Tis the season for all the cookies! ALL OF THEM! I’m not sure how but Christmas season is here and I for one am excited to bake all the cookies this year. These cherry cheesecake cookies are perfect for the holidays but really any time of the year! You’re going to love these cookies if you like sugar cookies, cheesecake (like these mini cheescakes), or cherry pie. They’re a perfect combination of all three. Plus, they’re so easy to make since the dough starts with a doctored sugar cookie mix. They’ll definitely be a new family favorite!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Sugar Cookie Mix – I used just a standard 17.5 oz Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix but you could use any sugar cookie mix as long as it’s about the same size. Graham cracker crumbs – you can either use store-bought graham cracker crumbs or just crumble some on your own with graham crackers. But I always have graham cracker crumbs on hand for striped delight, so I used the actual crumbs. Butter – make sure the butter is softened before you get started, this makes a huge difference in the consistency of the cookies! Cream cheese – this also needs to be soft or your cheesecake filling won’t mix together as well as you want it to
Instructions
These are super easy to make but make sure to read all of the instructions for some tips for getting the best results! Things like making sure to chill the dough for long enough and more! Before you get started, make sure your butter and cream cheese are both soft. If they’re not soft, let them sit out for a while longer then try again when you’re ready. The softened butter and cream cheese make a HUGE difference in how these cookies cut so don’t try to make them with cold. When your ingredients are ready, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then combine the sugar cookie mix, softened butter, and egg in a medium sized mixing bowl and mix well. Next you’ll add 2 tablespoons of flour to the dough and mix until it’s soft and crumbly. As you mix, you’ll receive why you needed that butter soft – you’ll never get the same crumbly texture you need with cold butter. Then put it in the refrigerator while you move on to the filling and topping. You’ll want to leave it in the fridge for at least 15-20 minutes to make sure it’s chilled and stays together. To make the cream cheese filling, mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until it’s smooth. Then put filling mixture into a zipper bag and snip off the corner for piping. You can also use a piping bag if you have one. Set the filling aside and mix the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar together. Now that you have all the parts prepared, take the cookies out of the refrigerator and make balls using a two tablespoon cookie scoop. Place them on a baking sheet about 2″ apart so they have spread to spread out when baking. Using the back of a spoon, create a small “bowl” in each ball to put the filling in. You should have a full baking sheet of cookies with small cavities ready to be filled. Yours can be closer together than this, but I wanted to show you what they look like with the bowl in the center. Next, pipe about a teaspoon of the cream cheese filling into each “bowl.” You’ll have leftover cream cheese filling that will be used to drizzle on top of the cookies once baked. After filling with cream cheese mixture, top each with three cherries or about 2 teaspoons of cherry pie filling. Now the cookies are ready to go in the oven! Bake for about 15-17 minutes. You’ll know they are done when the edges are starting to brown and the centers are set. When they are ready, remove cookies from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. You’re almost done… after they are cool, drizzle with remaining cream cheese mixture and sprinkle with the graham cracker topping. Let them cool slightly then enjoy your decadent creations! Or better yet, enjoy some and put some others on a plate with these Christmas tree brownies and gift to neighbors or friends with these sweet holiday gift tags!
Expert Tips
Make sugar cookie mix according to directions and then add the flour. My sugar cookie mix called for 1/2 cup butter and 1 egg. The cookies will drop in the middle when they are done and not be puffed up. Use a measuring spoon that’s more of a bowl than a regular spoon to press down the center of the cookie. This will give the cookies better sides of the bowl than a regular spoon. Use the rest of the pie filling to make a cherry pie with this flaky pie crust! Replace the cherry pie filing with your favorite filling for different variations. Strawberry, chocolate, and blueberry are all great options!
More Easy Cookies
Monster cookie sandwichesHomemade moon piesThe best ginger molasses cookiesTrail mix breakfast cookiesCookie s’mores
