Chocolate Cheesecake Cookies

If you’re like us, you’re familiar with a certain feeling that sometimes strikes when you least expect it. You don’t know when or where it will happen, but when the craving for cheesecake hits, you know you can’t ignore it. That was us the other day, just grabbing some groceries when we realized that we were perfectly situated to grab all the necessary ingredients for a cheesecake confection. But not just any cheesecake confection, no.

Instead of a classic cheesecake or a seasonal twist on said classic, we decided to stray a bit further from the traditional version and make a batch of cheesecake cookies to satiate the craving instead. If you haven’t tried your hand at a cookie-cheesecake hybrid then, first of all, stop what you’re doing right now and prepare to have your mind blown. These are cloud-like, light, fluffy, cakey cookies that have the perfect tang from the cream cheese and that really do taste like cheesecake. Remarkable. We didn’t stop there though, we wanted to make these a little decadent, so once we baked up the perfect batch, we melted some chocolate and ground up some graham crackers.

Ooh we went there – we dipped the bottoms of each cookie in chocolate and then gave it a quick dunk in the graham cracker crumbs. Hello, chocolate graham cracker “crusted” cookies! These bad boys are just so, so good, you have to try them. They take care of the cheesecake craving and also give you a new favorite cookie recipe to add to your arsenal. Win-win!

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INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
Powdered sugar, as needed

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 350º F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt until combined, then set aside.
In a separate bowl or mixer, cream together cream cheese and butter until combined and fluffy. 1-2 minutes.
Add sugar to cream cheese mixture and beat for another 2 minutes, then mix in eggs (one at a time) and vanilla extract.
Slowly mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, beating until just incorporated.
Using a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop, drop even scoopfuls of batter onto lined baking sheets. It’s okay if batter is sticky.
Place baking sheets in oven and bake for 11-14 minutes, or until bottoms just start to brown. (Bake time depends on size of cookies.)
Remove from oven and let cool.
In a small, microwaveable bowl, heat chocolate chips and butter together in 20-second increments, stirring in between, until smooth. Place graham cracker crumbs in a shallow bowl.
Once cookies have cooled slightly, dip bottoms in chocolate, then immediately dip them into graham cracker crumbs.
Let cookies set upside down until chocolate is firm, then dust tops with powdered sugar, if desired. Enjoy!