These chewy Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are the perfect sweet treat for cheesecake lovers and cookie lovers alike! This recipe is the ultimate mashup, bursting with strawberry flavor and the flavors of vanilla cheesecake, all in some homemade cookies. This recipe is secretly low carb and gluten-free.
These delicious Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies are the ultimate treat, in cookie form! This easy cookie recipe is a showstopper: a chewy sugar cookie base, topped with vanilla bean keto cream cheese frosting, and fresh strawberry sauce. Happy baking!
Some of our favorite dessert recipes are classic, like this keto cheesecake, but also classics re-imagined! If you like things like that too, you might like these brownie blondies, or keto chocolate chip cookie bars, or these white chocolate raspberry cookies.
Disclosure: This recipe was sponsored by our friends at Swerve Sweetener over on Instagram, so we had to bring it over to the blog! Swerve is our choice zero-calorie sweetener, with superior taste & texture to the many brands of sweeteners we have tried on our low sugar journey. Thanks for supporting brands that make A Full Living possible!
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❤️Why you'll love this
- Gluten free - This recipe is made with almond flour, coconut flour, and xanthan gum to make them completely gluten free!
- Sugar free, low glycemic index & keto friendly - Using alternative flours and sugar substitutes make this delicious recipe totally keto friendly, and free of any added sugar. So whether you're looking to watch your sugar intake for overall health, a diabetic, or you stick to a low carb diet, these cookies fit the bill. They're only 6 grams of net carbs, and 4 grams of sugar per cookie!
- Approachable show stopping dessert - Familiar flavors, with a twist to delight the taste buds. Impress your friends with these decadent, yet obtainable re-imagined sweets!
- Giant, chewy cookies with crispy edges - This batch makes 12-14 large cookies with the most perfect texture. They're super satisfying!
- Make ahead - You can make all of the components in advance, store them separately, then frost and top them right before serving if you'd like.
🍓Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this recipe. You can find full quantities and nutritional information in the recipe card.
✏️Ingredient Notes
Dry ingredients
- Almond & coconut flour - Our choice flour alternatives. We use a blend of both for the best texture.
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt - To balance the sweetness in the cookies & frosting.
- Xanthan gum - A gluten free binder used to bind the cookies together, as well as to thicken the strawberry sauce! Technically optional, but your cookies will be much more crumbly without it.
- Brown sugar & powdered sugar replacements - Swerve to the rescue! We love this sweetener as it measures and bakes like sugar, with zero calories, zero tummy troubles, and great taste.
Wet ingredients
- Cream cheese - Room temperature. Used in both the frosting and cookies.
- Heavy cream - To thin the frosting if necessary.
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste - We add a touch of vanilla bean paste to add some lovely flavor to the frosting, but it's optional! Vanilla extract will be essential in both the cookie and the frosting.
- Unsalted butter - Melted. Can be warm to combine with the brown sugar as this will help become nice and smooth.
- Eggs - Room temperature.
- Fresh strawberries & lemon juice - Used to make the fresh strawberry sauce.
📖Instructions
📋Prep work
- Bring ingredients to room temperature, including your eggs, butter, cream cheese, and even heavy cream.
- If making your cream cheese frosting in advance, take it out of the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before frosting the cookies so it spreads really easily.
- You can prepare the strawberry sauce up to a week in advance. If making fresh on the day of, wash the berries and quarter them. Set aside.
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 1 - Prepare the cookie dough
In a large bowl, combine melted butter with a brown sugar replacement using a hand mixer, whisk, or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed.
Step 2
Add in softened cream cheese, and vanilla extract. Mix again until well combined, and make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
Step 3
Add in the eggs one by one, mixing them into the batter completely. The batter will become nice and smooth.
Step 4
In a separate medium bowl, combine almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, and kosher salt. Sift into the wet mixture, then fold in the ingredients gently to completely combine.
Once combined, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Step 5 - Bake the cookies
After chilling the dough, using a large cookie scoop, scoop out large balls of dough and gently roll them into a round shape. Place them with plenty of space between each cookie on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Step 6
Bake for a total of 15-18 minutes, and if desired, remove the cookies from the oven about halfway through and bang the pan a few times to create a nice ripple effect in the cookies.
As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a large cookie cutter to "scoot" the cookies while they are still hot, giving them a nice round shape.
Step 7 - Cool the cookies
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before frosting and topping them. This will take about 20 minutes or so.
Step 8 - Make the strawberry sauce
If making strawberry sauce on the day of, combine strawberries, lemon juice, and sweetener in a saucepan.
Over medium heat, bring the strawberries to a boil, then reduce immediately to a simmer. Allow to thicken and simmer for about 5 minutes before stirring in xanthan gum to thicken. Set aside to cool.
Check out the full recipe post with process photos and a video on how to make the strawberry sauce. Set the sauce aside in a separate small bowl to cool completely before topping the cookies.
Step 9 - Make the frosting
Now, it's time to make the frosting by combining softened butter, cream cheese, powdered sweetener, salt, and vanilla extract and/or paste in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, mix until smooth. If desired, slowly add in heavy cream to thin the frosting. You can find full details and instructions on this keto cream cheese frosting post.
Step 10 - Frost & top the cookies
Now, it's simply time to assemble! Frost the cookies generously with the cream cheese frosting, then drizzle with the strawberry sauce. Enjoy!!
🌡Tips for success
- Weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale to ensure you have the proper amount.
- Make sure your oven is at the right temperature before baking. Many ovens run hotter or cooler, so it's important to make sure it's at the right temperature before beginning.
- Bake fewer cookies at a time! Since these cookies are large, we like to bake fewer at a time to give them lots of room to spread out, especially when banging the pan.
- Always use room temperature ingredients. This ensures ingredients cream together properly.
- Chill your cookie dough! A crucial step for the best texture and flavor, and to prevent spreading.
- Allow cookies to cool completely before frosting. Gluten free flours tend to be on the delicate side, due to the fact that they lack the gluten that all purpose flour has. It's important to remember to cool the cookies completely on a wire rack before adding frosting or any toppings so they can set up properly. This also helps reduce the risk of getting too much extra moisture inside the cookie.
- Use fresh baking soda. Baking soda should be replaced about every 30 days or so. To test if your baking soda is fresh, add about a teaspoon to a small bowl. Add in lemon juice or vinegar and if the mixture bubbles vigorously, it's good to go. The baking soda in this recipe produces a chewy cookie.
✨Substitutions
The ingredients are pretty straightforward, but here's a few simple swaps you can make.
- Heavy cream -To substitute heavy cream, you could use any milk of choice including nut milk, or half and half.
- Cream cheese - We prefer to use regular cream cheese for the yummy flavor, but you can use any kind of cream cheese, including reduced fat cream cheese if you prefer.
- Lemon juice - This can be substituted for water in the strawberry sauce if you prefer.
- Powdered sugar and brown sugar replacements - One of the many reasons Swerve (affiliate link) is our favorite sweetener since it measures and bakes cup for cup like sugar. We love a 1:1 swap!
Unfortunately, we are unable to make any recommendations for swapping the flours, eggs, or xanthan gum.
💭Frequently asked questions
Yes, we highly recommend chilling these cookies for at least 30 minutes before baking for best results. If you have time, chilling for 2 hours yields an incredible result.
Chilling the dough allows the flours to absorb other ingredients. This improves the overall texture, flavor, and uniformity in the cookies.
Chilling the dough prevents spreading, as well as creates a chewier bite. Since our dough is so high in fat content due to all the eggs, butter, almond, and coconut flour, the fat needs more time to reabsorb.This allows the fats to cool down, meaning they will expand slower in the oven, helping the cookie retain its texture.
The dough will become hydrated by the wet ingredients, improving the flavor of the cookies, and allowing them to become golden brown and bake evenly.
Yes, you can make smaller cookies if you prefer. With a medium cookie scoop #60, this will make roughly 18 cookies. A large cookie scoop #20 will yield approximately 14 cookies.
We opted for the large cookie for a giant cookie experience, but you could of course make smaller cookies if you prefer. Just be aware that smaller cookies will need less baking time.
Yes, it's possible to make these cookies dairy free, but we aren't able to recommend how to make them completely vegan currently.
You can swap the cream cheese for a dairy-free version, use a nut-based milk in place of heavy cream, and use a plant-based butter.
As discussed, room temperature ingredients are crucial for success in these cookies! But in a pinch, you might need to warm things up quickly. Here's how to do it.
Butter - place in the microwave on 10-20% power, and microwave in 10 second intervals until you press your finger into the butter, but it's not yet shiny or greasy.
Cream cheese - Microwave at 30% powder in 10-15 second intervals, until it's very soft.
Eggs - Place in a bowl of warm water for roughly 10 minutes to bring to room temperature.
🍽Equipment
Luckily, this recipe is pretty standard and you really don't need much to make it.
- You really should have an electric hand mixer for the cream cheese frosting. We're really into our cordless hand mixer. (affiliate link) It keeps a charge for a while, is high-powered, and very convenient to use.
- We'd also recommend using a good oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the right temperature before baking.
- A kitchen scale is now crucial to us when baking. It ensures you will have the right amount of your ingredients, as cup sizes can vary. Plus, it saves dishes which is always a win!
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🥣Storage
These cookies are best enjoyed freshly topped, as the strawberry sauce will begin to seep into the cookie over time.
That being said, you can store the components separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to a week before frosting.
Once frosted, they can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, but they may become a bit soggy as the strawberry sauce begins to seep into the cookies.
To freeze, do not frost or top the cookies with strawberry sauce. The dough freezes well for up to 6 months. To defrost baked cookies, simply allow them to sit at room temperature for about an hour, then enjoy!
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📖 Recipe
Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 196 grams brown sugar replacement (1 cup)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 whole eggs, room temperature
- 224 grams almond flour (2 cups)
- 28 grams coconut flour (¼ cup)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
To frost and top:
- 1 batch keto cream cheese frosting
- 1 batch strawberry topping for cheesecake
Instructions
- Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter with a brown sugar replacement using a hand mixer. Mix until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes on medium-high speed. Add in softened cream cheese, and vanilla extract. Mix again until well combined, and make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is incorporated. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing them into the batter completely.
- After chilling the dough, using a large cookie scoop, scoop out large balls of dough and gently roll them into a round shape. Place them with plenty of space between each cookie on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for a total of 15-18 minutes, and if desired, remove the cookies from the oven about halfway through and bang the pan a few times to create a nice ripple effect in the cookies.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a large cookie cutter to "scoot" the cookies while they are still hot, giving them a nice round shape.
- Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Once completely cool frost with cream cheese frosting, then the strawberry sauce. Enjoy right away!
- For best results, these should be enjoyed fresh. They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also store the ingredients separately in air-tight containers in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Please use room temperature ingredients for the best results!
- Cool cookies completely before frosting.
- Be sure to chill the cookie dough before baking.
- Always use an oven thermometer and kitchen scale for the most accurate measurements and temperatures, as this can have a big impact on the outcome.
- Smaller cookies can be made but this will impact the baking time.
- For substitutions, please visit the body of this post where we covered many frequently asked questions, tips, tricks, and information on variations or substitutions.
Nutrition
These nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy and are only estimates. We cannot guarantee the accuracy.
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