Ginger Cheesecake Cookies Recipe • 5★

Updated October 16, 2025

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne. Prop Stylist: Megan Hedgpeth.

Three types of ginger — ground, fresh and crystallized — run through these flavorful cookies with a secret. Hidden inside is a creamy cheesecake filling that readily complements and tempers their spicy bite. Skip the crystallized ginger, if you like, but it really makes them pop, as does a finish in brightly colored sanding sugar. If you have only regular white sugar, they’ll still be stunning.

Featured in: The Only Holiday Cookie Recipes You’ll Need This Year

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6 ounces/170 grams cream cheese, chilled

½ cup/62 grams powdered sugar

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 ½ cups/320 grams all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

10 tablespoons/141 grams salted butter, at room temperature

1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar

½ cup/62 grams crystallized ginger, finely chopped

⅓ cup/113 milliliters unsulphured molasses

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger (no need to peel)

White sanding sugar or granulated sugar, for rolling (optional)

Step 1Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Transfer mixture to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag.

Prepare the filling: In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk and vanilla until smooth. Transfer mixture to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag.

Step 2Set a sheet of parchment on a rimmed baking sheet. Snip off a ¼-inch opening from the bottom corner of the bag. Pipe equal-size dollops of the filling — you should have at least 18 — onto the prepared sheet. Using a spoon, smooth down any sharp edges. Freeze until completely firm, at least 1 hour. Line 2 more rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

Set a sheet of parchment on a rimmed baking sheet. Snip off a ¼-inch opening from the bottom corner of the bag. Pipe equal-size dollops of the filling — you should have at least 18 — onto the prepared sheet. Using a spoon, smooth down any sharp edges. Freeze until completely firm, at least 1 hour. Line 2 more rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

Step 3Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, pepper and salt. In a second large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in egg, crystallized ginger, molasses and fresh ginger, scraping the sides as you go. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture until well combined.

Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, pepper and salt. In a second large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in egg, crystallized ginger, molasses and fresh ginger, scraping the sides as you go. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture until well combined.

Step 4Scoop dough into 2-inch/45-gram balls. (To portion the dough without a cookie scoop, form it into a rectangle, then use a sharp knife to cut the block into 18 equal pieces.) Working with one at a time, flatten a dough ball in the palm of your hand, then add a piece of frozen filling to the center. (Keep the rest of the filling in the freezer as you work.) Bring the dough up and around the filling, encasing it completely. Roll the dough ball between your hands to form it into a smooth sphere. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. If the dough feels very soft, chill it for about 15 minutes.

Scoop dough into 2-inch/45-gram balls. (To portion the dough without a cookie scoop, form it into a rectangle, then use a sharp knife to cut the block into 18 equal pieces.) Working with one at a time, flatten a dough ball in the palm of your hand, then add a piece of frozen filling to the center. (Keep the rest of the filling in the freezer as you work.) Bring the dough up and around the filling, encasing it completely. Roll the dough ball between your hands to form it into a smooth sphere. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. If the dough feels very soft, chill it for about 15 minutes.

Step 5Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll each chilled ball in sanding sugar to coat, if you like, then place on the prepared sheets, at least 3 inches apart (they will spread). Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the center of each cookie is just set, 15 to 17 minutes. Repeat with any remaining cookies. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll each chilled ball in sanding sugar to coat, if you like, then place on the prepared sheets, at least 3 inches apart (they will spread). Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the center of each cookie is just set, 15 to 17 minutes. Repeat with any remaining cookies. Let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then move to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days.

A simple alternative to dollop thing the cream cheese would be to put them in a Ziploc baggie and let them freeze into a log, then cut the log into slices similar to how you cut a roll of cookie dough. Just portion it so that your log is going to freeze in a similar diameter to the dollop, you may need to do more than one bag.

Dear lord, you’ve finally added the metric system to the recipes!

These cookies are delicious. Lovely, strong ginger taste that counterbalances the sweetness of the filling. Filling them was tedious, and it would have been helpful to have the weight of the filling. I made a test cookie and went with 8 grams. After my first batch went into the oven, I put the remaining dough and filling in a baking dish and made bars. Equally delicious! The cookies are large, and you could downsize them by half for a holiday cookie plate. The gingerbread dough is a winner!

Has anyone tried rolling them in powdered sugar like crinkle cookies?

Can I put some lemon zest or fresh lemon juice in the cream cheese filling

Quite a special and delicious cookie! With all the ginger, it is a nice spicy cookie with a creamy, mildly tart filling counterpoint. I made exactly to recipe using a scale for weight. I didn’t measure, but wasn’t shy with the cracked black pepper. It is time-consuming to prepare, so I think I’ll try a bar cookie next time and cut them while warm. When you freeze the cream cheese, make sure it is a dollop not a disc. I also refrigerated the dough for a short bit before molding around the filling and still needed to dampen my fingers a few times to prevent sticking.

I worried that the cream cheese would leak through if the cookie wasn’t molded perfectly, but had no problems with that. I got twenty 45 gm cookies out of this batch, and they are good sized cookies. I rolled in Demerara sugar and they came out beautifully with a crackled top.