Lemon Cheesecake Cookies

There's something about cheesecake, in pretty much every form that makes everything better. It's really a cure-all I think.
Bad day? Cheesecake.
Cold? Cheesecake.
Fabulous day with no real reason? Cheesecake.
I'm just sayin...
But let's be real, I don't usually have like five packages of cream cheese on hand, do you? And I love to have my baking ingredients on hand. The less trips to the store, the better.
This is where the cookies come in...
Three ounces of cream cheese and you've got a delicious cheesecake subsititute right in your hands.
So. Good.
Ever since I made the last cheesecake cookies, I've had constant requests for more. And now, I think these are going on that list.
Make sure you don't overbake these cookies, you want the middles to stay really soft, almost underbaked to have the cheesecake texture. Making them a little bigger helps with that. And I loved the mini chocolate chip addition, it really added that extra something.
Enjoy!

Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons lemon zest (I just used the zest and juice of one lemon)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans (I omitted the pecans)
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional
In a large bowl, beat together butter, cream cheese, and sugar. Add in the lemon zest and juice if you are using. Mix in vanilla. Stir in the flour until well combined and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes so that it is easier to handle.

Mix together the pecans, graham cracker crumbs, and cinnamon to make the crust. Pour half of the crust mixture onto a large sheet of wax or parchment paper. Form a log with half of the cookie dough and roll it in the crust mixture. Place log of dough on a new sheet of parchment paper and wrap the ends up. Repeat with the remaining dough and place both dough logs in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Slice dough into half inch thick rounds and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes. The bottoms should be only lightly browned. Allow to cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Source:Buns in My Oven

Orange Cheesecake Cookies

I had a special visit this weekend. My little sister braved the airport crowds and made the two hour flight from California down to visit me. :)
(Pardon the faces..:))
We really only get to see each other every couple of months, so I try (usually to no avail) to think of something fun to do while she's down here. This time, we got up way too early for a Saturday morning and took the Light Rail to the Downtown Farmer's Market. This was both of our first times at this Market, and it was great! We got all sorts of goodies, but I think the highlight was definitely a Blood Orange Marmalade. This stuff is amazing! After covering our French Toast in it, it was decided that something else had to be made. Then I found this recipe...
These taste just like Cheesecake, minus half the work, and in delicious cookie form. So. Good.
We substituted the orange zest for two teaspoons of the marmalade and it worked perfectly. We also decided not to cover them in the chocolate this time, but I'm sure that would also taste amazing.

Orange Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest (We used 2 teaspoons of marmalade)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted

Heat the oven to 375 and prepare two sheet pans with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a mixer cream the butter and cream cheese until they are well combined.
Add the sugar, vanilla, and citrus zest and blend until the ingredients are well combined but not fluffy. Add the flour and mix on low until the flour is incorporated.
Scoop the dough into 1″ balls onto the prepared sheet pans. Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the tops are slightly puffed.
Cool on the pan for two minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cool drizzle, or dip, the cookies with the melted chocolate. Put the cookies into the refrigerator for thirty minutes to set the chocolate.
Yield about 3 Dozen.
Adapted from Evil Shenanigans