Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6
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Soft, buttery cookies get a bright berry boost from oven-dried Driscoll’s Strawberries, with creamy cheesecake pieces and crushed graham crackers. They bake up rich, fruity, and bakery-style, with a soft center and just enough tang from the cream cheese to balance the sweetness.
Prep Time:
40 minutes plus chilling time
Cook Time:
1 hour 17 minutes
Serves:
6
Perfect for:
Afternoon Snacks
Strawberries
Ingredients
Filling
- Half of one (4 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dried Strawberries
10 Driscoll’s Strawberries from one (16 ounce) package
Cookies
- 4 purchased graham crackers
- 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Filling
- LINE a small flat-bottomed dish with parchment paper and SET ASIDE.
- PLACE 4 ounces cream cheese into a medium mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
- BEAT until completely smooth and SCRAPE DOWN sides of bowl as needed.
- ADD 2 tablespoons powdered sugar.
- ADD 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
- ADD 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- BEAT until completely smooth and SCRAPE DOWN sides of bowl as needed.
- TRANSFER mixture to prepared flat-bottomed dish and SPREAD into a thin even layer, about 1/4 inch thick.
- PLACE dish into freezer and ALLOW to chill until very firm, about 1 ½ hours.
- BREAK or CUT cream cheese mixture into pieces and RETURN pieces to freezer until needed.
Dried Strawberries
- PREHEAT oven to 250°F.
- LINE a baking sheet with parchment paper and SET ASIDE.
- HULL 10 large strawberries.
- SLICE horizontally into ¼-inch slices.
- ARRANGE slices in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.
- BAKE 1 hour or until strawberries are dry and slightly jammy.
- ALLOW to cool on baking sheet until room temperature.
- BLOT gently with a paper towel.
- PLACE into refrigerator and CHILL until needed.
Cookies
- PREHEAT oven to 350°F.
- CRUSH 4 graham crackers roughly and SET ASIDE.
- PLACE 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour into a medium mixing bowl.
- ADD 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.
- ADD 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
- ADD 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- WHISK to combine and SET ASIDE flour mixture.
- PLACE 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- BEAT until soft and completely smooth.
- ADD 1/2 cup brown sugar.
- ADD 1/3 cup granulated sugar.
- BEAT until light and fluffy and SCRAPE DOWN sides of bowl as needed.
- ADD 1 large egg.
- ADD 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- BEAT until combined.
- ADD flour mixture.
- BEAT just until combined. Do not overmix.
- ADD crushed graham crackers.
- ADD cream cheese pieces.
- ADD strawberry slices.
- FOLD gently until evenly combined.
- COVER bowl with plastic wrap and CHILL 30 minutes.
- DIVIDE dough into 6 large portions, about 1/3 cup each.
- ARRANGE dough portions onto prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- SHAPE dough portions into tall mounds.
- BAKE 12 – 17 minutes or until cookie edges are set and centers are still soft.
- ALLOW cookies to cool on baking sheet 15 minutes.
- SERVE immediately or TRANSFER cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.
