All the flavors of cherry cheesecake, but made into a cookie! This cheesecake cookie is a cream cheese-based cookie dough, with the addition of cherry extract, candied cherries and graham cracker pieces.
To make these cherry cheesecake cookies, I used candied cherries from Paradise Fruit Company. I do not recommend using maraschino cherries or fresh cherries in this recipe, because the moisture in them will greatly affect how your cookies turn out (they probably won’t). The cherry extract used isn’t mandatory, but they do give these cookies such a sweet cherry flavor that I totally love. You can always just substitute vanilla extract for the cherry extract though.
Cherry Cheesecake Cookies
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2-ounces (1/4 cup) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon cherry extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used Rodelle Pure Gourmet Vanilla)
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup finely diced candied cherries
- 1/4 cup small graham cracker pieces
- TOPPING:
- 1/4 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons white granulated sugar or colored sanding sugar (I used pink sanding sugar)
Instructions
****COOKIE DOUGH NEEDS TO CHILL BEFORE BAKING****
In the bowl of a stand mixer, affixed with the paddle attachment, add the butter, and cream cheese. Mix on medium-high speed until light and creamy. Add the sugar and mix until fluffy. Add the egg to the mixture. Mix in the cherry and vanilla extracts, milk, nutmeg and salt. Mix until combined.
Change the mixer to low speed and add the flour, baking powder and cornstarch. Mix until barely combined. Add in the candied cherries and graham cracker pieces. Mix until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and refrigerate the dough for 2-3 hours or overnight (if overnight, place the dough in tightly wrapped plastic wrap).
Once the dough has chilled, mix together the topping in a small bowl. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
Use a standard sized cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough balls. Roll the cookie dough balls in the topping and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake, one baking sheet at a time, in 350-degree oven for 13-minutes. Remove baked cookies from the oven and allow cookies to set on the baking sheet for 15-minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Repeat process with remaining baking sheets.
Notes
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Cookies stay fresh for 5-7 days.
XOXO,
Kelly
PIN ME ↓
2 Comments
Katherine | Love In My Oven
April 6, 2021 at 7:49 PMCherry cheesecake is a terrific cookie flavor, Kelly! Genius! I’ll take a dozen!
Laura
May 3, 2021 at 1:23 PMIm definitely in a cherry mood, Kelly! These look fantastic – good hints, too!