Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Hello again,

So after the disastrous donuts of earlier this week, I really want to whip something up that was simple, yummy, and stress-free. I've been thinking these past few weeks, as I near my 100th post on this blog, how much stress I've created in publishing on this. It shouldn't be that way. I shouldn't be freaking over how each cookie looks, how the lighting is crappy in my college apartment, how a kitchen experiment of my own creation seems to always go horribly wrong.

It should be, above all else, a stress reliever. I love baking, and I've unfortunately done a terrible deed in turning into something to stress about. Because I've had these dreams of opening a bakery...because I'm a perfectionist...whatever the reason, the reason no longer stands to justify the stress. It's time to de-stress some parts of my life. I wish I could de-stress all of it, but somehow I feel as though total de-stress would result in my gallavanting off to Europe to eat French bread and read novels all day every day.

Would you like to know a great recipe for de-stressing?

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies.

Yes, the name may sound intimidating, what with cheesecake being a dessert I never go near in my own kitchen, but these cookies are merely inspired by the creamy, decadent flavors of cheesecake and the crunchy, chewy cookie we've all come to know and love: the Oreo. So it's a wonderful de-stresser for numerous reasons. For starters, it only has about six ingredients. I like it already.

Two: the cookie dough is egg free. Translate: Though it may not be nutritious, the dough is absolutely safe to eat raw. Woohoo! I do offer a cautionary word though; this dough tastes very much like cheesecake, so sticking a finger in or two before getting the cookies onto the pan may be a bad idea. You could soon end up with a huge amount of cookie dough in your stomach, only to cause a considerable stomachache in a few short moments, and no cookies on the pan. So try to restrain yourself. Hopefully you are stronger than I am. My stomach ache wasn't huge but, well, I did need to let loose after all.

Destressing Moment Number 3: Pulverizing Oreo Cookies with a mallet. Do I even need to explain why this would be loads of fun?

And of course, the final stress-free moment: the glorious first bite into a chewy, Oreo covered cheesecake cookie. Friends, do you remember the Banana Bread Snickerdoodles? How I said we could achieve world peace with those cookies? Let's do care packages of those AND these, and I promise you we can make it happen. I think it's high time everyone in the world got a little moment of stress-free enjoyment.

So if you need a breather from the frantic mess of everyday life, why not whip up some of these to take the edge off? I know most people do that with a glass of wine (or three) at the end of the day, but I prefer a cookie...let's make that a cookie and an inappropriate amount of cookie dough.

Happy Baking!

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies Via PassthePlate

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup oreos, crushed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl cream together butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Then beat iin sugar and vanilla.
3. Stir in flour until soft dough forms (it will be sticky, this is ok!). Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Scoop out tablespoonfuls of dough, form into ball and roll in oreo cookie crumbs.
5. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes or until edges are just slightly browned and the center is puffy.
6. Let cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to wire cooling rack.

Experiencing Macarons at Sophie's French Bakery

Hello friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July! I know we did. It definitely was not a typical one here though. My brother and Dad were off for the week to a baseball tournament which meant my Mom and I got some much needed girl-time. Besides meandering around our favorite shops like anthropologie and Williams Sonoma, Mom and I drove over forty minutes for....

macarons.

Not the most patriotic way to celebrate, I know, but I do think that supporting small business is quite American, so I'm pleased to say scarfing down some Key Lime and Strawberry Cheesecake Macarons was a perfect way to cap off the mom/daughter time.

Sadly I have no recipe for French Macarons, but I just really wanted to share with you all this gem of a French Bakery we've come to love here in Florida. It's called Sophie's French Bakery and it's in an adorable part of Tampa known as Hyde Park.

We discovered this bakery while visting the Hyde Park Market that occurs on the first Sunday of every month and features artisan foods, handmade jewelry, and fresh produce. After walking around in the blistering heat, we decided to stop into the bakery to grab a bite to eat and cool off.

Little did we know we'd fall head over heels for their out-of-this-world macarons.These were the first macarons my mom and I had ever encountered in real life, only having seen them all over Pinterest and drooling over them if caught on camera by Food Network. Meringue never came across to me as appetizing, but how could a cookie sandwich that cute taste bad?

The answer: it doesn't. It's one of the most delicate, heavenly llittle treats I've ever had, and after having just one lemon-flavored macaron from Sophie's, I knew I would be back for more. Now every time I come to visit my family in Florida, we make sure to take the drive and stop over to this bakery and sample whatever flavors they happen to have on that day. On the fourth, it just happened to be Key Lime and Strawberry Cheesecake.

Now the Key Lime was great, but the real show-stopper here was the Strawberry Cheesecake. The subtle yet distinctive flavor of strawberry from the shells combines with the creamy cheesecake filling to just melt in my mouth in one glorious bite. It had disappeared before I even realized I had eaten the whole cookie, and I found myself frowning at my empty hand, wishing if I closed my eyes another would appear between my fingers.

I have visited France before, but sadly I was only an awkward young teen and the word "macaron" did not exist in my dictionary. While enjoying a home-stay with a family in the French Riviera, we had stopped at the family bakery and were allowed to have whatever we wanted to sample. Naturally I went right to the baguettes, the scent of bread overwhelming me from any other thought. Now, looking back, I wonder if there had been macarons either in their shop or in the nearby market. Perhaps one day I will journey back there, and experience what a French Macaron in France tastes like...

Until then I will keep myself content with the macarons at Sophie's Bakery. Though I am sure the ones in France are phenomenal, I can't say I will be sacrificing much when Sophie's are just so delicious. Beautiful to look at and heavenly to consume, I can't wait to go back and find out what new flavors they decide to create.

Until next time,

Happy Baking!

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies

Friends,

I almost thought I wasn't going to be able to share these with you today.

I saw a dreaded red battery symbol on my camera after taking photos of the Lemon Streusel Muffins. Now normally one would say "Jess that is silly just go and charge your battery."

About that...see in order to charge a battery, one needs a charger. Naturally I went to go and look for mine and wouldn't you know it, I left it in Florida. Cue disappointing music.

So what was I to do? Well, apparently if you leave your camera alone for a few days it will retain just enough juice to take some photos of these killer cheesecake cookies.

Phew! Crisis Averted. For a minute there I thought I would have to take photos with my phone.

On a more serious note, this whole stuffed cookie idea is wonderful; why didn't anyone think of this earlier?

As I ask that I can think of one semi-legitimate reason: they are sort-of a pain in the butt. Whether you plan on trying out these or even the Nutella Stuffed Sugar Cookies, do yourself a favor and make sure you don't have to rush. These cookies are delicious and a bit on the decadent side, and as such need the tender loving care of a patient baker.

I am not a patient baker.

But, even with my frantic running around in my tiny kitchen, I managed to pull these off. I do not however, understand how HotPolkaDot managed to not burst any of the blueberries. Seriously. It's impossible.

Bursted berries or no, these will be sure to please. Fresh blueberries and lemon zest with a pillowy cream cheese center, what's not to love?

 

As always, I hope you try these out for yourself and share with friends; nothing brings a smile to someone's face better than a fresh, sweet cookie. That is, unless it's a dozen of said cookie. :)

Next week will be full of my other favorite cookies: Whoopie Pies! So be sure to hop back on over to Sugar Mountain!

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies Slightly Adapted from HotPolkaDot

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 tbsp lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon
1 cup blueberries
4 oz cream cheese, cut into 1 tsp pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and lemon zest, being sure to scrape any zest off of the mixer. Beat in lemon juice until well incorporated.
4. Add flour mixture and stir until dough comes together. Gently fold in blueberries. Place dough in fridge to set up (about 20 minutes).
5. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into balls. Then, make imprint in center and place 1 tsp of cream cheese in center. Roll dough over cream cheese and back into the shape of a ball.
6. Place on prepared cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-14 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.
7. Cool on wire rack and then eat up!