Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Recipe

By Stephanie Rutherford, Stephanie’s Sweet Treats

If you’ve ever fallen down a late-night TikTok or Instagram baking rabbit hole, you know just how mesmerizing it can be. You get caught up in the gooey but crispy-edged cookies, the perfectly piped frosting, and the cozy kitchens they’re baked in. Before you know it, two hours have gone by in a blink, and you’re drooling. Oh, how the times have changed, to where social media has become the new cookbook! In this fall and holiday season-inspired baking roundup, we’re highlighting some of the most talented bakers who have taken over our feeds (and even our kitchens) with their irresistible creations, like this Sugar Cookie Cheesecake!

“I have been making dessert recipes since 2020,” says Stephanie Rutherford, owner of Stephanie’s Sweet Treats. “I started baking in 2018 because I had just had my first baby, and I had severe postpartum depression and anxiety. I started watching The Great British Baking Show, and that inspired me to start learning how to bake. I discovered how much I love it and have been baking ever since! In January 2020, I decided to make a website with all my recipes. I love creating decadent dessert recipes that the average home baker can make!”

VIE: What makes the holiday time special for you?

Stephanie: Spending time with my two sons (7 and 1) makes the holidays so special. I have always been one who loves the magic of Christmas, so getting to share it with my kids has been such a joy. We live in Colorado, so getting to have snow days, hot chocolate nights, Christmas crafts, and more is amazing.

VIE: What makes baking around the holidays important to you?

I have always loved desserts. It is even more of a big deal now that I bake for a living. When you bake a treat, you literally bake it with love to give to your loved ones. Giving my family a reindeer cupcake or a snowman cookie and seeing that holiday joy—well, it brings me such joy! In my opinion, it can’t be the holidays without Christmas cookies!

VIE: Are you the baker in the family, or are there others in the kitchen during the festivities?

I am definitely the baker in the family. I always bring Christmas cookies and a big Christmas dessert, like cheesecake, to the family gathering. Cooking is a different story. My husband is the cook in our family, and during the holidays, my mother-in-law makes the most delicious ham and turkey. I bring dessert and homemade rolls. If I am adventurous, I will bring a savory appetizer, too.

VIE: What’s a holiday tradition you did as a child that you still do or try to do today?

When I was a kid, and it was anyone’s birthday, my parents would make it your birthday week. You get small gifts every day until your birthday. For the holidays, they would plan Christmas activities for us—anything to get us excited while counting down to Christmas. Now, my husband and I celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas with our kids. It starts on December 12 and goes until December 24. Every day, we leave a note in the Advent calendar about what we are doing that day. It could be a hot cocoa night, a Christmas movie night, a Christmas craft, a drive to see Christmas lights, etc. We do this to ensure we cover everything on our holiday bucket list, but it also gets our kids super excited and counting down to the big day.

VIE: What’s a holiday baking staple that you will always bake, year after year?

A holiday staple that I have to bake every year is for Thanksgiving—I have to make a Pumpkin Cheesecake, but it has regular cheesecake and pumpkin cheesecake swirled together. My mom would make pumpkin cheesecake every year for Thanksgiving, and now it isn’t the holiday without it! For Christmas, I love to make Cinnamon Rolls for breakfast, and for the big dessert, usually something chocolate. Last year, I made Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake that was super creamy.

VIE: If you could bake with ANY person, who would it be? 

If it is someone I know, it is my oldest son, Henry. He started baking with me when he was eighteen months old and he could crack an egg! I love to do weekend baking with him, and he always tells me it’s his favorite thing ever. For someone I admire, I would love to bake with the legendary Mary Berry. She is the cutest baker, and I would love to bake with her. I would learn so much!

Sugar Cookie Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the Sugar Cookie Crust

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup Regenerative Organic Certified® Cane Sugar from Wholesome

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large egg, room temperature

1 egg yolk, room temperature

1/3 cup Christmas sprinkles, jimmies

For the Cookie Dough Balls

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup Regenerative Organic Certified® Cane Sugar from Wholesome

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

5 Tbsp milk

1/3 cup Christmas sprinkles, jimmies

For the Cheesecake 

32 oz cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup Regenerative Organic Certified® Cane Sugar from Wholesome

3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature, or Greek yogurt

1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

2/3 cookie dough balls

For the White Chocolate Ganache 

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions

For the Sugar Cookie Crust

1. Heat treat flour. Heat your oven to 300°F. Place the flour for the cookie dough balls on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes.
2. Prep. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking spray. Place a parchment paper circle on the bottom and spray again.
3. Dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
4. Beat butter and sugar. Beat the butter and cane sugar on high speed for 2 minutes.
5. Wet ingredients. Add the vanilla extract, egg, and egg yolk to the butter mixture. Mix on medium speed until combined.
6. Combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix them on low speed until combined. Then, add the Christmas sprinkles and mix them in.
7. Form crust. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and press the dough into an even layer across the bottom of the cheesecake pan. It does not need to come up the sides.
8. Bake crust. Bake the crust for 25-30 minutes.
9. Start the cookie dough balls while it bakes.

For the Cookie Dough Balls

1. Dry ingredients. Mix the all-purpose flour and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Beat butter and sugar. Beat the butter and cane sugar on high speed for 2 minutes.
3. Wet ingredients. Add the vanilla extract and milk. Mix it on medium speed until combined.
4. Combine. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Add the Christmas sprinkles and mix them in.
5. Form balls. Place wax paper over a baking sheet to place the cookie dough balls on. Use your hands to roll the cookie dough into balls with a diameter of a dime to a nickel (approximately 19mm to 21mm). This can take a while, so I encourage you to recruit your family for this step!
6. Chill cookie dough balls. Place the cookie dough balls in the freezer. They must be cold and firm before using them.

For the Cheesecake

1. Prep: Heat oven to 325°F. Start heating water for the water bath.
2. Beat cream cheese and sugar. Use a mixer to beat cream cheese and cane sugar for 2 minutes on high speed. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl partway through.
3. Wet ingredients. Add the sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. Mix it on medium speed and make sure no cream cheese chunks remain.
4. Combine. Add the eggs and mix on low speed until just combined. Then, add 2/3 of the cookie dough balls and gently mix them in with a rubber spatula.
5. Pour. Pour the cheesecake batter onto the crust. Prepare the water bath now. See the section below for 2 options of how to prepare it.
6. Bake cheesecake. Bake for 80 to 90 minutes. The cheesecake is done when the edges are set and the middle has a slight jiggle.
7. Cool cheesecake. Turn off the oven and crack the oven door open. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, transfer the springform pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Chill cheesecake. Wrap the pan in aluminum foil and place it in the fridge overnight, or at least 6 hours, to chill.

For the White Chocolate Ganache 

1. Heat cream. Pour the white chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl. Then, heat the heavy cream on the stove until steaming.
2. Melt ganache. Pour the steaming heavy cream over the white chocolate chips and let it sit for 2 minutes. Then, stir. If white chocolate chunks remain, heat for 20-second intervals and stir until they melt.
3. Pour ganache. Take the cheesecake out of the fridge, remove it from the springform pan, and remove the parchment paper. Pour the white chocolate ganache over the cheesecake.
4. Set ganache. Place the cheesecake in the freezer for 10 minutes. Add the remaining cookie dough balls and Christmas sprinkles before serving.

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For more recipes, visit StephaniesSweets.com and follow @stephaniesweettreats on Instagram.