Cherry Cheesecake Cookies are Crumbl Copycat New York Cheesecake Cookies with creamy frosting, buttery streusel, and juicy cherry topping!
I'm a HUGE fan of Crumbl Cookie recipes. We don't live near any of their bakeries, so I create delicious recipes like Strawberry Pop Tart Cookies and German Chocolate Cookies to tide me over until we can visit one! This version has a graham cracker base, a cheesecake frosting, and a graham cracker streusel with tart cherry topping to help balance out the sweet.
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⭐️ Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Decadent - the graham cracker sugar cookies by themselves are delicious. But with the FROSTING?? The cherry topping is literally "the cherry on top".
- Showstopping - these are perfect to make for an event with not too much effort; parties, BBQs, baby showers, birthdays, and holidays!
- Not Difficult - These cookies are very forgiving. This is a mid-level baker difficulty, and it's easy to make them taste good!
- Graham Cracker Sugar Cookie - have you ever had a cheesecake where the crust was the best part? This is IT. The cookie base makes this recipe THE BEST.
🛒 Key Ingredients
These are the basics you'll need for the graham cracker cookie base and the cheesecake frosting. Make sure you go to the recipe card below for measurements!
- Butter - salted is best, it adds flavor to the cookies. If you're watching salt intake, you can use unsalted.
- Brown Sugar - dark brown makes a rich flavored cookie, as well as adding some moisture without thinning out the cookies. It makes them nice and soft!
- Graham Crackers - these are blended into powder and added to the cookies to add the graham cracker flavor we know and love!
- All Purpose Flour - it's needed for added stability and volume for the cookies.
- Cream Cheese - room temperature is best for good mixing, otherwise, it can become clumpy. It's definitely a must for the cheesecake frosting!
- Cornstarch - to stabilize the cheesecake frosting and prevent the cream cheese from becoming too soft to pipe onto the cookies.
- Cherry Pie Filling - isn't actually part of the original Crumbl Cookie recipe but it's SO MUCH BETTER with it on top. Don't skip it!
✏️ Substitutions
- Dark brown sugar can be swapped with light brown sugar.
- Full fat cream cheese is best for this recipe, but fat free and ⅓ fat can also be used.
- Cornstarch can be omitted and replaced with up to ½ cup powdered sugar, but flavor may be impacted.
🧑🍳 Instructions
Step 1. Start by creaming the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix well.
Step 2. Add in the graham cracker crumbs, salt, baking soda, and flour and mix until a dough forms.
💡 PRO TIP: Use a blender to make the graham crackers into crumbs quickly! Blend for less time for a coarser crumb texture, or longer for finer crumbs.
Step 3. Scoop dough in ⅓ cup scoops to make 12 cookies, and flatten the tops slightly so they spread properly while baking. Preheat oven to 350℉.
Step 4. Bake 6-8 cookies on one baking sheet to ensure even baking.
Step 5. Prepare frosting by beating cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth, then add powdered sugar and cornstarch. Add in vanilla and mix well. Chill until cookies are completely cooled.
💡 PRO TIP: Use room temperature frosting to make it smoother with no lumps! Then chill after mixing for a more set frosting when piping onto the cookies.
Step 6. Prepare streusel by combining melted butter, salt, and graham cracker crumbs.
Step 7. Assemble by piping frosting onto cooled cookies, then sprinkling streusel on top generously, then spoon cherry pie filling on top of frosted and streuseled cookies.
🆒 Variations
- Try using different kinds of pie filling for a cookie topping! Our favorites are strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, apple, and peach.
- You can use different flavorings for the cheesecake frosting besides vanilla. Almond extract and cherry pie filling go well together, as do maple extract and apple pie filling. Just make sure the flavors complement each other!
- Use vanilla bean paste or vanilla bean caviar in the frosting to make the most amazing vanilla flavor!
❓Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they should stay chilled within 3 hours of assembling. See Storage instructions below.
Yes! You can make and bake the cookies, but do NOT add the toppings. Freeze the cookies and toppings separately and thaw everything completely before assembling.
Freezing assembled cookies is not recommended, it would change the texture and become soggy when thawed.
YES! You can use any pie-filling flavor you'd like with new york cheesecake cookies. Blueberry, blackberry, apple, and even peach would be delicious.
Yes and no. If not drained, the juices would become soggy on top of the cookie. You could lay them on a paper towel to soak up excess juice before putting the cherries on, or simply put sliced fresh cherries on top.
You can always use a homemade cherry pie filling.
❄️ Serving & Storage
Cheesecake cookies can be served immediately after assembling.
These cookies should be refrigerated within 2-3 hours after making if not consumed due to the the cream cheese frosting.
To make ahead: Store baked cookies at room temperature unfrosted in an airtight container and refrigerate the frosting until ready to assemble.
Related Recipes
📝 Printable Recipe
Cherry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1½ cups brown sugar light or dark
- 1 egg large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 12 crackers
- 2 cups all purpose flour
For the Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tablespoons cornstarch
For the Streusel
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs about 4 crackers
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter melted
- 1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- With an electric mixer using a paddle attachment, combine the butter and brown sugar and beat on high speed until mixture is light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally.Add in egg and vanilla extract and mix on medium speed until fluffy and mixed well.
- Add salt, baking soda, and graham cracker crumbs and mix until just combined. Add flour one cup at a time and mix on low speed about 1 minute until flour is completely mixed in.
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 2 cookie or baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Using ⅓ cup scoop, measure out 12 balls of dough, and optionally roll in graham cracker crumbs, then place evenly on baking sheets. Bake for 10-11 minutes when cookies begin to crack. Cool completely.
For the Frosting:
- With an electric mixer mix cream cheese and butter together on medium/high speed until smooth and creamy. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time mixing on low speed until powdered sugar is completely mixed in between additions. Add vanilla extract and mix well. Add cornstarch 1 Tb at a time as needed for desired thickness.
- Spoon frosting into a piping bag and using a large round tip, frost each cookie in a spiral pattern.
For Streusel:
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter, then sprinkle onto frosted cookies generously. Spoon cherry pie filling over cookies 3-5 cherries or as preferred. Serve within 2 hours of making or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
J says
Could these be frozen once fully made? I've never frozen jam filling so I'm not 100% sure what the texture would be like! I'm guessing it would be fine but wanted to ask!
Sara says
Good question! They might get soggy if completely assembled. I usually make just the cookies then freeze them if needed, and thaw and frost a day or two ahead and refrigerate.
Sherry says
I'm going to try to make the cookie base ahead and do the rest of it in 2 days. I just wondered if anybody else had tried this?
Mindy says
Literally the best cookie I have ever made. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Nadine says
Made these for my family and they became instantly addicted! They said it’s the best cookies they’ve ever had!
Sara says
Yay! I’m so glad all of you enjoyed them!
Nancy says
Hi, these look amazing!! You mention cornstarch to stabilize the cream cheese frosting in the directions but I don’t see mention of it or measurements in the recipe. How much cornstarch? I really want to make these.:)
Sara says
Yes! You are right Nancy. Sometimes when I type from written notes things get missed! The frosting recipe is corrected.
Holly says
I made these for work today and was told they were better than Crumbl!!! I did use my medium scoop because I like smaller cookies. I did need to flatten them a little but before putting in the oven but they were perfect!!! I actually want to make just the base cookie part again on its own!!
Natalie says
these were amazing! came out much better than i expected and they are so beautiful!
Kristen says
These were good but the cream cheese mixture is way too sweet. Next time I will cut down on the confectionery sugar and add butter.