I love cookbooks but I feel that due to the ease of technology I don’t pull them out as much as I should. I mean there is something so surreal about holding a cookbook in your hands and pursuing the recipes. This year for Christmas, I decided I was going to pull out my cookbooks and commit to making at least five (5) cookie recipes that I have never made before.
This cookie recipe is the fourth new cookie recipe in my quest to make five new cookie recipes this Christmas season. I actually found this recipe in the “bake FROM SCRATCH Holiday Cookies Special Edition released in December 2020. This recipe is from a feature about Laura Kasavan, a food photographer, stylist, and recipe developer based in Northern California and writer of Tutti Dolci, a baking blog celebrating all things sweet.
This cookie is a cheesecake and cranberry lover’s dream. These soft graham cookies are topped with Cream Cheese Buttercream with little dollops of jeweled cranberry sauce.
I absolutely loved, loved these cookies. I love cranberry sauce and when you add a cheesecake cookie and cream cheese buttercream you will find the perfect bite of sweet and tart. Now that I have tasted this wonderful cookie it definitely ranks up there as one of my favorite cookies.
Makes 24 cookies.
Cranberry Cheesecake Cookies
Course: DessertCuisine: American12
servings30
minutes15
minutesThis cranberry cheesecake cookie with cream cheese buttercream and a dollop of jeweled cranberry sauce is the perfect bite of sweet and tart.
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Graham cracker crumbs, for rolling
Cream Cheese Buttercream (recipe follows)
Cranberry Sauce (recipe follows)
- Cream Cheese Buttercream (makes 2 cups)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups confectioners sugar, sifted
- Cranberry Sauce (makes about 1 1/2 cups)
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese at medium smooth. Add sugars, and beat until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Beeat in egg and vanilla until combined.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on slow speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until combined. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets parchment paper.
- Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon spring-loaded scoop, scoop dough, and roll in granulated sugar to coat; roll in graham cracker crumbs to coat. Place 2 inches apart on prepared pans.
- Bake until golden and tops and edges are set, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking. Let cool on pans for 10 minutes.
- Place Cream Cheese Buttercream in a pastry bag fitted with a 1 inch closed star tip (Wilson No. 2D). Pipe a ring of buttercream around edges of each cookie. Pipe or spoon Cranberry Sauce in center of buttercream ring. Serve immediately.
- Cream Cheese Buttercream
- In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, cream cheese and salt at medium speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating at low speed until combined, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat until light and airy, 1 to 2 minutes. Use immediately.
- Cranberry Sauce
- In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook cranberries, sugar and salt over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until cranberries begin to burst and mixture is boiling. Reduce heat to low; stir in 2 tablespoons water and almond extract, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a glass bowl, and let cool completely.
