Go Back
Print

Slice and Bake Cheesecake Cookies

Servings 40 -60 cookies depending upon how thick you slice them

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup salted butter, at room temperature (1 and 1/2 sticks)
  • 3 ounces cream cheese I use Philadelphia Cream Cheese, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest zest your lemon before you juice it
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup finely crushed pecans
  • 1/4 cup finely crushed graham crackers

Instructions

  1. Beat butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer for 30 seconds.
  2. Add sugar, lemon peel, lemon juice, orange peel, and vanilla, beating until combined. Scrape sides of bowl as necessary.
  3. Beat in the flour. I was able to mix it all in with the mixer, but if your mixer can't handle the dough, use a sturdy spoon to finish mixing.
  4. Divide dough in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until dough has firmed up enough to shape.
  5. Combine crushed pecans and graham crackers.
  6. Shape each piece of dough into an 8" long roll. Roll the dough in the crumb mixture to coat evenly. Lightly press the mixture into the sides to help it adhere.
  7. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
  8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  9. Cut dough into slices. I cut mine into 3/8" slices for a thicker, softer cookie. If you want a crispier cookie, cut into 1/4" or slightly thinner slices. Roll the log to a different side for each cut so that the bottom of the log doesn't become flat from the pressure of cutting.
  10. Place slices on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches between cookies.
  11. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until bottoms are just lightly browned. Mine had just a hint of brown around the edges of the bottom.
  12. Allow to cool on baking sheets for a minute so that they can set, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Recipe Notes

*Use block cream cheese, not whipped cream cheese.

*Two tips for keeping your logs of dough in a round shape: When I refrigerate the crumb coated logs, I stand them up in tall drinking glasses. As I mentioned within the recipe, I also roll the dough as I cut it. Applying pressure to only one cutting side pushes the dough down on your cutting surface and can create a flat side. I just cut, then roll the dough slightly to a different side and cut again. I repeat this until the log is completely cut.

*If you used my tip for chilling the dough in glasses, one end of your dough should be flat and clean for that first slice. When you get to the end that isn't flat, just bake it with the bumpy side down and the nice flat cut side up.

*I used my mini processor to make the crumbs for the crackers and nuts. I used a slightly heaping 1/4 cup of pecan pieces for the crumbs and about 2 graham cracker sheets for the 1/4 cup of graham crumbs.

*I left my crumb coated rolls in the refrigerator overnight. It's not necessary, but it's great for time flexibility. Mix them and shape them one day. The next day, whenever you're ready, you just slice and bake.

*Baking times will depend on how thick you slice your cookies and how long or short your dough log is. I decided to bake these in my convection oven at 350 and it took about 11 or 12 minutes. I used convection on these to keep the tops from browning too much and because I like baking cookies with convection. They will work out just fine in a regular oven at 375. I've done that also. Either way, just check them at 8 minutes (earlier if you made smaller cookies) and then keep your eye on them. You can lift a cookie off the sheet to check the bottoms to see if they are browning.

Recipe Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Cookies, December, 2000