Bittersweet Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookies

Are you a cookie and cheesecake lover? This is a recipe you must try! Here at Kathey Jo’s Kitchen, we’ve developed the perfect ingredient recipe measured for perfection. You’ll end up with a soft center, and a perfectly chewy exterior—I call that the perfect cookie!

Chocolate is such a popular flavor. What happens when you add cream cheese to the recipe? You get a match made in heaven! Seriously though, chocolate, and cream cheese is the perfect combination, with a texture you will not resist. You may be considering this cookie to be “too sweet.” The recipe calls for semisweet chocolate, so you’ll have a balanced cookie.

What’s so great about this dough is that you can shape it into different forms to compliment the holiday or party you are serving it at. One of the finals steps for this recipe is coating the edges with vanilla flavored candy coating. Immediately after, you’ll want to take the cookie and roll it over either the crushed peppermint candies or chopped pistachio nuts. You’ll then wait about ten minutes for the coating to set, and you are good to share and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cup sugar
• 1 cup margarine or butter (1 stick) – softened
• 3 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 (6 ounce) package cream cheese – softened
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate — melted and cooled
• cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 ounces vanilla-flavored candy coating — melted
• 1 1/2 cup finely crushed peppermint candies OR 1 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375o.
2. Mix sugar, margarine, vanilla, egg, cream cheese and chocolate in large bowl until smooth.
3. Mix flour, baking powder and salt; stir into margarine mixture.
4. Divide dough in half.
5. Roll each half 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered surface with cloth-covered rolling pin.
6. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters.
7. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
8. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until dry and set.
9. Remove from cookie sheet.
10. Cool on wire rack.
11. Roll edge of cookies about 1/4 inch deep in candy coating; immediately roll in candies.
12. Place on waxed paper.
13. Let stand about 10 minutes or until coating is set.
14. About 12 dozen 2 1/2-inch cookies
15. ENJOY!