When you can’t decide between cheesecake, sprinkles, or chocolate chip cookies for dessert… have all three!
From now on, let’s celebrate Sprinkle Fridays. Fridays are a perfect excuse for sprinkles, right?!
Brainstorming another excuse to make chocolate chip cookie cups, I began thinking of how tasty sprinkles are with chocolate chip cookies. Cake Batter Chocolate Chip Cookie, anyone? And how tasty is cheesecake with chocolate chip cookies? I once had a fat slice of chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake at a restaurant and I think I fainted from how good it was. So today’s recipe was born from my love for chocolate chip cookies, a love for sprinkles, and my love for cheesecake. A trifecta of awesome.
Sprinkles & chocolate chips are just meant to be…
I won’t walk you through how to make the chocolate chip cookie cups again (see my chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes if you need a refresher), but it’s helpful to know just how darn good they are. The chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for cornstarch in the dough—cornstarch makes the cookies unbelievably soft and thick, much like it does to soups, pie fillings, and gravies. Make the cookie dough (no dough chilling required!), press 1.5 Tablespoons of it into each lined cupcake tin and bake for 10 minutes before making the cheesecake layer. My super-soft, thick chocolate chip cookie cups act as the cheesecake crust today.
Take the chocolate chip cookie cup “crusts” out of the oven at 10 minutes. Spoon 1 heaping Tablespoon of the cheesecake batter on top and return to the oven to bake for about 18 minutes longer. There, you’re done. Wasn’t that easy?
You will love sinking your teeth into these cookie cups. I mean, you’re getting two desserts in one! Soft, chewy cookies + creamy cheesecake. Sprinkles + chocolate chip cookies. Needless to say, we gobbled these up like there is no tomorrow.
Sprinkle Cheesecake Cookie Cups
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 28 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 24 cookie cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
When you can’t decide between cheesecake, sprinkles, or chocolate chip cookies for dessert… have all three!
Ingredients
Cookie Cups
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/4 cups (225g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 heaping cup sprinkles (do not use nonpareils—they will bleed their color)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two 12-count muffin pans with muffin liners. Set aside.
- Make the cookie cups: In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides as needed. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Dough will be thick.
- Press 1.5 Tablespoons of dough into each muffin liner. Bake for only 10 minutes. They will not be cooked through at this point, but they will be going back in the oven.
- Make the cheesecake: With a handheld mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla together until completely smooth. Stir in the sprinkles, making sure not to overmix so their color does not bleed. Dollop 1 heaping Tablespoon of cheesecake batter onto each cookie cup, spreading it to make sure it completely covers the cookie.
- Return the cookie cups to the oven and continue to bake for about 18 more minutes, making sure the tops of the cheesecake does not get too brown. The cups are done in the oven when the cheesecake topping no longer jiggles when you shake the pan. Cover the cups with aluminum foil if the tops are getting too brown too soon. Allow to cool and enjoy. Makes 24 cups. Cookie cups stay fresh covered at room temperature for 12-24 hours, and then must be refrigerated after that for up to 4 more days.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pans | Muffin Liners | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
This may be an incredibly silly question, but would omitting the sprinkles be acceptable? Would they need to be replaced by something, like chocolate chips? I want to make these for a birthday but the birthday girl does not like sprinkles! Your help would be so appreciated.
Hi Megan, you can simply omit the sprinkles with no other changes. Hope they’re a hit!
What would your suggestions be for changing these to mini muffin size? Volumes and baking times.
Hi Emily! Pre-bake time for the mini cookie cups might be around 8 minutes. Then the remaining time might be about 10 minutes. These are just guesses based on similar recipes, but we haven’t tested them. Let us know if you give them a try!
I just wanted to say thst I made these YEARS AGO and they were AMAZING. I was thinking of a fun and unique recipe to bring to a cookie swap and cheesecake popped into my head (thanks pregnancy) and I remembered this fantastic recipe!!’ Going to use holiday colored and themed sprinkles. You should totally resurrect these lol.
Could I bake these in a 9×9 pan? How would the bake time change?
Hi Ava, I don’t know the best size baking pan for these layers, but a 9×9 inch square pan should work. I’m unsure of the bake time, but use the same oven temperature.
Can these be frozen
Hi Diane, absolutely. They should freeze well for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before enjoying.
Hi Sally! Can this recipe be cut in half if we only want 12?? Thanks!
Gorgeous! These look perfect for a little birthday treat I’d like to make for a friend. Any recommendations for adjusting quantity per cup & baking time to make them mini size? I’ll probably experiment a bit, but would love to know if you have any thoughts there. Thanks so much!
Pre-bake time for the cookie cups might be around 8 minutes. Then the remaining time might be about 10 minutes. These are just guesses based on similar recipes I’ve played around with.
Hi Sally, just a quick question! I love this recipe and I also love making your cake batter cookies. Do you think those cookies could make a good cookie cup bottom for this recipe? Thanks!
Absolutely! Similar bake time to these cookie cups. Let me know how they turn out!
Hi Sally! I’d like to make this for my sister’s birthday using a regular pie pan. Do you think it would work fine? Should I make any adjustments??
It should work out just fine, yes. The bake time will be much longer.
These babies are probably in my top 10 of most favorite, delicious things I’ve ever made. Ever! Chocolate chip cookies plus anything makes it amazing, but FUNFETTI cheesecake?! Quite possibly one of the best combinations to ever exist.
And that cookie recipe. I know I really need to get around to making your chocolate chip cookie recipe because I know it will be the bomb!