Raspberry Cheesecake Sugar Cookies

Can’t stop. Won’t stop. I am on a sugar cookie kick. I have a few great ideas in mind…. so be sure to stay tuned. There’s more coming. BUT THESE, THESE ARE SIMPLY AMAZING. Bake them now.

Raspberry Cheesecake Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter

¾ cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

½ cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp. water

2 eggs

½ tsp. soda

1 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 1/2 -3 cups all purpose flour

1 recipe Cream Cheese topping (below)

Cream together butter, oil and sugars until combined. Add the water and eggs, soda, cream of tartar, extract, salt and flour and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix your dough. Using a large cookie scoop (at least 1/4 cup sized) place a scoop of dough on your cookie sheet, spaced 2″ apart. With a glass or flat measuring cup, press down the rounded dough to flatten your cookie. The sides will spread out and open up a bit. (Part of the signature sugar cookie look.)

In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the cookies. Then bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 8-9 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool 1 minute on the hot pan. Then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack.

While the cookies are cooling, make the raspberry topping. In a small saucepan, combine the following ingredients and simmer until thick.

1 cup frozen raspberries

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Once the raspberry sauce is thickened, set aside to cool.

Make your cream cheese topping. (below)

In a mixer, whisk together the following until light and fluffy. You want it to be on the stiffer side, to support the raspberry topping.

3 tbsp. sugar

1/4 cup soft butter

1/4 cup whipped cream cheese

2 tbsp. heavy cream

2 cups powdered sugar or more for desired consistency

Once the cookies and raspberry topping are cooled, it’s time to assemble.

Take your cookie in one hand, with a spoon, scoop some of the cream cheese topping onto the middle of the cookie. With a spreading motion, like writing a “o”, create a little pocket in the middle of the frosting to place the raspberry topping. The frosting should be to almost the edge of the cookie. The scoop a heaping teaspoon of the raspberry topping onto the center of the frosted “o” cookies.

Topping:

1 cup crushed graham crackers

3 tbsp. butter melted

Sprinkle the graham topping onto the frosted and filled sugar cookies. Serve. These cookies will keep in the fridge for a few days covered, if you are that lucky.

Happy baking! xo