Cinnamon Churros Cheesecake Cookies
There’s a particular magic to wandering through a sun-drenched Spanish plaza, the air thick with the scent of cinnamon sugar from a nearby churrería. That memory, of crisp, ridged dough dipped into thick chocolate, has stayed with me for years. It’s a taste of pure joy. I’ve always wanted to capture that feeling, but in a new way. So, I started thinking: what if we took the essence of a churro – that warm cinnamon-sugar hug – and combined it with the cool, tangy heart of a creamy cheesecake? The result is these Churros Cheesecake Cookies.
This dessert recipe is more than just a sweet treat; it’s a delightful contrast of textures and temperatures. You get a soft, chewy cookie with a wonderfully sandy, spiced exterior, which then reveals a smooth, slightly tangy cream cheese centre. It’s the kind of bake that makes people pause after the first bite, trying to figure out how all those brilliant flavours work together so well. This was inspired by a memory I have of dipping churros into a less-traditional, tangy cream cheese dip at a little modern tapas bar in Seville, and I knew I had to bring that idea home.
These stuffed cookies are brilliant for when you want to bake something a little special without spending an entire day in the kitchen. They look impressive and always get compliments, making them ideal for sharing with friends over a coffee or as a standout bake for a family gathering.
Recipe Overview
These Churros Cheesecake Cookies deliver on every level. The cookie dough is a simple brown sugar base, which gives it a lovely caramel note and a chewy texture. The real star is the cheesecake filling, which we freeze in small dollops before wrapping the cookie dough around it. This is the secret to getting a perfect pocket of creamy filling that doesn’t melt away in the oven. After baking, we brush the warm cookies with melted butter and roll them in a generous coating of cinnamon sugar, mimicking the classic churro finish. After testing this recipe five times, I finally got it just right – the key is freezing the cheesecake filling solid.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chilling Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 13-15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Servings: 18 cookies
- Difficulty: Medium
Why You’ll Love This Churros Cheesecake Cookies Recipe
- A Wonderful Texture Contrast: The grainy cinnamon-sugar coating gives way to a soft, buttery cookie, and finally, a smooth, cool, and tangy cheesecake centre. It’s a truly engaging bite.
- Ready in Under 2 Hours: While there’s some chilling involved, the active prep and baking time is straightforward, making this an achievable weekend baking project.
- Adaptable Flavours: You can easily tweak the filling by adding a little lemon zest for extra tang, or a pinch of nutmeg to the cinnamon sugar for a warmer spice profile.
- Great for Sharing: These are the perfect bake to bring to a friend’s house or a potluck. They travel well and have that “wow” factor that gets everyone talking.
- Family Tested: My kids absolutely adore these. They call them “surprise cookies” because of the hidden cheesecake filling, and they always want to help with the final cinnamon-sugar rolling step.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For these churros cookies, using good quality, full-fat ingredients makes a noticeable difference, especially for the cheesecake filling. I always use Philadelphia full-fat cream cheese as it has a firm texture that’s ideal for freezing and holds its shape beautifully. For the other ingredients, standard pantry staples will work perfectly.
- For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 120g full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 50g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
- For the Cookie Dough:
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g light brown soft sugar
- 75g caster sugar
- 1 large free-range egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 280g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 50g unsalted butter, melted
- 100g caster sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Marcus’s Tip: Ensure your cream cheese and butter are truly at room temperature. This is vital for achieving a smooth, lump-free cheesecake filling and a well-creamed cookie dough base. Trying to rush this step can result in a grainy texture.
How to Make Churros Cheesecake Cookies
The process is broken down into three main stages: making and freezing the filling, preparing the cookie dough, and finally, baking and coating. Don’t skip the chilling and freezing steps – they are the key to perfect stuffed cookies.
- Prepare the Cheesecake Filling: In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sifted icing sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until completely smooth and creamy. Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. Drop level teaspoons of the mixture onto the tray, making about 18 small mounds. Place the tray in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until the mounds are frozen solid.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, light brown sugar, and caster sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. This step incorporates air, which helps create a tender cookie.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat again until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, mixing on low speed until just combined. What works best for me is finishing the mix with a spatula to avoid overworking the gluten, which can make the cookies tough.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the bowl with cling film and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
- Assemble the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough (about 30g) and flatten it into a disc in your palm. Place one of the frozen cheesecake mounds in the centre. Carefully wrap the dough around the filling, rolling it into a smooth ball. Ensure there are no cracks where the filling can escape. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving ample space between them. For more delicious bakes like this, check out my other Stuffed Cookies Recipe With Gooey Center.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown and the centres are set but still soft. They might look slightly underdone in the middle, but they will continue to cook on the hot tray.
- Coat with Cinnamon Sugar: While the cookies are baking, prepare the coating. In a shallow bowl, mix together the 100g of caster sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Once the cookies are out of the oven, let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, while they are still warm, brush each cookie all over with the melted butter and immediately roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until generously coated. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips From My Kitchen
- Temperature Control is Key: Chilling both the filling and the dough is non-negotiable. Frozen filling ensures a clean bake, and chilled dough prevents excessive spread, giving you thick, chewy cheesecake cookies rather than thin, crispy ones.
- The Secret Step: I learned that working quickly when assembling the cookies is crucial. The frozen cheesecake balls start to soften fast. I take them out of the freezer only when I am ready to start wrapping them in dough to keep them as firm as possible.
- Make-Ahead: You can make the cookie dough and the cheesecake filling balls ahead of time. The dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the frozen filling balls will keep in the freezer for up to a month in an airtight container.
- Storage: These Churros Cheesecake Cookies are best enjoyed within 3 days. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Because of the cream cheese filling, I prefer to store them in the fridge if keeping for longer than a day, then let them come to room temperature before serving.
Delicious Variations to Try
While this recipe is wonderful as it is, you can certainly play around with the flavours to make it your own. If you enjoy baking zesty desserts, you might also like my Lemon Crumb Bars Recipe.
- Chocolate Churro Version: For a twist, try dipping half of the finished cookie in melted dark chocolate. This mimics the classic Spanish serving style of churros con chocolate.
- Spiced-Up Filling: Add 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg or cardamom to the cheesecake filling for a deeper, more aromatic spice flavour that complements the cinnamon sugar beautifully.
- Dulce de Leche Centre: For a truly decadent treat, swap the cheesecake filling for frozen dollops of thick dulce de leche. The caramel flavour pairs brilliantly with the cinnamon.
What to Serve With Churros Cheesecake Cookies
These stuffed cookies are a complete treat on their own, but a simple accompaniment can elevate them further.
- A Glass of Cold Milk: The simple, creamy coolness of milk is the perfect foil for the sweet, spiced cookie.
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream: For a proper dessert, serve a cookie slightly warm with a scoop of high-quality vanilla bean ice cream. The contrast between the warm cookie and cold ice cream is sublime.
– A Good Cup of Coffee: A freshly brewed Americano or a frothy cappuccino cuts through the richness of the cookie wonderfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Churros Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare the Cheesecake Filling: In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sifted icing sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until completely smooth and creamy. Line a small baking tray with parchment paper. Drop level teaspoons of the mixture onto the tray, making about 18 small mounds. Place the tray in the freezer for at least 1 hour, or until the mounds are frozen solid.
- Cream the Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter, light brown sugar, and caster sugar together using an electric mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. This step incorporates air, which helps create a tender cookie.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat again until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly mixed.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two batches, mixing on low speed until just combined. What works best for me is finishing the mix with a spatula to avoid overworking the gluten, which can make the cookies tough.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the bowl with cling film and chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
- Assemble the Cookies: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out a tablespoon of cookie dough (about 30g) and flatten it into a disc in your palm. Place one of the frozen cheesecake mounds in the centre. Carefully wrap the dough around the filling, rolling it into a smooth ball. Ensure there are no cracks where the filling can escape. Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving ample space between them. For more delicious bakes like this, check out my other Stuffed Cookies Recipe With Gooey Center.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown and the centres are set but still soft. They might look slightly underdone in the middle, but they will continue to cook on the hot tray.
- Coat with Cinnamon Sugar: While the cookies are baking, prepare the coating. In a shallow bowl, mix together the 100g of caster sugar and 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Once the cookies are out of the oven, let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then, while they are still warm, brush each cookie all over with the melted butter and immediately roll it in the cinnamon-sugar mixture until generously coated. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
I really hope you give these Churros Cheesecake Cookies a try. They are a little bit of a project, but the final result is so worth it. The combination of warm spice and cool, tangy cream is just fantastic, and they’re such a joy to share. Let me know how you get on in the comments below – I’d love to hear about your baking experience! Happy baking, Marcus.
