Cheesecake cookies

One of my favorite blogs (MyKitchenCafe) put a recipe for these little beauties up around Christmas...and I made them the first time I think the DAY I saw the recipe. This was also the day we got a new fridge and took off all the magnets from the old one...

the first batch did fine...see them here on the cooling rack-

(the ones in the back I used cherry syrup...don't do that..the syrup just heats up and leaks out, the purpley ones are elderberry jam, and the kinda burnt orange ones aren't burnt they were honeyed yellow tomato jam)

However the second batch went to the dogs...why? Well..notice the ABC magnets in the top right? One of them found it's way onto the underneath of one of my baking sheets and it was more than just a mess. These wonderful cheesecake cookies tasted like burnt plastic, my new oven was a wreck, and the smoke alarm was going crazy! Lesson learned..and now even though I don't keep magnets on my counter, I'm habitually checking the BOTTOMs of my baking sheets for any potential sabateurs!

My husband had gone to work and gabbed to his coworkers about the cookies (the ones that didn't taste like burnt plastic) and I got multiple requests to make them so he could bring them to work. I also promised my best friend that I'd make her cookies for Christmas (even though we just managed to get together LAST week) so these babies pulled double duty. They turned out MUCH better the second time..practice makes perfect eh?

See...MUCH better!

Cheesecake Cookies (originally From My Kitchen Cafe)

in the other cream together your cream cheese, sugar, and butter until smooth and creamy.

To the wet bowl add your eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated.

Then add the flour mix to this and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This is a VERY important step..it's a sticky batter and it needs time to chill out (literally).

Set oven at 350-and get out two baking sheets and prep them. I don't have a silpat, and I was out of parchment paper, so I gave the pans a healthy spray of butter flavored spray and it did fine.

Roll the dough in 1 1/2 inch balls, then roll into the graham cracker crumbs, place about 2 inches apart on your baking sheets-make an indent in the center with a tablespoon measuring spoon. If you are using cherry pie filling you can get about 3 cherries in each...if you use jam you can get about 3/4 tablespoon in there.

Bake 12-14 minutes or until the edges just start to brown. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.

These babies won't last long! Also...if you are a cookie dough eater like someone I know *points to self* TRY not to eat all the dough....it's amazing!