The perfect carton of blueberries is a thing of beauty. You know the carton that has a lot of big berries just sitting there and they’re not broken and not packed all tight in the box and there aren’t any really tiny ones that you can see (even when you turned the carton over to inspect because let’s face it we all live in fear of those really tiny blueberries that are so tart and angry that your face nearly disappears when you eat them). When it’s summertime and you can find that perfect carton, do me a favor and use some of them in this recipe for gluten free blueberry cheesecake cookies. The rest of the year? You can definitely use frozen berries in this recipe. :)
Some of the berries in the cookies will burst open, making cookies that are crispy around the edges, a bit crunchy on top because of the coarse sugar sprinkled there, with some of the smooth creaminess you expect from cheesecake. Blueberry cheesecake cookie perfection.
Don’t fight summer! Celebrate its bounty (or the bounty of the frozen foods section when it’s not summer). ;)
Gluten Free Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (210g) all purpose gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73g) packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 egg (60 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 ounces fresh whole blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
Sugar in the Raw (or other coarse sugar) for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325° F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, salt, granulated sugar and brown sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the butter, cream cheese, egg and vanilla, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be thick. Add the blueberries, and carefully fold them into the dough until they are evenly distributed throughout.
Divide the dough into 12 portions, each about 60 grams. Roll each portion into a ball and then flatten, gently but firmly, into a disk that is about 1/3-inch thick, and place on the prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle each cookie evenly with coarse sugar.
Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cookies are lightly brown around the edges and fully set in the center, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet until firm (about 10 minutes) before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
megan says
My dough was really dry too. I added some almond milk to it. Mzybe 3 tbsp or so.
Sarah says
My dough turned out really dry… any suggestions? I didn’t make any substitutions! :-)
Nicole says
Another reader had a similar issue, Sarah, and it turned out that her fats (butter, cream cheese) were not truly softened (at room temperature) when she made the dough. Everything, including eggs, fats, etc., must be at room temperature or the ingredients won’t incorporate properly.
Nicole
megan says
looks yummy!!! do you think whipped cream cheese, ya know the kind in a container vs foil is ok? that is all i have and i really want to make these…NOW:)
Nicole says
That kind of cream cheese is whipped with air, Megan. If you’d like to use that, just be sure to portion it by weight, not by volume, as it will weigh considerably less by volume than a block of cream cheese.
xoxo Nicole
megan says
thanks Nicole. I have the cookies in the oven, i did use more than 4 oz of the whipped cream cheese , so i’m hoping they turn out.
thanks for creating and then sharing such wonderful recipes!!!
Dana says
Hi Tara, first of all, welcome to the GF world! It’s a good place to be baking wise, and you came to the right site. Nicole’s recipes are fantastic, and so is her book. But it’s true, GF can seem overwhelming at first – I know it did for me a year ago – but it will get easier. And less expensive. Now about parchment, I can’t answer for Nicole, but I can say I’ve only come across the white kind so far but it works great. Gluten baking can be stickier – I think – so parchment may be a safe bet and not such a huge investment. I hear you though on the pricey side of being GF… but once you get some good flour, and it sounds like you have, you’re ready to get started. Good luck!
tara says
Question on the parchment paper….is it 100% necessary in gf baking ? I’m new to g free and am a great “regular” baker and didn’t really use parchment much for baking cookies. Honestly i just never noticed much of a difference. I used good quality pans and never had a problem….but maybe its more important for g free baking ? Alos…unbleached ? I’ve only ever seen white parchment paper in my store so i’m assuming that means its bleached. I’m just asking as g free cooking/baking is leaving my wallet pretty empty right now and i wondered if the parchment was worth the extra splurge ? I just spent about $25 for a 5 lb bag of flour and almost died. I never knew how good i had it as a gluten eater !!!! Its really overwhelming. I’m determined to be just as good a baker g free as i was before but after seeing the cost of everything and having some failures its a bit discouraging. I love your site so far though i have yet to make anything.
Nicole says
Unbleached parchment paper is much thinner than bleached parchment paper, Tara, so you can press it into the corners and sides of a pan when necessary. It also doesn’t burn in the oven like bleached paper does. Bleached paper is so thick that it is not appropriate for using to roll out gluten-free dough since you can barely feel what you are rolling so it is impossible to be precise. I use “If You Care” brand unbleached parchment paper. I buy it on amazon, but I also routinely find it these days in larger grocery stores. If you like the flour you bought, next time buy a larger size. It will be much more cost effective.
Good luck!
xoxo Nicole
Peggy says
Blueberries and cream cheese. I saw this recipe and thought I had entered heaven! Thanks for sharing! Must look for some large fresh blueberries because I just have to try these!!! Have a neice coming the end of August from the state of Washington and I want to have several things baked up ahead of time. She loves to bake and is always sending me pictures of her baking results. She is not gluten-free so I want to bake the best recipes I have so she knows I’m not missing a thing by being gluten-free!
Nicole says
I like the way you think, Peggy! No need for sympathy. Our food is meant to be envied. I have no doubt that you will wow her. No doubt at all.
xoxo Nicole
Chris says
I am blessed to live where a short drive to the next county nets me an opportunity to pick at the organic blueberry ranch! ‘Been there three times already but I can see a fourth trip coming up this week!!! These look simply divine…..if only you could hear the swoon here….. Do you know how they freeze? Please say they will do well. I can’t be alone with too many of these and the freezer may hold me off a bit!
Nicole says
Hi, Chris,
I haven’t tried freezing them, but I am not worried about your doing that at all. I’m fairly sure they would freeze quite well. Just be careful when defrosting them, that they don’t become soggy! I would say to defrost them with either a quick spin in the toaster oven or just in the refrig, on a paper towel.
xoxo Nicole
Jeanette says
Tasted great, non-gfers liked them. I loved eating the raw dough.
Nicole says
So I’m not the only one who tastes the raw dough, then, Jeanette! I call it research. ;)
xoxo Nicole
Kowa says
Hi Nicole,
This gluten free post made my day! August (I can’t believe it is almost August already) is when blueberries become ripe in upstate NY. It’s a family tradition to go blueberry picking there every year, and I cannot wait to try this cheesecake cookie recipe with the fresh berries we collect. I haven’t had cheesecake since switching over to gluten free, so this will be an especially welcome treat!
Thanks for sharing,
Kowa
Nicole says
Oh you lucky dog, you, Kowa. Just like Blueberries For Sal! These cookies would be so extra special with fresh picked blueberries.
xoxo Nicole
Tami says
I just got home with 3 pints of blueberries from our farm share. I will definitely be making these tonight. Thanks!
Nicole says
Great, Tami! 3 pints of blueberries is an embarrassment of farm share blueberry riches. :)
xoxo Nicole
Kristi says
I think this would make an excellent breakfast cookie! I mean cream cheese is healthy right? How do you think these puppies would travel Nik? I am sending Jordan to Palm Springs with gluten eaters. Very helpful parents though and they bend over backwards for my GF kid. If I packed her a little ziploc full of these babies, would they keep for a few days?
I am going to run at lunch and get blueberries and cream cheese so I can make them tonight!
Nicole says
Definitely a great breakfast cookie, Kristi. But I’m afraid they won’t travel very well if you bake them as directed in the recipe. They are really moist, because of the blueberries, so they tend to become kind of fragile as they sit. You could try baking them longer so they dry out a bit, but I would go with the Gluten-free Banana Pecan Breakfast Cookies, instead. Jordan is one lucky girl. :)
xoxo Nik
Kristi says
Oh thank you so much! That is very helpful.
Candice says
Oh my gosh, these are SOOOO good!!!! Thank you, thank you for posting them!! I had blueberries I just bought from a farmer’s market….most excellent way to use them!! :^)
Is it possible to substitute almond flour for the gluten-free flour? I used Better Batter for this recipe, but I find I have alot of almond flour at home and want to use it up : ^)
Hugs,
Candice
Nicole says
Hey, Candice,
Did you make ’em already? Quick draw there! You definitely cannot sub in almond flour. It is incredibly different and won’t behave the same at all.
xoxo Nicole
Linda says
oops. I was so taken by the post that I forgot to un-anonymous me. Sorry! xoLinda
Nicole says
I knew it was you, Linda! But I’m glad you came out of the shadows all the same. I hope you enjoy the cookies. :)
xoxo Nicole
Anonymous says
Blueberries. And cream cheese. Together in a cookie. The world is now a better place. xoLinda
Dana says
Oh wow, those cookies look amazing! I am on the hunt for the perfect pint of blueberries to bake with. Love the crispy sugar top. Yum! Thanks for another fab recipe Nicole, and I really appreciate the blog updates while you were on vacation. Now that dedication!
Nicole says
Hey, thanks, Dana. I really appreciate your saying that. I stockpiled recipes for a couple of months at least so I had enough! I’m nothing if not committed to all of you. :)
xoxo Nicole