Cherry Cheesecake Cookies walk the perfect line between cookie and cake- They taste like a bite of your favorite cheesecake, but have the portability and chewy crumb of a cookie.
I love the wonderful textures and flavors of a classic cheesecake and I even like making cheesecakes, but the process is time consuming and fussy. Enter Cherry Cheesecake Cookies. If want to get your cheesecake fix but don’t have the time or desire to spend hours baking one and days waiting to enjoy it (I’m a firm believer that cheesecake must rest for at least a day before it’s perfect to eat)- these cookies are just for you.
The cookie recipe calls for a full pound of cream cheese mixed with classic sugar cookie ingredients, so the flavor will absolutely remind you of your favorite tangy cheesecake that’s incorporated into the chewy bite of a soft, portable, cookie. Rolled in crushed graham crackers to further duplicate the cheesecake-tasting experience, then topped with iconic cherry pie filling. These little cookies are pretty and super tasty!
The recipe makes A LOT of cookies (yay!). Form each cookie into a ball and roll said ball into graham cracker crumbs; next make an indentation using a tablespoon measure and top with pie filling. This might be a nice cookie recipe to make with friends, spouses, or kids to speed up the prep work, though I made mine by myself and it doesn’t take too long. Baking two cookie sheets at a time is great but you might need to switch the cookie sheets half way through baking, depending on your oven. The baked cookies can be refrigerated for up to two days before serving but the taste best the day they’re made. The cookie dough can be chilled for three days before baking.
Cherry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, (17 ½ ounces)
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 pound cream cheese, softened
- 20 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened (2 ½ sticks)
- 1 ½ cups sugar, (10 ½ ounces)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 8 whole graham crackers, crushed into crumbs, (1 cup)
- 3 cans cherry pie filling, (20 ounce each)
Instructions
- Whisk 3 ½ cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt together in bowl. Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat 1 pound softened cream cheese, 20 Tablespoons softened butter, and 1 ½ cups sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the 8 crushed graham cracker crumbs in a shallow dish.
- Roll dough into 1 ½-inch balls (about .9 oz each), then roll in graham cracker crumbs; space dough balls 2 inches apart on prepared sheets. Using 1-tablespoon measure, make indentation in center of each dough ball. Using a fork, pick up 3 cherries from the pie filling and let most of the liquid drip back into the bowl (less of the filling to prevent the cookies from being soggy). Place 3 cherries in each indentation.
- Bake until golden around edges, 12 to 14 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving.
Notes
- If the tablespoon measure sticks to the dough balls when pressing the indentations into the dough balls, dip it in crumbs to coat before pressing.
- If your cherry pie filling is thin enough, drain it from the can before placing in the bowl to add to the cookies. If the pie filling is labeled "Country Cherry Pie Filling" it might be too thick to drain but using the fork when picking up the cherries will prevent too much of the liquid from getting on the cookies.
- I pulsed my graham crackers in a food processor before rolling the dough balls in them. If you want the graham cracker crumbs to be a little thicker on the cookies, place the whole graham crackers into a plastic bag and roll over them using a rolling pin until the desired size of crumbs is achieved.
- The cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for a couple days before baking and baked cookies can be refrigerated for 2 days before serving. Cookies do taste better the day they're baked, however.
Recipe adapted from The Perfect Cookie
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