BONUS Dessert: Cheesecake Cookies

Who said that the dish only does desserts on Tuesdays? Well I'm changing the rules RIGHT NOW!!! I've been wanting to bake these for awhile now but keep forgetting. They are Paula Dean's recipe y'all (said in my best southern accent, of course). The most surprising part is that the recipe only calls for one stick of butter. Ok, this can't be Paula's y'all!!!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
• Fresh berries and mint leaves, for garnish

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


2) Combine flour, brown sugar, pecans, and butter in bowl. Press dough into an ungreased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

3) For filling, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a bowl until smooth, using a handheld electric mixer; add eggs and extract; beat well. Pour over crust.

4) Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

5) Cut into squares before serving.


Here's a tip from yours truly....make sure and don't forget to follow step #2. Yeah, that's right. I didn't bake the crust first and only realized this midway through baking the cookies. Which tells me two things. #1, I need to pay more attention. #2, these cookies can only get more delicious is I follow the directions!? I threw some pretty blueberries and raspberries on top to pretty it up. The taste speaks for itself so no pretties needed if you don't already have any ready in your fridge. Oh yeah, one more thing....ENJOY!!

GOT MOTIVATION?