Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
These Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies feature a soft graham cracker cookie, tangy no-bake cheesecake frosting, and a swirl of raspberry jam. The recipe was inspired by Crumbl Cookies version of their Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies. If you love cheesecake and you love cookies then this is the recipe for you!
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These easy Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies were inspired by Crumbl Cookies Raspberry Cheesecake Cookie. Crumbl has several cheesecake cookies now (my New York Cheesecake Cookies are another copycat recipe) and this raspberry version instantly caught my attention because aren’t fresh raspberries just the best?
What are Crumbl Cookies you ask? Check out my full review of Crumbl! And, if you want to know alllll the Crumbl flavors, I’ve got you covered with a complete list of the 200+ cookie flavors.
In the end, I actually opted to use a ready-made jam here instead of a freshly prepared one, because the cookies required such a small amount (about 1/4 cup). However, if you are up for it, go ahead and substitute in your favorite homemade recipe.
One thing I really love about these cookies is that the base cookie kicks off with brown butter. Brown butter is the magically nutty toasty toffee-like result of cooking melted butter until the milk solids are toasted. It brings baked goods to the next level and it’s incredible in a cookie where you are looking for that “cheesecake crust” flavor in the base cookie.
Can’t get enough cookies? Don’t forget to check out my growing list of Crumbl Copycat Recipes.
Three Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- The brown butter in the graham cracker cookie absolutely nails the “cheesecake crust” flavor and these cookies almost feel like reverse cheesecake–they are so fun!
- Opt for the quick version with ready-made jam or make your own homemade. Choose your own adventure!
- Do you like cheesecake? Do you like cookies? Well my friend, this recipe is for you.
Ingredients You Will Need
Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
Unsalted Butter – Use unsalted butter for the raspberry cheesecake cookies. We are going to brown the butter (which starts with melting it) so there’s no need to soften it ahead of time.
Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugar – we’ll use a mix of sugars here as the brown sugar adds some additional chewiness to the cookies.
Graham Crackers – honey graham crackers, full sheets. You’ll use the crushed crackers in the cookie dough itself as well as to roll the cookie dough in for even more texture.
Egg – just pull the egg out of the fridge before you start assembling all of your other cookie ingredients and it’ll be perfect.
Vanilla Extract – used in both the cookie dough and the cheesecake topping.
All-Purpose Flour – I use all-purpose unbleached flour for my cookie recipes. Measuring it accurately is very important for the final taste and texture of the cookies. Weighing the flour is preferred, but you can also spoon it into a measuring cup and level it off with a butter knife if you don’t have a kitchen scale. I like to gently aerate the flour by mixing it briefly with a whisk before even spooning it into a cup to make sure it’s not overly packed.
Baking Soda & Salt – for rise and flavor!
Cream Cheese – use full fat cream cheese for the cheesecake topping.
Lemon Juice – the cheesecake topping also includes sugar, vanilla extract, and a bit of fresh lemon juice for tanginess.
Raspberry Jam – because the recipe only uses 1/4 cup of jam, I thought it best to use store-bought rather than make it from scratch. If you’d like to use a homemade jam, that would be lovely here, otherwise just purchase a high-quality raspberry jam and you will be set to go.
How to Make Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
This segment provides a quick overview of how to make the cookies. For the complete recipe, check out the printable recipe card at the end of the post.
Start with the cheesecake topping
We’re going to make the cheesecake topping first so it can chill and set in the fridge before topping the cookies.
Use a hand mixer to beat softened cream cheese until perfectly smooth. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Repeat with the lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Use your hand mixer with the whisk attachment and beat 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. This will go quickly. Scoop the whipped cream into the bowl with the cream cheese mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula until totally combined. Allow the topping to set up in the fridge for about one hour before topping the cookies.
Now let’s make the cookies
We’re going to brown butter for these cookies. Detailed instructions for this are in the recipe card and in my S’more Cookies post.
After the butter is browned, pour it immediately into a large bowl and allow to cool for ten minutes.
Crush up graham crackers for the cookie dough and set aside.
Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the slightly cooled brown butter mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir well until fully combined (1-2 minutes). Mix in the egg and vanilla extract.
Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt to the butter mixture and mix well.
Roll scoops of cookie dough in a shallow dish of roughly crushed graham crackers. Gently flatten the tops of the scoops and bake for about 10 minutes. Cool completely.
Time to assemble!
Frost the cookies with a generous scoop (around 1.5-2 tablespoons) of cheesecake topping. Then, top with a few teaspoons of lightly warmed raspberry jam. Store frosted cookies in the fridge.
Can’t get enough cookies? Don’t forget to check out my growing list of Crumbl Copycat Recipes. Also check out these easy whipped cream recipes for sprucing up your morning coffee or favorite desserts.
More Tips and Tricks
Making these ahead? The frosted cookies will squish a bit if stacked so if you need to prepare them in advance, here’s what to do. Store each element (baked cookies, cheesecake topping, jam) separately and top them just before your event.
Want less frosting? I really like using this modified no-bake cheesecake topping instead of a cream cheese frosting because it’s a not-too-sweet balance with the cookies and jam. However, if you do want to minimize the frosting you can make a 1/2 batch of the cheesecake topping (OR, make double the cookies and the amount of topping as written). This will yield just a very thin swoosh over each cookie.
Dry cookies? This graham cracker cookie recipe is one of my favorites, but if the cookies have baked up dry then over-measuring the flour is usually the culprit. Pick up a kitchen scale and you will LOVE it. It will allow you to measure the flour accurately for perfect cookies every time.
Not a fan of raspberry jam? Try using strawberry, blueberry, blackberry or another flavor to top these tasty cookies.
How to Store the Cookies
Store frosted cookies in the fridge for up to 5 days. Use an air-tight container. Unfrosted cookies can be stored at room temp.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough for Later
After portioning out the cookies, “flash freeze” them by arranging the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allowing to freeze until solid (or at least hard on the outside). Then you can add all the cookie dough balls into a gallon size freezer safe storage bag (don’t forget to date and label) and save for 1-2 months.
To keep things simple, I usually take out the bag of frozen cookie dough and allow to thaw in the fridge overnight before baking as the recipe instructs.
How to Freeze Cookies for Later
For long-term storage, cookies can also be frozen (frosted or unfrosted) for 1-2 months in freezer-safe packaging.
Thaw frosted cookies in the fridge and don’t refreeze.
If you loved this recipe, leave a 5-star rating! I would so appreciate it!
Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
Cheesecake Topping
- 5 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Graham Cracker Cookies
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed 3.5 ounces
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 2.3 ounces
- 4 sheets graham crackers (full sheets) about 66g
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour 6.65 ounces
- ¾ teaspoons baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 sheets graham crackers for rolling the cookie dough scoops in
Raspberry Jam Topping
- ¼ cup raspberry jam (lightly warmed)
Instructions
Cheesecake Topping
- We'll start with the filling so it can chill while the cookies are baking and cooling. Using a large bowl and hand mixer with beaters attached, beat the softened cream cheese until it's perfectly smooth. Add the sugar and beat again until perfectly smooth. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract and beat to combine.
- Using a small bowl and the whisk attachment for your hand mixer, beat 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. This will go quickly.Scoop the whipped cream into the bowl with the cream cheese mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula until totally combined. Place the cheesecake topping in the fridge for at least one hour to set up. Note that it will continue to set up after the cookies are frosted and refrigerated.
Graham Cracker Cookies
- First, we'll brown the butter. Melt a stick of butter slowly on medium low heat in a saucepan or skillet. Once melted, turn the heat up a bit and watch the butter closely and stir frequently using a wooden spoon.The butter will be bubbling and popping as the water is evaporating out. Once this slows down you need to keep a close eye as the next step is the browning of the milk solids.Once the milk solids are beginning to toast, you'll start to notice tiny bits of brown forming in the pan. Swirl the spoon around the pan a few times more and remove it promptly from the heat. The butter should have swirls of browned bits in the bottom of the pan and is now ready to use.Note: Butter can go from toasted to burnt quickly, so watch closely.
- Pour the browned butter (every bit!) into a large bowl and allow to cool for ten minutes. Meanwhile: Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set oven to 350°F. Place graham crackers in a zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin until they are finely ground.
- Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar to the slightly cooled brown butter mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir well until fully combined (1-2 minutes).Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until combined.
- Add the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, and salt to the butter mixture and mix well until combined.
- Very roughly crush three more graham crackers and place crumbs in a shallow bowl.Use a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out about 13 cookies. Roll each cookie scoop in the graham cracker crumbs and arrange evenly on the baking sheets. Flatten tops with your fingers. Bake one sheet at a time at 350°F for 10 minutes or until cookies look set on the edges and just a bit golden brown. Allow cookies to cool completely.
Assembly
- Frost cooled cookies with a generous scoop (around 2 tablespoons) of cheesecake topping. I portion the topping out first and then swirl it with a spatula so I can be sure I've distributed it evenly.
- Lightly warm about 1/4 cup (use up to 1/3 cup) of raspberry jam in a small bowl in the microwave. You want the jam to have melted a bit, but not be hot.Spread a few teaspoons of jam on each cookie and enjoy.
Ingredients list is missing the whipping cream
Thanks Karen! Recipe card has been updated.