These cream cheese cookies with lemon blueberry glaze are flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth, and pillowy-soft. These are the most irresistible little bites!
Cream cheese. In my world, it’s up there with dark chocolate, butter, browned butter, flakey salt, and bacon in that it 100% makes anything better. Am I right? I’m right. And these cream cheese cookies with lemon blueberry glaze definitely prove my point.
These cookies have a lot going for them- the taste, the texture, the glaze, all of it. Every time I’ve made these, I get lots & lots of “Oh my goodness, these just MELT in your mouth,” or “That blueberry glaze is so dreamy,” or “I could eat that whole batch in one sitting!”. I’d like to give all the credit to the cream cheese, but there are a whole host of factors that make these cream cheese cookies with lemon blueberry glaze super delightful. Let’s talk about it.
They’re delicate, pillowy-soft, and really do melt in your mouth, which can mostly be attributed to the use of cream cheese and cake flour. The flavor profile of these cookies is so simple- sweet from the sugar, a little tangy from the cream cheese, and added depth from the vanilla and almond extracts. In fact, the addition of almond extract is my favorite part about these cookies- it’s subtle, but a game-changer. And while we’re talking flavor, let’s talk about this lemon blueberry glaze. OH MY STARS, this glaze. I literally ate it with a spoon. It’s tangy, sweet, fresh, and the most beautiful color. But if a lemon blueberry glaze isn’t your thing, that’s okay! The beauty of cream cheese cookies is that their simplicity allows you to have fun and get creative (or not). They’re great plain, simply dusted with a little powdered sugar, or you could even try other glazes, different extracts, or throw in some citrus zest- get down with your creative baking self.
Okay hopefully I’ve convinced you to preheat your oven and get that cream cheese out on the counter to come to room temp.
Happy baking, friends!
What you’ll need to bake these cookies:
Butter: For flavor and moisture.
Cream cheese: Adds creaminess to give you that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Sugar: For tenderization and sweetness.
Egg: For structure and binding.
Vanilla & almond extracts: For added flavor.
Cake flour: Cake flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, which creates a softer, more delicate texture.
Kosher salt: To balance out the sweetness. TIP: While I recommend kosher salt, if you don’t have it on hand, use ½ the amount of table salt.
Baking powder: For leavening.
Blueberries, sugar, lemon and powdered sugar for the lemon-blueberry glaze.
FAQs:
Why is this recipe primarily listed in grams? I develop my recipes in grams because weighing your ingredients is the best, most accurate way to bake. Baking is a science and precision is key to success! Measuring cups are not standardized, and what’s more, the way each baker uses them varies drastically, which ultimately gives you inconsistent (and sometimes negative) results. For instance, did you know that scooping flour out of a cannister can give you 50% more flour than what’s called for in the recipe? By weighing your ingredients rather than using measuring cups, you can confidently know that you are using the correct amount of each ingredient, giving you greater success & delicious results. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale, like this one when you bake. Plus, it makes clean up a lot easier!
Do I have to chill the dough? Yes. Because of the high ratio of butter and cream cheese in this dough, you want it to be chilled when it goes into the hot oven to keep the cookies from spreading too much. Also, this dough is a bit sticky, so chilling it will help make handling the dough easier.
How do you make the cookies so round? Take a round cookie or biscuit cutter larger than the size of your cookie, and when your cookies are fresh out of the oven, give the edges of the cookies a little nudge to even them out.
Can I make these without the glaze? Yes! Cream cheese cookies are delicious even without the lemon blueberry glaze. They’re great plain or dusted with a little powdered sugar. You can even opt for a different glaze altogether- a simple vanilla or almond glaze would be delicious!
A few notes before you bake:
Tips on working with cream cheese cookie dough:
- Chilled cookie dough is easiest to work with. Be sure to chill the cookie dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. If you’re baking in batches, keep whatever cookie dough you’re not working with in the fridge until you’re ready to scoop it out.
- Because this dough is sticky, I find it’s easier to roll the dough with lightly floured hands. I will also occasionally rinse my hands clean to prevent excess sticking.
I like to weigh my cookie dough when rolling it into balls (about 30 gm per ball of dough). This ensures that each cookie is the same size and will bake evenly.
Cream Cheese Cookies with Lemon-Blueberry Glaze
- Prep Time: 25 minutes (plus 60-minute chill time)
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
- Yield: 20–24 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
These cream cheese cookies with lemon blueberry glaze are flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth, and pillowy-soft. These are the most irresistible little bites!
Ingredients
For the cream cheese cookies:
- 113 gm (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 113 gm (4 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 200 gm (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 240 gm (2 cups, spoon & leveled) cake flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the lemon blueberry glaze:
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 120 gm (1 cup) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
Instructions
To make the cream cheese cookies:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and cream cheese on medium speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the sugar gradually in a slow, steady stream. Increase the mixer to medium speed and continue to beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg and mix until incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts.
- In a separate bowl, combine the cake flour, kosher salt and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, mixing on low speed until the ingredients are just combined.
- Cover the dough and place in the fridge to chill for 1 hour. Towards the end of your chill time, preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Using lightly floured hands, roll the cookie dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each (TIP: I like to do this by weight to ensure that each cookie is the same size, usually about 30 gm per ball of dough). Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 3″ apart.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are set and the cookies appear matte. Once removed from the oven, scoot into place, if desired (see notes above).
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the lemon blueberry glaze:
- Combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stirring frequently, bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until the blueberries have broken down and the mixture is reduced, 7-8 minutes.
- Pour the blueberry reduction through a fine mesh sieve set over a small heatproof bowl, gently pressing with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to collect all the juices. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In another small bowl, add the powdered sugar and 45 gm (3 tablespoons) of the blueberry reduction, whisking to combine.
- Spoon, pour, or drizzle the glaze over the cooled cookies. Once the glaze has set, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
