Some of us love crispy cookies. Some of us prefer soft, chewy cookies. But I would say, why do we have to pick sides? Let’s just love alllll the cookies no matter their texture. And these particular cookies have a fantastic texture – soft and tender all the way through. They’re packed with rich and sweet chocolate that’s backed up by the subtlest tang of cream cheese (which is to say they’re totally delicious). If you like your cookies big, if you like your cookies sweet but balanced, if you like cookies at all… you’re going to love these.

The dough here starts in a familiar manner, by creaming the butter, but in this case, you’re creaming that butter together with some cream cheese, which adds a softness and wonderful flavor to these cookies. Then it’s business as usual – brown and white sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt.

There’s also cornstarch here, which again helps you obtain that impossibly soft and tender bite. (And of course, there’s also PLENTY of chocolate chips!)

The other key to the texture of these cookies is chilling the dough. With some cookies, you might just go ahead and chill the whole bowl, but in this case, you want to scoop them out, flatten them a bit and then chill them. And don’t even think of skipping that step! Putting the cookies in the oven cold helps to keep them from spreading. That and the cream cheese and the cornstarch is what makes these “soft batch.”

Another key is to bake these until they’re just set. You want a pale cookie, one that will meet your teeth with little resistance. You’re not looking for golden brown edges here – just a soft, pillowy, tender disc of sweetness.