Simple & sweet, these Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies have a tangy, creamy center that pairs perfectly with the fruity flavor of the strawberry cookies! Rolling them in powdered sugar before baking gives them an adorable crispy crinkle cookie exterior.
Table of Contents
Strawberry cake mix cookies are irresistibly soft with a decadent cheesecake filling. The powdered sugar crackle on the outside is the perfect finish and make them extra cute and sweet.
These pretty-in-pink strawberry cookies are special enough for a Valentine’s Day or Easter dessert, but they are delicious anytime. The rich cheesecake center cuts the sweetness, which can sometimes be problematic with cake mix cookies.
Stuffed cookies are a fun way to level up your baking game! Some of our other favorite stuffed cookies recipes are Biscoff Cookie Butter Cookies, Big Blue Monster Stuffed Cookies, and Dulce de Leche Stuffed Cookies.
Why this Recipe Works
- These strawberry crinkle cookies have a slightly crisp edge, soft middle, and overall chewiness.
- They are fun to fill, shape, and roll in the powdered sugar, so they are a great cookie to get kids involved with. Plus, with just five ingredients in the cookie dough, they are easy to throw together.
- You could really use any cake mix you like with the cream cheese filling to change up the flavor profile of these cake mix cookies. Lemon, funfetti, chocolate, red velvet – all of them would be delicious!
Ingredient Notes
This is a quick overview of some of the important ingredients you’ll need for this strawberry cake mix cookie recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Strawberry cake mix: Using a cake mix really simplifies this recipe and makes it a great one for beginners. Disregard the package instructions and just use the dry mix the with the other ingredients listed in the recipe card here to make these strawberry cake mix cookies.
- Cream cheese: I recommend using full-fat cream cheese softened to room temperature for best results.
- Powdered sugar: This is used with the cream cheese to make the filling, but it also adds a pretty crackled finish and texture to the outside of the cookies.
How to Make This Recipe
In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, remaining powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy and smooth. If the cream cheese is too cold, this might be difficult to do without ending up with lumps of plain cream cheese in the filling.
Drop by 2-3 teaspoon-sized mounds onto a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper and refrigerate freeze for 15 minutes while making the cookie dough. Or refrigerate for an hour or more until firm.
Beat the cake mix, additional flour, eggs, half of the powdered sugar, and melted butter together in a large bowl until combined. This is easiest with a hand mixer, but can definitely be done by hand as well.
Chilling the dough for an hour is optional, but it does make for easier handling when shaping the cookies.
Scoop the cookie dough into balls using a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop, then flatten them into discs. Place one of the mounds of chilled cream cheese mixture into the center of each cookie, then wrap the dough around the filling, rolling it into a ball between your palms to seal the edges.
Roll each stuffed cookie dough ball in additional powdered sugar to create the crinkle finish, them space them a few inches apart on a baking sheet so they have room to spread while they bake.
Bake the cookies for 9 to 11 minutes until they are set around the edges and lose their glossy sheen on top. These cookies don’t brown much, so you are looking more for things like texture with the crackle finish on top and for the cookies to look baked through.
Let the cookies cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheet to finish setting up before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storage & Freezing
- Storage: Because the cream cheese is mixed with powdered sugar and baked, it technically is safe to leave them out on the counter for a few days in an airtight container, but we recommend storing them in the fridge for about 10 days just because we like these cookies best when chilled.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Just thaw in the fridge or on the counter before serving.
Recipe Tips
- If you prefer to make these without the filling, you can just scoop, roll, and bake. Or try filling with Nutella or stuffing with a golden Oreo instead.
- You might have cream cheese filling leftover. It can be stored in a freezer-safe plastic Ziploc bag in the freezer for 3 months for making more cookies or stuffing into any other favorite cookie dough like chocolate chip or peanut butter.
- Don’t skip chilling the cream cheese filling. It helps ensure the cookies bake evenly.
- If your dough is too sticky to handle, try chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the melted butter in the dough before filling and shaping.
- Try other cake mix flavors like chocolate, red velvet, or funfetti!
More Cookie Recipes
- Copycat Crumbl Cinnamon Swirl Cookies
- Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Dark Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies
- Soft Banana Pudding Cookies
- Cool Whip Cookies
- Cake Mix Cookies
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies
Ingredients
Filling
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cookies
- 1 (15-ounce) pkg. strawberry cake mix
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour scooped & leveled (35g)
- 1/2 cup salted butter melted (1 stick)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, mix the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium low until combined. Use two spoons to dollop small 2-3 teaspoon-sized mounds of the cream cheese mixture onto a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 15 minutes.6 ounces cream cheese, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix the cake mix, flour, eggs, and butter in a large bowl on medium low until just combined. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes to make the dough easier to work with.1 (15-ounce) pkg. strawberry cake mix, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 large eggs, ½ cup salted butter
- Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough. Make a crater in the center of each dough ball, then put one mound of cream cheese filling in the center. Bring the dough up around the filling, and roll it briefly in your hand to seal it so the filling doesn't leak out while baking. Roll dough ball in powdered sugar to generously coat.½ cup powdered sugar
- Arrange 2” apart on the baking sheets to allow cookies to spread. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until cookies appear crackled and dry on the top, and just starting to brown on the bottom. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, transfer to cooling rack. If not serving them all same day, store in a large plastic bag in the refrigerator, squeezing all air out before sealing.
Notes
- Storage: Because the cream cheese is mixed with powdered sugar and baked, it technically is safe to leave them out on the counter for a few days in an airtight container, but we recommend storing them in the fridge for about 10 days just because we like these cookies best when chilled.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cookies for up to 3 months. Just thaw in the fridge or on the counter before serving.
- Filling variations: If you prefer to make these without the filling, you can just scoop, roll, and bake. Or try filling with Nutella or stuffing with a golden Oreo instead.
- You might have cream cheese filling leftover. It can be stored in a freezer-safe plastic Ziploc bag in the freezer for 3 months for making more cookies or stuffing into any other favorite cookie dough like chocolate chip or peanut butter.
- If your dough is too sticky to handle, try chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up the melted butter in the dough before filling and shaping.
- Try other cake mix flavors like chocolate, red velvet, or funfetti!
I just made these cookies, the printed instructions are not clear. The instructions for the cream cheese filling says to add vanilla but vanilla is not on the listed ingredients. I added a little bit in, and it is very tasty. The cookie instructions do not say to add the powdered sugar, even though it is listed on the ingredients, so I figured it was just for the cookies to be rolled in after mixing everything together. After putting the cookies in the oven I read the very lengthy explanation of making the cookies and it explains to add half the powdered sugar in. Oh well. Next time.
The cookies are still tasty, could be a little sweeter, next time I will add in the powdered sugar. I will make again, they are easy and tasty. Thank you for another delicious recipe, but directions could do with a few corrections.
Sharon, thank you for your comment. It helped me to be able to make these. I also used vegan cream cheese (as I have a nephew that is lactose intolerant) and they were a hit! Thanks again!
I love these cookies.
used a butter pecan cake mix
anx these are another of my favorites.
Yummy yummy
Sounds delicious! Glad you liked it!
I made these for the first time today & it was very easy. But even though I put the filling in each one, some didn’t have any once they were done. Did I not put enough filling or something else?
If the cheesecake filling is melting into the dough, I would try both increasing the size of your filling balls a bit AND freezing them longer before using them to fill the cookies and see if that helps.