These gluten-free strawberry cheesecake cookies bring together lemon dough, a vanilla cream cheese center and a cooked strawberry topping. The jam inside the dough is a separate quantity from the jam in the sauce. Measuring into labeled bowls prevents one component from accidentally borrowing from another.
Preserve the jam ribbons
Layer the dough and jam, then fold only a few times. Fully mixing the jam through would change both the look and the feel of the dough. The sugar coating makes the portions easier to handle while you shape balls and press the central wells.
Choose the flour blend carefully
Use a plain gluten-free all-purpose blend suited to cookies, and weigh it. A high-absorption blend with additional binders can make this dough dry. A one-to-one substitution with almond or coconut flour is not appropriate. The dough should be scoopable before shaping, rather than powdery or runny.
Top at serving time
The cookies are fragile while hot, even when the cheesecake centers look set. Leave them on their trays until completely cool. Let the fruit sauce cool separately and spoon it on shortly before serving. Keeping those parts apart during storage helps preserve the cookie surface.
Gluten-free ingredient checks
Weigh the flour and use a plain gluten-free blend rather than swapping in a single nut or coconut flour. Omit the listed xanthan only where the ingredient line says to do so. Check the labels on baking powder, chocolate, spices and other packaged ingredients, and use clean tools and surfaces to avoid cross-contact.
For label guidance, read the FDA explanation of gluten-free food labeling. Contains: Egg and milk; check flour and jam labels.
Serving and storage
Refrigerate cookies in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Store sauce separately and add at serving time.
For another baking project, try our gluten-free pumpkin roll, or browse the DayTasty recipe collection.
Gluten-Free Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Heat a conventional oven to 350°F / 180°C and line two trays. Rub lemon zest into the 75 g sugar. Beat in butter and vanilla until lighter, then mix in the yolks. Combine flour, baking powder, xanthan and salt and mix into the wet ingredients to make a scoopable dough.
- In a wide bowl, alternate three layers of dough with three portions of the 70 g jam. Swirl each jam layer lightly. Fold the finished dough only two or three times, keeping visible jam ribbons.
- Stir cream cheese and 25 g sugar smooth. Add warm cream and vanilla to make a loose but spoonable filling. If block cream cheese makes it too firm, add 1–2 tsp more cream.
- Scoop 2-tbsp portions into the coating sugar, roll into balls and arrange at least 2 inches apart. Press a well with a 1-tbsp measuring spoon. Use about 2–3 tsp filling in each. Make 14 cookies.
- Bake one tray at a time for 12–14 minutes, until the dough has puffed and the filling is set. Keep the waiting tray at room temperature. Cool the cookies completely on their baking trays before moving.
- Simmer the strawberries, 40 g jam and cornstarch slurry over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until the fruit softens and the juices thicken. Cool fully. Spoon sauce onto cookies just before serving.
Notes
Refrigerate cookies in a sealed container for up to 3 days. Store sauce separately and add at serving time.
Contains: Egg and milk; check flour and jam labels.
Weigh flour. Check labels and prevent gluten cross-contact.