Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

Do you know what I love about recipes and why I love to cook? Becasue everything is so adaptable. Find a recipe with something you don't like, you can probably change it to something you do. And, frequently, the possibilities are endless as they seem to be with this little gem that I found on this rockin' blog. I made these cookies for 2 gatherings I had last week (and sent some to work with the sis-in-law) and they were a BIG hit. And so easy. I love a cookie that is wildly impressive and yet easy to make, so my friends, let me introduce you......

Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 cans (20-ounce) cherry pie filling

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. In another bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat liners. Place graham cracker crumbs in a shallow dish.Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, then roll the balls in graham cracker crumbs. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using a tablespoon measure, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Place 3 cherries in the dimple. Bake until golden brown around the edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool for five minutes on the sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe Source: from My Kitchen Cafe (www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com)/originally adapted from Cook's Country

So here are my notes:
First, make sure your cream cheese and butter are room temp, way easier to cream my dearies, and I only used one can of pie filling. I got about 36 good sized cookies out of this recipe, good sized meaning one was enough. I used the black handled scoop from Orson Gygi. I wish dearly that it said what number or size it was, but no luck. I think next time I will make them a bit smaller, probably the purple handled scoop. If you have no idea what I am talking about that is okay too. And lastly, the options, oh the options....how about almond instead of vanilla extract. Or even lemon or orange oil. and the toppings are probably just as optional. Apple, raspberry, lemon, blueberry. I might even have to come up with some way to do peppermint for Christmas.