an: In a small mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat the softened cream cheese until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
3-Use a small 1-tablespoon cookie scooper or: Use a small 1-tablespoon cookie scooper or a spoon to scoop and drop small dollops of cheesecake onto your lined plate.
4-Freeze the cheesecake dollops for at least: Freeze the cheesecake dollops for at least 1 hour until firm (they won’t become fully solid but they should be firm enough to hold their shape) while you prepare the cookie dough.

Gingerbread Cookies
5-Line a baking sheet with parchment paper: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Line a small cutting board with parchment paper. This second board will be used to chill the cookie dough so it can be any flat surface like a plate or another baking sheet. Set aside.
6-In a medium bowl, stir together the: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
7-In a large mixing bowl, add the: In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter. Use a hand mixer to beat the butter until it becomes very creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Beat until creamy and fluffy.
8-Add the molasses and beat again until: Add the molasses and beat again until thoroughly combined. Finally, add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again on low speed until combined.
9-Add the flour mixture and mix on: Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until mostly combined. Switch to a spatula to finish mixing to avoid overmixing.
10-Use a 4-tablespoon cookie scooper to scoop: Use a 4-tablespoon cookie scooper to scoop the cookie dough. Release the cookie dough balls on your lined board. They can be placed close together.
11-Chill the cookie dough in the fridge: Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight until solid.
12-Preheat the oven to 350°F: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the granulated sugar for rolling to a shallow dish.
13-Stuff the cookie dough with cheesecake: Stuff the cookie dough with cheesecake: You can do this in two ways. 1) Press the cookie dough with your fingers until it becomes a flat sheet. Place the frozen cheesecake dollop in the middle and wrap it up by bringing the cookie dough back up around the cheesecake. 2) Split the cookie dough in half. Flatten each half separately into two flat rounds. Place the cheesecake dollop on top of one round. Place the other round on top and pinch the dough together to seal.
14-Roll the cookie dough ball in between: Roll the cookie dough ball in between your hands and then roll it in granulated sugar until coated. Place the dough ball on your lined baking sheet, leaving about 2″ in between each ball to account for spreading.
15-Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes or until: Bake cookies for 10-11 minutes or until the edges are set and the surface is puffy and slightly cracked.
16-Let the cookies cool on the baking: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Notes

Additional time: follow the resting and cooling steps (120 min).

• Prep Time: 50 min
• Cook Time: 10 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 352
• Sugar: 32g
• Sodium: 202mg
• Fat: 16g
• Saturated Fat: 9g
• Carbohydrates: 50g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 4g
• Cholesterol: 56mg