Chewy gingerbread cheesecake cookies with a creamy white center fully enclosed in the baked molasses dough.
Small frozen cream cheese portions are enclosed in dough before baking. Keep an even layer around the filling and pinch the seams firmly shut. The assembled balls need their final freeze before baking, then complete cooling before refrigerated storage.
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Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 11–14 minutes from frozen · 2 trays of 9 large cookies
Allow 243 minutes: 40 hands-on, 150 chilling, 28 for all baking trays, 25 cooling. Cooling includes the pan rest. Optional decoration, ingredient warm-up and extra trays add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Electric mixer and mixing bowls
- Teaspoon and tablespoon scoop
- Freezer-safe tray and parchment
- Two 13 × 18-inch pans
- US measures and digital scale
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Cheesecake center
Coating
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Firm the cream cheese
- Beat cream cheese, confectioners sugar, cornstarch and vanilla until smooth. Divide into 18 small dollops, about 12–13 g each, on parchment. Freeze while mixing and chilling the dough, about 30 minutes, until firm enough to handle.
Make the molasses dough
- Whisk flour, soda, salt and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar and lemon zest until creamy. Beat in egg, molasses and vanilla, then mix in dry ingredients just until combined.
Reduce stickiness
- Cover and refrigerate the dough 30 minutes while the filling firms. Keep ingredients cool during assembly.
Enclose the filling
- Divide dough into 36 equal portions, about 23 g each. Flatten two portions, place a cream cheese dollop between them and pinch firmly closed into one ball. Roll in coarse sugar. Freeze the stuffed balls on a covered tray at least 2 hours, until firm. The waiting allowance includes the initial 30-minute chill and this 2-hour freeze.
Bake from frozen
- Heat to 350°F (175°C) conventional, or 325°F fan. Place frozen balls on lined pans 2–3 inches apart; do not thaw. Bake one tray at a time 11–14 minutes until tops and edges are set. Keep the second tray frozen until baking.
Set the center
- Cool completely on the pans, about 25 minutes. The center firms as it cools. Refrigerate the cooled cookies airtight.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Use a firm filling
Block cream cheese and a short freeze make small dollops easier to enclose.
Seal all around
Keep an even dough layer on top, bottom and sides so the white center stays inside.
Bake from frozen
The final freeze helps the stuffed cookie hold together; do not replace it with a brief refrigerator rest.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Up to 2 hours | Serve briefly, then refrigerate. Above 90°F, limit to 1 hour. |
| Refrigeration | 3–4 days | Store airtight; cream cheese filling needs refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze assembled balls airtight and bake directly from frozen as directed; do not thaw. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze fully cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered in the refrigerator. |
| Restoring | 10–15 minutes | Let refrigerated cookies soften briefly before serving. Do not overheat the filling. |
Notes
- The cheesecake center is enclosed before baking, unlike sandwich cookies filled after baking. Use block cream cheese, not tub spread. The listed 8 tablespoons butter weigh about 112 g. Freezing the assembled balls is required.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the filling baked inside?
Yes. A small cream cheese center is enclosed in the raw dough before the assembled cookie is frozen and baked.
Can I skip the final freeze?
No. Bake the assembled balls from frozen to help retain the center.
How should I store them?
Refrigerate airtight for 3–4 days because they contain cream cheese.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
