If you love a dramatic cookie moment, these Copycat Chips Ahoy Stranger Things Cookies bring the Upside Down right to your baking sheet. Think double-chocolate cookies made with inky black cocoa and studded with chips, hiding a strawberry-cream “portal” in the center.
They’re soft at the edges, fudgy inside, and that neon-red filling? Totally 80s, totally binge-worthy. Bake a batch for Stranger Things marathons, birthdays, or any Friday night that needs a little Hawkins energy.
Why My Recipe
- The Upside Down Twist: We're talking rich, dark cocoa cookies with a surprise vibrant strawberry cream cheesecake filling! It's an unexpected flavor combo that just works.
- Bakery-Quality at Home: No need to hunt for limited editions. My secret cookie chef tips will ensure your homemade versions are even better!
- Double Chocolate Dream: Using black cocoa gives these cookies that signature dark, mysterious look and a deep, intense chocolate flavor.
- Super Fun to Make: These cookies are a project, yes, but a fun one! Stuffing that creamy center is pure baking joy.
David
Ingredient Notes
Strawberry “Cheesecake” Filling
- Cream cheese (softened): Creates a smooth, tangy center that firms up when baked and cooled. Room temp blends lump-free.
- Powdered sugar: Sweetens and keeps the filling silky; dissolves instantly so you don’t overmix.
- Strawberry extract: Big berry flavor in a few drops—tastes like strawberry milk vibes.
- Red gel food color: Gel gives bold color without thinning; add a little at a time to match your Upside Down hue.
Strawberry Chocolate Cookies
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: Extra pockets of melty chocolate—measure with your heart.
- Salted butter (softened): Creams with sugars for lift and moisture; salted balances the intense cocoa.
- Light brown sugar + granulated sugar: Brown adds chew and caramel notes; white helps edges set.
- Egg: Binds and gives that soft-center pull.
- Vanilla extract: Rounds the chocolate so it tastes fuller, not flat.
- Baking soda: Gentle lift so cookies spread just enough without losing thickness.
- Black cocoa: The secret to ultra-dark color and deep chocolate flavor—think Oreo. Dutch-process cocoa can sub for part if you want milder flavor.
- Cornstarch: Tenderizes the crumb for a soft, fudgy bite.
Cookie Masterclass: Tips for the Perfect Texture and Shape
Achieving that beautiful, slightly crackled top and perfectly round shape is part of the cookie chef challenge! Here are a few more tips to ensure your cookies are camera ready and taste incredible:
- The Power of Chilling (Beyond the Filling): If you find your cookie dough is too sticky or you're working in a warm kitchen, consider chilling the finished, stuffed dough balls for 10minutes before baking. This helps solidify the butter, which controls spread and results in a thicker, chewier cookie.
- The Gentle Flatten: That small step where you flatten the stuffed dough into a round mound is vital. It creates the perfect disc shape for baking and ensures the cookie dough bakes evenly around the frozen filling. Don't skip it!
- Black Cocoa Substitution: If you're having trouble finding black cocoa powder, you can use Dutch-processed cocoa powder combined with a small amount of black food coloring gel (just a drop or two) to achieve that signature dark, mysterious color without altering the flavor profile too much.
- The Cornstarch Secret: Adding cornstarch to cookie dough is my secret weapon for super soft, tender, and chewy cookies! It helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much and gives them that melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Oven Temperature Check: Knowing your oven's true temperature is a huge advantage. If your cookies are spreading too thin, your oven might be running cold. If they are burning on the edges, it might be running hot. An oven thermometer is an inexpensive tool every serious baker should own!
Storage, Make-Ahead, and Reheat
- Room temp: Airtight up to 2 days (cool completely first).
- Fridge: 3–4 days for the creamiest centers.
- Freeze (baked): Up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge.
- Freeze (unbaked, filled): Freeze on a sheet, then bag; bake from frozen adding 1–2 minutes.
For even more delicious recipes, you may like these:
Copycat Stranger Things ChipsAhoy Cookies
Bake Copycat Chips Ahoy Stranger Things Cookies: jet-black cocoa cookies with melty chips and a bright strawberry-cream center. Dramatic, fudgy, and party-perfect.
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 oz Cream cheese softened
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons Strawberry extract
- 1 teaspoon of Red food color gel approximately +/-
For The Cookies
- Chocolate Cookies
- 1/2 cup Salted butter softened
- 1/2 cup Light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup Black cocoa
- 1 3/4 All purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Corn starch
Instructions
- In a small bowl, cream together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, red food color, and strawberry extract.
- Place mixture in a zip lock bag with a the tip cut off, or spoon off small, flat, circular shaped mounds onto a parchment paper lined tray. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. I found squeezing them into mounds is more efficient!
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large sized bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Ensure it is creamed well with soft peaks.
- Add in vanilla extract and egg. Mix until well incorporated.
- Add in your dry ingredients. Be sure to add in dark cocoa, corn starch, baking soda, and salt first. Give it a gentle mix with your spatula. Then slowly add in the flour and mix until well combined. You will have a very tight ball that feels kinda dry, but looks moist.
- Add in your chocolate chips. Measure with your heart if 2/3 cups isn’t enough. Then using a medium sized cookie scooper, scoop out the cookie dough onto parchment paper line cookie sheet.
- Grab your tray of frozen cream cheese mounds. Grab a ball of cookie dough and make an indention with your thumb and then place in the cream cheese. Fold the cookie dough around to seal it. I then flatten each into a round mound. This shape is how it will bake.
- Bake cookies for approximately 11 minutes. They might look like they’re undercooked, but they are not. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Make it Your Own
- Raspberry portal: Swap strawberry extract for raspberry and add a tiny drop of purple with the red.
- Mint Upside Down: Use peppermint extract in the filling and white chocolate chips in the dough.
- Double chip: Mix semi-sweet + mini chips for extra pockets.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 GF flour blend; check your extract/gel brand.
- Inside-out: Use classic cocoa cookies and tint the filling black with a touch of black gel.
Serving: 1cookie
Recipe FAQs
Can I use natural cocoa instead of black cocoa?
You can, but you’ll lose the jet-black color and that Oreo-style flavor. Dutch-process is a closer swap than natural.
My filling leaked—what happened?
Usually seams weren’t sealed or the filling wasn’t frozen firm. Press edges together well and keep pucks in the freezer until you’re ready to stuff.
Why do my cookies look underbaked at 11 minutes?
They should—soft centers are the goal. They set as they cool on the sheet for a few minutes.
Can I tint the filling brighter red?
Yes. Add gel a drop at a time; gels color strongly without thinning the mixture.
