Bake your heart away

Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies

Ingredients:

For the Strawberry Filling:
-1 pound of strawberries, hulled (fresh or frozen)
-½ cup of white granulated sugar
-¼ cup of water

For the Cream Cheese Filling:
-6 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature
-½ cup of granulated sugar
-1 egg yolk, at room temperature

For the Cookie Dough:
-1 cup of unsalted butter, cubed and slightly cold
-¾ cup of packed light brown sugar
-⅓ cup of granulated sugar
-1 large egg
-1 large egg yolk
-2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
-1¼ cups of all-purpose flour
-1¼ cups of cake flour
-1 teaspoon of cornstarch
-1½ teaspoons of baking powder
-¾ teaspoon of salt
-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

Instructions:

For the Strawberry Filling:
-Prepare the strawberries by chopping fresh ones or using frozen ones as is.

-Cook the strawberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir regularly until the strawberries soften and the mixture thickens (about

8-10 minutes).

-Remove from heat, let it cool, and refrigerate if you're not using it right away.

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

-Beat the cream cheese until it's smooth. Gradually add sugar and keep mixing until it's creamy.

-Add the egg yolk and mix until it's smooth. Put it in a piping bag and chill it.

For the Cookie Dough:

-Whisk together both types of flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.

-In a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars until they're light and fluffy.

-Mix in the egg and egg yolk one at a time, followed by the vanilla.

-Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until they're just combined.

To Shape the Cookies:

-Divide the dough into balls and press down the center of each to make a well.

-Spoon the cream cheese mixture into one half of each well and the strawberry filling into the other half.

-Refrigerate the dough balls for 1-2 hours or overnight.

For Baking:

-Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

-Arrange the dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced apart. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are golden.

-Let the cookies cool on the sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.