I'm sure you've heard of Cinco de Mayo. But have you heard of Cuatro de Mayo? It's better known as May 4th, and in my family it is known as Marla's Birthday. Of all the people I know who take their birthday seriously, my sister Marla takes the cake. Take a fun-loving person to begin with, add in a day to celebrate her birth, and you've got a formula for parties, presents, and treats galore. In fact, her boyfriend of a few years said this week that he is starting to understand that she doesn't just have a birthday; she has a birthday season that extends all week.
The flip side of this, of course, is that you don't mess with Marla's birthday. You'd think she would have forgotten by now that I got my first driver's license on her birthday, but trust me, she hasn't. Then when bought my first car on her birthday, she started to get annoyed. Follow that up with getting my Master's degree and she's now suspicious of all my activities on her birthday. I don't try to steal her spotlight, but things just seem to work out for me on her special day. I know she's just a little worried today that I will have the baby a few weeks early. (To tell the truth, I am, too.)
I thought to celebrate the occasion today, a cookie recipe would be perfect to share since my sister and I were cookie-making buddies every Saturday for the many years when we lived near each other in Minnesota. I'm picky when I bake cookies, and Marla is one person I know that consistently makes perfect cookies every batch. In fact, we had cookies and a milk fountain at my wedding and Marla slaved in the kitchen baking several hundred cookies the day before the wedding for it just because she's a great sister and I knew I could trust her to make delicious cookies. She's the kind of sister I hope my baby will be some day.
This recipe is one that I found after we had moved away from each other, and I miss her every time I make them because it's definitely a cookie you want to make with a buddy for calorie-sharing and labor reasons. I've shared them before but thought I'd repost them since it has been a few years and they are too good to be buried among other posts. They're in my top ten favorite cookies because of their uniqueness and their great flavor. They're a cream cheese-based cookies rolled in graham crackers and topped with pie filling. Each cookie is like a little bite of cheesecake but made without the hassle of a springform pan or water bath in the oven. If you are looking for a treat to celebrate this wonderful Cuatro de Mayo today, these would be the perfect treat. And if you happen to know my sister, make sure you don't forget to wish her a happy birthday today.
Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 cans (20-ounce) cherry pie filling (or your favorite kind.)
Directions
- Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners. Place graham cracker crumbs in a shallow dish.
- Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, then roll the balls in graham cracker crumbs. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using a tablespoon measure, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Place 3 cherries in the dimple. Bake until golden brown around the edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool for five minutes on the sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prep Time: 45 min (including refrigeration time) Cook Time: 14 min Yield: 3 dozen cookies
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These cookies are a must-make! They are not-to-be missed! I'm glad you reposted and reminded me to make them again! And happy birthday Marla!:)
These are SO CUTE! And they look delicious. I LOVE CHEESECAKE! And cookies! And now I think I love cheesecake cookies even though I have never had them. :)
What gorgeous cookies! They sound so yummy! Happy Birthday to your sister!
Happy birthday to your sister! Wow, these cookies are just gorgeous! Love them and how they are a twist on cheesecake and thumbprint cookies!
Happy Birthday to your sis :) I'm so glad you reposted these, as I need them in my life pronto!! They are beyond adorable and I can only imagine how fun they'd be with lots of different fillings.
These look amazing! I can only imagine how delicious they are. Happy birthday to your sister!
I hope your sister has a wonderful birthday! :) These cookies look delicious and I don’t normally like cheesecake. I can’t wait to make these :)
Happy Birthday to your sis! Sounds like you guys have a wonderful relationship :)
These cookies are SO cute! They totally look like mini cheesecakes. I can't wait to try them. Also, your pics are gorgeous!
Happy, happy birthday to sis Marla!! Love the looks of these cookies, Nicole.
Tracey @ The Kitchen is My Playground
These cookies are adorable! I'm not a cheesecake fan, but I really want to make these. My issues with regular cheesecake are that one slice is too much, and not enough fruit and crust compared to the rich filling. I think these cookies have the creamy to fruit to graham cracker ratio down perfect, and they're just the right size!
i pulled this recipe out of a magazine forever ago and have been meaning to bake it--good to know they're so yummy AND so cute!
Mmm, these look awesome. I love that they're rolled in graham cracker crumbs. Can't wait to try these!
yum yum yum. Nicole, I never would have thought to make cheesecake into cookies and I LOVE this idea.
These look fabulously delicious in all kinds of ways!
They look great ~but 2-1/2 sticks of butter seem like quite a bit. Is this correct or a typo?
No, no typo. These certainly aren't healthy cookies.
i can't wait to try these!!! they look and sound so yummy!
making it this weekend..looks so delicious..;)
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Tasty Appetite
Those look so wonderful. I cannot wait to try them out. Your pictures are wonderful
This looks way to tempting to walk away from. It would be a crime not to have a bite or two or three...
Should these be refrigerated to store?
Yes, I would store them in the fridge. If they last that long. :)
Found this on Pinterest! They look delicious...
More importantly, I am the exact same way abou my birthday that your sister is about hers. I don't have birthdays. I have birthmonths ;)
They have a similar texture to cheesecake. They are soft, but not chewy. They spread slightly in the oven.
These look brilliant!
Please can you tell me how much butter in oz, or cups?
I can't buy it in sticks where I live.
Thanks ><
Sure. It is 1 1/4 cups of butter. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
Saw these posted on Pinterest yesterday and HAD to make them right away. They're in the oven now! :) Made some blueberry pie filling for them, and can't wait to bite into one. Thanks for posting. Happy birthday to your sister.
So it's kinda hard to figure out if they're cooked to the right point or not. We sacrificed one to the tasting gods and it was a bit mushy yet. We put them back in the oven and took them out when there was the slightest bit of cracking on a couple. They're nice but they could be cheesier and the texture is a bit doughy ... maybe there's too much flour. I've put a few back in the oven to cook more to see if that helps the texture. I did halve the recipe ... maybe it would be different if I made the whole thing as it was. Also I may have made them a bit big / thick
The team at the office really liked these and now that I've had one (or maybe two) on the day after I made them, they're tasting might nice! I think that when I tasted after making them, after tasting various bits and pieces on the way, I was all sweet-ed out and couldn't taste them for what they were. :) I say go for it. They were well received. :)
I'll be making these red, white, and blue cookies for Independence Day this year and shared them on my 4th of July favorites with a link back. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
can't wait to try these... i think i will make them for a few friends next week....
I used just 2 sticks by mistake and they came out great.
These taste okay but the yummy cream cheese flavour is definitely lost amongst the flour... has anyone tried this with less flour?
Baked these yesterday along with 2 other types of cookies for a party. Although they taste very nice --I found the cream cheese flavour lasted-- they spread out and puffed as the blueberry filling (I made my own filling from scratch) oozed everywhere. They do not look good but taste nice...shame as looks count!
I chilled the dough for quite some time and also had to bake these for much longer than mentioned and they never browned.
You need to check out foodilicous's (sp) facebook page, she has been told numerous times to link to the original source and not retype a bloggers recipe yet continues to do so!! Your gorgeous cookies are her latest victim!!
Love- Amy @ Crumbs in my Mustachio
Sounds delicious
Sounds delicious.
These cookies are adorable! I'm not a cheesecake fan, but I really want to make these. My issues with regular cheesecake are that one slice is too much, and not enough fruit and crust compared to the rich filling. I think these cookies have the creamy to fruit to graham cracker ratio down perfect, and they're just the right size!
What's the texture of these cookies? Soft, chewy, cakey? And how much do they spread when baking?
I made these cookies hoping they would have the flavor of cheesecake without the huge slice! They taste nothing like cheesecake! I was very disappointed serving them at a wedding shower!
Can these be frozen?
I featured these on my blog today for National Cookie Day! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! cupcakediariesblog.blogspot.com
I do agree! I was dissappointed too! They tastes mushy and not like cheesecake at all.
These look absolutely amazing. Great photo too! I cannot wait to try them. Tammy ~ http://www.yoursandmineareours.blogspot.com
Made these yesterday, exactly to the recipe. Used 1 can cherry pie filling and 1 of blueberry. They are SO GOOD! Brought some to work and had 6 people ask for the recipe :)
I love to hear cookie success stories! :) Thank you for letting me know you liked them.
What I love about this idea is that sometimes you want that cheesecake flavor but to cut yourself a slice of cheesecake is such a...commitment. Problem solved!
Pinning this now :-)
Hiii i have a question: for 350 degrees do you mean fahrenheit or celsius???? thxx :D
How long do these keep in the fridge?
They are usually eaten in a couple days at my house, so I'm not positive on the upper limit. I would think 3-4 days at most. The fruit on top would start to get gummy after that I'd guess.
Hi Nicole! I made these and they are a hit!!!! I didn't have cherry pie filling so I used homemade saskatoon jelly for filling. The texture of the cookie is great and so tasty. This is a "keeper" recipe and already have the kids asking for the recipe. Thanks!!!
I'm so glad you liked them! I do have to admit I had to look up what saskatoon jelly was. :) Sounds like a great sub. Thanks for stopping by and letting me know how they worked for you!
I just found these via Pinterest. I am about 3.4 of the way thru baking these. Maybe my cookie scoop is small or my cherries are huge but I have my 6th dozen in right now and only one cherry on each. These are headed to a cookie recption for my daughter's school play. And these will be the cookies I make for my cookie swap next month. I love them!
Absolutely fell in love with this cookie recipe...my new fav cookie to eat and share. Thank you for shareing this recipe.
I used cherry pie filling for some strawberry jalapeño jelly on some and sandplum jelly they all were amazing but I have to say the jalapeño was my fav!!
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