Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

 




The flavors of blueberry cheesecake with less mess and hassle to prepare. I don't know why, but every time I think of fruit, I imagine characters from Strawberry Shortcake...this one is inspired by the Blueberry Cheesecake character!! Sweet blueberries and bits of graham- coated cream cheese. These were a big hit at work.

Tips

Fresh or frozen - fresh or frozen blueberries work well for these cookies. I used frozen and strained all of the liquid away from them before adding the to the cookie dough.
Purple dough -  be sure not to over-stir the dough after adding the blueberries. The blueberries may burst and turn your dough purple.

Oven Temperature: 350 degrees

Time: 10 - 12 minutes

Servings: 4 dozen, 2 - inch cookies

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed


Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a medium bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix the ingredients to distribute each ingredient evenly. Set this bowl aside.

3) In a large bowl, cream together butter, granulated and brown sugar. Add vanilla, milk and  eggs, one at a time (to prevent a mess).

4) Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until all ingredients are combined.

5) Place graham cracker crumbs into a medium sized bowl. Break the 6 ounces of cream cheese into pea-sized pieces. Coat the pieces with graham cracker crumbs and set aside.

6) Carefully fold in 1 cup of blueberries. 

7) Place dough by rounded Tablespoons onto an ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheet 2 inches apart.Top each cookie with 1 teaspoon of cheesecake bits and additional blueberries.

8) Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are lightly browning around the edges and the centers are set.

9) Cool cookies for a few minutes on the pan until transferring onto a cooling rack.