Cream Cheese Cookies Are Ideal For Those Who Crave Medium-Rare Bakes

There are two types of people in this world: those who like their cookies crunchy, and those who like them soft and chewy. If you're in the latter camp, boy, have we got some good news for you. Up until now, achieving the highly coveted medium rare cookie, complete with a chewy gooey center, required impeccable timing. However, with the addition of one creamy ingredient, soft cookie lovers can achieve the perfect half-baked cookie texture with every batch.

Cream cheese is a near-perfect ingredient. Rich, slightly tangy, and unprecedentedly creamy, everything cream cheese touches is instantly elevated. And in no instance is this sentiment more true than in the case of homemade cookies. By including cream cheese in your cookie recipe, you're upping the amount of moisture in the dough. The additional moisture makes for softer cookies that won't dry out in the heat of the oven, and the thickness of the cream cheese lends itself to a far more pillowy texture. While cream cheese can be used in place of butter in some cookie recipes, it can also be used alongside butter for an even softer final product.

Adding cream cheese to your cookie dough not only makes for a softer final product, but it also lends a unique flavor to any recipe. Some recipes, like the one used to make lemon cream cheese cookies, utilize the tanginess of the cream cheese as a primary flavoring agent. In these instances, cream cheese cookies not only have a distinct depth of flavor, but they are also notably less sweet than your traditional sugar cookie. This makes them an excellent candidate for icings, sprinkles, powdered sugar, and other sweet toppings.

While cookies that use cream cheese as the dominating flavor are a great option for those who prefer desserts with a more subtle sweetness, cream cheese doesn't always have to be the star of the show. In fact, it can be added alongside, or in lieu of, butter in any traditional cookie recipe. When cream cheese is included in a dough with sweeter elements, like fruit, candy, or chocolate chips, the tanginess works to bring more balance to the treat, while also supplying it with an extra boost of moisture for a perfect half-baked texture.