Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
Beat cream cheese and butter together at high speed until fluffy and smooth; 1-2 minutes. Add sugar to the butter mixture and beat until fully incorporated and fluffy; 1-2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and vanilla; 1 minute.
In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir just until incorporated. Do not over-mix.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart; batter will be sticky. *You can put the batter in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to help it firm up a bit.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be light in color, not browned, and just starting to brown on the bottom. *Length of baking time may vary from oven to oven.
Cool cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar or dip in chocolate once cooled.
Notes
The vanilla smooths out the flavor, but for a more tart, cheesy flavor, add a teaspoon of lemon juice or no extracts at all.
Do not overbake. This can cause the cookies to come out more dry and biscuit like.
Nutritional values and calorie count is per cookie.
These cookies do not need to be refrigerated. Store at room temperature in a sealed container.
For more tips, be sure to read the FAQs in the post.
For chocolate dipped cookies, melt some chocolate in the microwave (chocolate chips or wafers and dip the cooled cookies in the melted chocolate.