Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies

It's that time of the year again, when everything turns pink or red, and love is in the air. Or hate, if you're one of those people... I'm talking about Valentines Day! Whether you love it, or hate it, it's a great baking time of the year! Great sweets in happy colors with hearts galore. I love it! To kick off Valentines Day bake-a-palooza I made these amazing Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies. I stumbled across them over at Two Peas and their Pod at Christmas time and have been waiting for Valentines to make them!

They're so pretty! And Red! Perfect for the holiday, and the best part? They're easy! They were inspired by the Red Velvet Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, but my brother Ben (8) said they tasted more like a brownie (he also had some great ideas for making them into a brownie pie). Of course, the best part is the surprise in the middle, yum, cheesecake.

So if you want to make a treat that wows but doesn't take tons of effort, these are a definite winner.

<3 Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies <3

*I made 11 large cookies, but you could make smaller ones*

For the cookies:

1 box red velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cheesecake filling:

4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the white chocolate drizzle:

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

1. To make cookies, in a large bowl combine cake mix and flour. Whisk until clumps disappear(at least most). In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake mix, flour, eggs, oil and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. The dough will be oily. Refrigerate for at least two hours.

2. To make the cheesecake filling, using a mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Using a teaspoon, scoop out cheesecake filling and place on a plate. Continue scooping out cheesecake filling into teaspoon balls until you have 11. Place plate in the freezer and freeze for at least two hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. To assemble the cookies, take about 1/4 cup of red velvet cookie dough and flatten in your hands. Place a teaspoon of cheesecake filling in the center and wrap the cookie dough around the filling. Gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Scoop onto lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheets. Only bake 3 cookies at a time. The cookies are large and will spread. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until the cookies begin to crackle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Remove from baking sheet to a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

4. Melt the white chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl or over a double-boiler. Drizzle the white chocolate over the cooled cookies. Let the cookies set until the chocolate hardens. Serve and enjoy!

Shared at Lady Behind the Curtain and at Creations by Kara and 733