Description
Delight in these Gingerbread Cheesecake Cookies, featuring a spiced gingerbread dough encasing a creamy cheesecake filling, rolled in aromatic spiced sugar for an extra festive touch. Perfect for the holiday season, these cookies combine the warmth of gingerbread spices with the rich texture of cheesecake, creating an irresistible treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, cold
- 3 tbsp (38 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
For the Spiced Sugar
- 6 tbsp (75 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground allspice
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
For the Gingerbread Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups (313 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 egg yolks, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup (113 g) unsulphured molasses
Instructions
- Prepare Cheesecake Filling: Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a small mixing bowl, combine the cold cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Use an electric mixer on medium-high speed to beat the mixture until fluffy and the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Scoop the mixture into 18 portions, each approximately 2 teaspoons, and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze the cheesecake balls until they are very firm.
- Make Spiced Sugar: In a small bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves until well combined. Set aside for coating the cookies later.
- Prepare Gingerbread Cookie Dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, ground cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set this dry mixture aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer on high speed to cream the softened unsalted butter and light brown sugar together until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add Wet Ingredients: To the creamed butter and sugar, add the egg yolks, unsulphured molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute until the mixture is fluffy and well combined.
- Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients: Gradually add the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix to maintain tender cookies.
- Assemble Cookies: Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough into 18 balls. Flatten each cookie dough ball slightly, then place a frozen cheesecake ball in the center. Encase the cheesecake completely by folding the cookie dough around it and rolling it back into a smooth ball. Roll each assembled dough ball in the spiced sugar mixture to coat evenly. Keep cheesecake balls frozen until ready to use to prevent melting.
- Bake: Place 6 cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes until the cookies have set but are still soft in the center.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve once cooled and enjoy the combination of warm gingerbread spices and creamy cheesecake filling.
Notes
- Keep the cheesecake filling balls frozen until just before assembling to prevent them from melting and leaking during baking.
- You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment instead of a hand mixer for creaming the butter and sugar.
- If you prefer a stronger spice flavor, you can increase the amounts of ground ginger and cinnamon slightly.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days since they contain cream cheese filling.
- For easier rolling of dough, chill the dough slightly if it gets too soft to handle.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 180 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 130 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
