last updated on October 1, 2026

These brown butter maple cheesecake cookies are the perfect holiday dessert. The brown butter dough is studded with graham crackers, and the maple cream cheese is swirled throughout to give the best cheesecake flavor.

ingredients needed

how to make brown butter maple cheesecake cookies

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Brown the butter. Add the butter to a large pan over medium heat. Stir as the butter melts. Continue stirring as the butter begins to bubble. After a few minutes, the butter will begin to foam. Once the foam subsides, you will see brown flecks at the bottom. Let it cook for about 30 more seconds, until it’s browned and smells nutty. Immediately remove from the heat and pour into a microwave-safe bowl. Set the butter in the freezer to cool off completely.
3. Make the cheesecake chunks. Add the cream cheese, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla to a medium bowl. Stir until fully combined, about 2 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use one spoon to scoop the cream cheese mixture and another to help transfer it to the baking sheet. Fill the baking sheet with the cheesecake dollops until you have used all the mixture. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer.
4. Cream the butter and sugar. Remove the brown butter from the freezer. It should be cool to the touch. Pour it into the bowl of a hand mixer or stand mixer, and add the brown sugar. Stir until well combined, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the wet ingredients. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Continue mixing for another minute until combined.
6. Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour (I like to measure with a scale), baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix on low until just combined, once the streaks of flour are gone.
7. Add the mix-ins. Break graham crackers into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Remove the cheesecake chunks from the freezer. Add them, along with the graham cracker chunks, into the bowl. Mix on low until just combined.
8. Use a large (1/4-cup) ice cream scoop to form balls of dough. Place the dough balls evenly onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet, 6 to a sheet. You can add a few more chunks of graham crackers on top of each cookie for a more finished look. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-11 minutes, until the edges are just set.
9. Cool and enjoy. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes after being baked. At this point, you can use a circular cookie cutter to swirl the cookies into perfect circles. Once they have cooled for 10 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack. You can eat these cookies immediately after they cool (the cream cheese will be warm and gooey), or put them in the fridge to enjoy cold later (they will have a more traditional cheesecake texture). Either way, they are delicious, and I hope you enjoy!

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brown butter maple cheesecake cookies

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 8 large cookies

ingredients

  

maple cream cheese

• 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, at room temp
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

brown butter cookies

• 1/2 cup (113 g) salted butter
• 2/3 cup (143 g) brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup (75 g) graham cracker chunks

instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Begin by browning the butter. Add the butter to a large pan over medium heat. Stir as the butter melts and continue to stir as the butter begins to bubble up. After a couple minutes of bubbling, the butter will begin to foam. Once the foam subsides you'll see flecks of brown at the bottom. Let it cook for about 30 seconds more until you see plenty of brown, then immediately pour the butter into a heat safe bowl. Set the butter in the freezer to cool off slightly.
• Add the cream cheese, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla to a medium bowl. Stir until fully combined, about 2 minutes.
• Line a plate or small baking sheet with parchment paper. Use two spoons to scoop the cream cheese and drop it onto the lined plate into little chunks. Repeat until all the mixture is used up and transfer the plate to the freezer while you make the dough.
• Remove the butter from the freezer — it should be cool to the touch now. Transfer the butter to a large bowl and add the brown sugar. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer to mix until well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined, about 1 minute.
• Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix on low just until the flour is fully incorporated.
• Remove the cream cheese from the freezer. Add the cream cheese chunks and the graham crackers to the bowl. Mix on low until just combined.
• Use a large (1/4 cup) cookie scoop to scoop out the dough into balls. Place up to 6 dough balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, equally spaced apart. Transfer to the oven and bake for 8-11 minutes, until the edges are just starting to set.
• Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy the cookies warm and the cream cheese will be warm and gooey, or enjoy them cold for more of a traditional cheesecake flavor.

Notes

Any extra cookies should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.