cherry cheesecake cookies

Look at these cookies. Aren't they fabulous??? I know I wouldn't be ashamed to bring these yummy little cuties to a BBQ. I don't know who came up with the idea, but they were genius... although making a piece of cheesecake portable could be dangerous to the butt :) I will admit these were more of a pain to make than a regular cheesecake, but they're worth it. I found the recipe on recipezaar and have been asked for the recipe numerous times. You could easily substitute the cherry pie filling for blueberry, apple, lemon... or whatever you have handy you would put on a cheesecake. Enjoy :)



CHERRY CHEESECAKE COOKIES
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
20 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 (20 ounce) cans cherry pie filling, drained

MAKE DOUGH Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in bowl. With electric mixer on medium-high speed, 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, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 30 minutes.
HEAT OVEN Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place graham cracker crumbs in shallow dish.
ASSEMBLE COOKIES Roll dough into 1½-inch balls, then roll in crumbs. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using tablespoon measure, make indentation in center of each ball. Place 3 cherries in each dimple. Bake until golden around edges, 12 to 14 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool 5 minutes on sheets, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Cookies can be stored in airtight container for 2 days.).