Cherry Cheesecake Cookies

A dear friend made these and shared her recipe with me a couple of Christmases ago. They are perfect for Valentine’s day too. America’s Taste Kitchen recently posted this recipe in their Holiday magazine. So I am not sure who gets the credit for the original recipe, but it is just too good not to share. Bet these would be good with blueberry filling too!

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, 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, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough until firm, at least 30 minutes.

Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place graham cracker crumbs in a shallow dish.

Roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls, then roll in crumbs. Place balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using a tablespoon measure, make indentation in the center of each ball. Place 3 cherries in each dimple. Bake until golden around the edges, about 12 to 14 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Cool for 5 minutes on the sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2 days.)

Note: to make graham cracker crumbs, process 8 whole graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.