Oreo Cheesecake Cookies

Today was the first day back to classes after spring break, which is always a sad day for students. My spring break was fairly relaxing this year, no big trips or getaways, just a lazy week with my boyfriend which was better than I could have ever hoped. But sadly, my dreamy week had to end sometime and reality is definitely not so nice.

Pre-oven picture... 

What's the one thing that always makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside? Baking. Chocolate. Cookies. Okay, that was three things, and I'm aware of that but you get my drift right? I chose these oreo cheesecake cookies as my back-to-school recipe, and also the first recipe I made that I took REAL pictures for! What do you think? I don't claim to be any type of snazzy photographer, and my camera is definitely not top-notch but I'm going to keep working at it! Practice makes perfect!

 ...And post-oven picture! Mmmmmmmm...

These cookies were pretty easy to make, and really delicious. My sister, Claire, described them in one word as "gooey", though she didn't say whether she meant it in a good way or not....hmm. I found the dough to be quite tough/stiff, but I think this is due to the fact that the recipe doesn't use any eggs (which also means, feel free to eat as much of the dough as you desire!). I also made these a little smaller than the original recipe. It just means you get more cookies and you can enjoy them longer so I'd say that's a win.

Oreo Cheesecake Cookies
Bake Time: 12-15mins        Yields 18 cookies


Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
3 ounces cream cheese, room temp.
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I chopped up regular-sized chocolate chips)
1 cup Oreo cookie crumbs (This is just for covering the cookies, I had a TON of extra crumbs so if you don't have a full cup, don't worry about it)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 F and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
2) Cream together butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until well blended.
3) Add sugar and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add flour and stir at a low speed until fully incorporated in the mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips with your spatula.
4) Put the oreo crumbs in a separate bowl. Form dough balls about the size of a tablespoon and roll them in the oreo crumbs. Place on prepared baking sheet.
5) Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on tray for 2-3 mins. Using a lifter, transfer cookies from baking sheet to wire rack and cool completely.


(Recipe adapted from Browneyedbaker)