This soft, chewy raspberry cheesecake cookies combine the richness of cream cheese with the sweetness of white chocolate, and it is balanced by the slight sour notes of raspberry creating a perfect cookie for Valentine's Day.
The Trick to Room Temperature Cookies…
All the ingredients in this recipe should be room temperature! Cream cheese is finicky, and it loves nothing more than to clump up and ruin a good time. So, if any of your ingredients are cold when you combine it with the cream cheese, it will do just that. Make sure everything is room temperature.
If you, like me, forget to set ingredients out far enough in advance to let them come to room temperature on their own, then, the microwave will be your best friend.
For butter, microwave the wrapped sticks in 3 sec intervals. After 3 seconds, you'll flip it over. Depending on how cold the butter is, it can take 2-4 turns to get completely softened.
With cream cheese, you can't just microwave it in the packaging since it comes in foil. Scrape the cream cheese in a bowl and microwave that for 15-20 seconds until softened.
For the eggs, fill a bowl up with hot water and place the eggs in it. Let them sit while you're cream together the butter, cream cheese, and sugar. They are usually ready within a minute or two.
The Trick to the Raspberries…
So, freeze dried raspberries are super delicate. They will crumble like no one's business if you aren't careful. If you are making the dough in a stand mixer, I recommend folding the raspberries in by hand. With a spoon/spatula, you will have more control of how much they break down. If you over mix them, the flavor will be great, but you'll be left with a purple-ish/gray dough that tastes great, but doesn't look wonderful.
Topping it off…
I topped my raspberry cheesecake cookies off with a chopped bar of white chocolate. Then, I pressed the chocolate into the hot cookies to create a more photographable cookie (when you stir the chips in, they have a tendency to not pool as much). I also crushed some of the freeze dried raspberries to sprinkle on top. This helps balance the extra chocolate and create a pretty cookie.
But, be careful! The raspberry dust gets everywhere, and it is definitely a pain to get out from under your nails.
White-Chocolate, Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ¼ oz freeze dried raspberries
- 11 oz white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugars.
- Add eggs one at a time until full combined. Add in vanilla, flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Fold in white chocolate chips and freeze dried raspberries.
- Cover dough and let chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Scoop 1" dough balls onto a lined baking sheet, leaving two inches between each ball. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a golden brown.
- Top with more white chocolate and freeze dried raspberry dust. Let cool and enjoy!