LEMON CHEESECAKE COOKIES (SOFT-BAKED)

Lemon-flavored cheesecake cookies that are soft and chewy with a simple lemon glaze.

If you like cheesecake, lemon-flavors, and/or soft cakey cookies you are going to go crazy for these lemon cheesecake cookies!

They really taste like a miniature cheesecake in cookie form and they are so different from your typical chocolate-chip or peanut butter cookies.

These cookies are a bit more high maintenance than other cookie recipes, but it’s well worth the effort and time! These cookies do take a lot of advance planning (getting ingredients to room temperature + chilling the dough), so be prepared for that.

Soft Lemon Cheesecake Cookies Recipe
The softest lemon cheesecake flavored cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
• 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 and 1/4 cup white flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lemon flavored pudding mix, dry
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions
**Make sure the butter, cream cheese, and egg are all at room temperature before starting. Don't melt any of these ingredients in the microwave!**

1. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
2. Add in the cream cheese and continue to beat until the batter is completely smooth. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lemon extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cornstarch, and pudding mix. Stir together and then add to the wet ingredients. Mix until JUST combined being careful to not over-mix (to avoid dense cookies).
4. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
6. Using a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon, measure in the cookie dough to just fill up the spoon (not heaping; these are small cookie balls)
7. Bake at 350 degrees F for exactly 8 minutes and then remove from the oven. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely. (These are best after they are totally cooled and even better chilled.) Be very careful to not overbake these as they go from a thick soft cheesecake texture to a biscuit like texture.
8. Once cooled, prepare the glaze by whisking together the lemon juice and powdered sugar. Add the lemon juice just until a thick glaze can come together. Spoon the glaze over the cookies and allow to set.

Recipe Adapted : LEMON CHEESECAKE COOKIES (SOFT-BAKED) @ chelseasmessyapron

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