Cream Cheese Cookies with Rum Raisins
Cream cheese cookies with rum raisins are tender, lightly sweet sandwich cookies made from a soft dough of butter, cream cheese, sugar, egg, and flour, then filled with a rum-raisin cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese in the dough keeps them soft and slightly tangy, while raisins soaked in rum add a warm, grown-up depth. They come together in one bowl, chill briefly, and bake in about 10 to 15 minutes.
If you want a cookie that feels a little special without any fuss, this is a lovely one to keep in your back pocket. It is not overly sweet, it pairs beautifully with tea or coffee, and the rum-raisin filling turns a simple cookie into an elegant treat for guests or a quiet afternoon at home.
Why cream cheese belongs in cookie dough
Cream cheese does two useful things here. Its moisture and fat make the crumb soft and almost cake-like rather than crisp, so the cookies stay tender for days. It also brings a gentle tang that balances the sugar, which is why these cookies taste rich without feeling cloying. Because you cream it together with softened butter, both need to be at room temperature so they whip into a smooth, lump-free base.
What you will need
The ingredient list is short and forgiving. Here is what each part does:
- All-purpose flour (200 g), sifted plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder give the cookies structure and a light puff.
- Softened butter (100 g) and cream cheese (100 g) at room temperature form the tender, tangy base.
- White sugar (150 g) sweetens and helps the edges set.
- One large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract bind the dough and round out the flavor.
- Raisins (2 Tbsp) soaked in rum (4 Tbsp) flavor the filling.
- For the filling, another 100 g cream cheese beaten with 50 g powdered sugar and the rum-soaked raisins.
Soak the raisins in rum the night before if you can, so they plump up and carry the most flavor. If you are short on time, letting them sit while you make the dough still works.
Tips for tender cookies that hold their shape
- Chill the dough for at least an hour. This soft dough is sticky, and cold dough is far easier to handle and holds its shape better in the oven.
- Flour your hands before rolling. Dusting your palms keeps the dough from sticking as you shape 1 to 2 inch balls.
- Do not over-flatten. You can press the balls gently with the floured bottom of a cup or glass, but flattening too much stops the cookies from puffing up.
- Watch the underside, not the top. Pull the cookies when the underside edges turn golden. Baking times vary, so start checking at the 10 minute mark.
- Let them cool fully before filling. Warm cookies will melt the cream cheese frosting.
Filling and assembling the sandwiches
Once the cookies are completely cool, make the filling by beating the second portion of cream cheese with the powdered sugar until smooth, then folding in the rum-soaked raisins. Spread a little onto the flat side of one cookie and press a second cookie on top to make a small sandwich. You can also leave them open-faced with a swirl of filling if you prefer a softer, spoonable finish. Match cookies of similar size so each sandwich sits evenly.
How to store them
Because the filling is cream cheese based, assembled cookies are best kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they stay good for a few days. Let them sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving so the crumb softens again. If you want to make them ahead, store the baked, unfilled cookies at room temperature and add the filling closer to serving so they stay tender and the frosting stays fresh.
More cookies to bake next
If you like a filled cookie, you will enjoy these vegan thumbprint cookies with their jammy centers. For something crunchier, try these almond cookies with chocolate chips or the classic Oreo chocolate chip cookies. And if you have cream cheese left over, these cream cheese dip cups are a fun way to use it up.
If you make these cream cheese cookies with rum raisins, I would love to know how they turned out. Leave a star rating and a comment below to tell me whether you went with little sandwiches or open-faced, and how long your raisins got to soak.
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Cream Cheese Cookies with Rum Raisins
Ingredients
Cream cheese cookies:
- 200 g all-purpose flour sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 100 g butter softened
- 100 g cream cheese room temperature
- 150 g white sugar
- 1 egg large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling with Rum Raisins:
- 2 Tbsp raisins
- 4 Tbsp rum
- 100 g cream cheese
- 50 g powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add the raisins to a bowl and pour over the rum. It is best to do this the night before so they have time to soak very well, but you can also do it at the beginning of making these cookies.
- Begin by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Gradually add the sugar and beat the mixture for about a minute.
- Incorporate the egg and extract and continue beating until well combined.
- Gradually add the baking powder and flour.
- Once all ingredients are incorporated, transfer the dough to the refrigerator and chill for at least an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 375F (190C).
- Since the dough can be sticky, dust your hands with flour before rolling it into 1-2 inch balls.
- You can gently flatten the balls using the bottom of a cup or glass dipped in flour, being careful not to flatten them too much as this may prevent the cookies from puffing up.
- Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes, making sure to remove them from the oven when you notice the underside edges turning golden. Keep a close eye on the cookies, as baking times may vary.
- Once done, let them cool and prepare the filling by mixing together the cream cheese with powdered sugar, then adding the rum-soaked raisins.
- Spread the filling on each cookie and you can serve them by making little cookie sandwiches.
Frequently Asked Questions
As written, these cookies are vegetarian, not vegan. The dough uses butter, cream cheese, and an egg, and the filling adds more cream cheese, so it contains dairy and egg. You would need plant-based butter, vegan cream cheese, and an egg substitute to make a vegan version.
Soaking plumps the raisins and lets them absorb the rum so they turn soft and flavorful instead of dry and chewy. It also carries a warm rum note into the cream cheese filling. Soaking the night before gives the best result, but soaking while you make the dough still helps.
Yes, chilling for at least an hour matters here. This dough is soft and sticky, and cold dough is much easier to roll into balls and holds its shape better as it bakes. Skipping the chill can leave you with dough that spreads and sticks to your hands.
Look at the underside edges rather than the tops. Pull the cookies when those bottom edges turn golden, which usually happens between 10 and 15 minutes at 375F (190C). Baking times vary by oven, so start checking around the 10 minute mark.
You can soak the raisins in warm water, apple juice, or orange juice instead of rum, then use a splash of the same liquid or a little vanilla in the filling. The cookies will lose the warm rum note but keep their tender texture and sweet-tangy cream cheese flavor.
Once filled, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where they last a few days, and let them warm up briefly before serving. To make them ahead, store the baked unfilled cookies at room temperature and add the cream cheese filling closer to serving so they stay fresh.
The filling is soooo goood! Loove their texture!