Thursday, March 30, 2017

The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookies

Soft, creamy, and rich these cream cheese cookies are topped with cream cheese buttercream frosting and a light dusting of brown sugar and cinnamon. Cookies don't get much more decadent than this!!

Quick and Easy Cheesecake Cookie Recipe by www.smokeandvanilla.com - Soft and decadent cream cheese cookies topped with cream cheese buttercream and a dusting of brown sugar and cinnamon. http://bit.ly/2n7WTGu
The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookies

I've been baking cookies for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I had a children's cookbook that came with color coded measuring spoons and I must have made that chocolate chip cookie recipe hundreds of times. Suffice it to say, cookies are (and have always been) my go to dessert; the dough comes together quickly and you can usually go from craving to warm, sugary satisfaction in under 30 minutes.


Quick and Easy Cheesecake Cookie Recipe by www.smokeandvanilla.com - Soft and decadent cream cheese cookies topped with cream cheese buttercream and a dusting of brown sugar and cinnamon. http://bit.ly/2n7WTGu
Cheesecake Cookies

I came across a cheesecake cookie recipe on Pinterest earlier this month that was unlike any cookie recipe I'd ever made before. As soon as Little Dude was down for his nap, I gathered the necessary ingredients and got to whipping and baking. The result was a delightfully light and soft cookie with just a hint of cream cheese flavor. I shared a few with The Hubs and we both agreed that, while delicious, we wanted a bit more cheesecake flavor. We have been baking scratch-made cinnamon rolls with cream cheese buttercream frosting for winter holidays for several years now (check back later for that recipe!) and I knew that a bit of that frosting is what these cookies needed. That, my friends, is where the inspiration for this recipe comes from.

Quick and Easy Cheesecake Cookie Recipe by www.smokeandvanilla.com - Soft and decadent cream cheese cookies topped with cream cheese buttercream and a dusting of brown sugar and cinnamon. http://bit.ly/2n7WTGu
Cream cheese buttercream frosting

So I tried the recipe again, this time with our personal specializations and boy, were we right! The resulting cookie definitely kicks the cream cheese flavor up a notch and completely lives up to the title of "The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookie". I even added a light dusting of cinnamon and brown sugar to add another dimension of flavor and mimic the crust of a cheesecake. Yum, yum, yum!

Quick and Easy Cheesecake Cookie Recipe by www.smokeandvanilla.com - Soft and decadent cream cheese cookies topped with cream cheese buttercream and a dusting of brown sugar and cinnamon. http://bit.ly/2n7WTGu
The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookies

Give them a try! I promise this recipe will satisfy cravings for cheesecake in a fraction of the time it takes to prepare the real thing. Happy baking!

Quick and Easy Cheesecake Cookie Recipe by www.smokeandvanilla.com - Soft and decadent cream cheese cookies topped with cream cheese buttercream and a dusting of brown sugar and cinnamon. http://bit.ly/2n7WTGu


Ingredients:
For the cookies:
¼c butter, softened (*see tip)
4oz cream cheese, softened (*see tip)
½c granulated sugar
1 egg
½t pure vanilla extract
1 ¼c all purpose flour
1t baking powder
¼t salt

For the frosting and topping:
¼c butter, softened (*see tip)
4oz cream cheese, softened (*see tip)
¼c powdered sugar (* see tip)
1 ½t pure vanilla extract
½T brown sugar
½t cinnamon

Instructions:
For the cookies:
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350° F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or non-stick silicone baking mats.
  2. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip together the butter and cream cheese on high until light and airy, at least 1 minute.
  3. Add the sugar and whip for another minute.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla and whip until incorporated.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using your mixer, combine the the dry ingredients and the butter mixture on low until incorporated.
  6. Using a small cookie scoop, dispense dough onto lined cookie sheets and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon.
  7. Bake for 10-14 minutes until just cooked. You want the bottoms to only slightly brown, the rest of the cookie will be very light in color.
  8. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Apply cream cheese buttercream frosting and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon topping.
For the frosting and topping:
  1. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip together the butter and cream cheese on high until light and airy, at least 1 minute.
  2. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix with a fork.
Tips:
  • The easiest way to soften butter and cream cheese is to leave them out on the counter overnight or for at least a few hours. If you haven't planned that far ahead, you can use cold cream cheese and beat it a little longer than indicated above. For the butter, you can microwave it in 10 second intervals at 50% or lower power until softened. Keep a close eye on it though! You absolutely don't want to use melted butter here.
  • I find that most buttercream frosting recipes are far too sweet for my taste so I always start with half the recommended amount of powdered sugar and taste before adding more. Use your taste buds and discretion!
Do you love all things cookie and cream cheese as much as I do? Are you planning to try out this recipe? Have you tried and (hopefully!) enjoyed these cookies? Let us know! We'd love to hear from you in the comments.

3 comments:

  1. YUM! I will take a dozen to go please! Pinned

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    Replies
    1. These are pretty yummy! Let me know what you think if/when you try them out. =)

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  2. It's skillful to have such Cheesecake. Thanks! It looks really Yummy. I will add this Cheesecake to the single parent meal planning page.

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