12 Days of Christmas Cookies: #11 Cheesecake Cookies

(This recipe is a repost from The List.)

This oatmeal cookie with a cheesecake filling and a graham cracker outside "crust" is one of one of my most popular recipes. It's also a perfect example of a stuffed cookie. 

When I thought up the idea of cheesecake-stuffed cookies, of course I had to name them the "Golden Girls" after one of my favorite 80s sitcoms. Whenever Dorothy, Rose, Blanche and Sofia couldn't sleep (which, let's face it, was pretty often...because they're old ladies) and needed to work out their problems (which, let's face it, are a given when an ugly duckling, a dimwit, a slut, and a Sicilian live together), they went straight to the refrigerator, grabbed a cheesecake, and sat around the kitchen table talking, eating, laughing, eating, fighting, and eating some more. 

 

Many of the funniest moments in TV have taken place in their kitchen. I'm sure my Golden Girls cookies would meet the girls' standards!

Filling	8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese 4 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla
Creamables	2 sticks butter 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Wet Ingredients	3 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla
Dry Ingredients	2 cups finely ground graham crackers 1 1/2 cups flour 2 1/2 cups oatmeal 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cinnamon

1. Add the filling ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well.  Let the mixture cool and solidify in the refrigerator until step 7.
2. Preheat oven to 350º.
3. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then add to the creamables. Mix together until smooth.
5. In another large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
6. Shape dough into balls—about 2 tablespoons each.
7. Remove the filling mixture from the refrigerator and stuff each dough ball with 1 teaspoon of the mixture.  Put the stuffed dough balls in the freezer for five minutes to firm up.
8. Place chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
9. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.