January's Cookie Trial ::. New York Cheesecake Cookies

I have to confess something... while I bake a LOT around Christmas time and bake cookies, cakes, and/or cupcakes for my daughters birthdays... I don't bake much the rest of the year. AND when I do bake, my poor husband is never allowed to have any because it is "for someone/thing else". Poor guy, right? Also, I rarely try new things... I have my go-tos and stick to them.

So I have a kind of New Years Resolution in the kitchen. I am going to try a new cookie/dessert every month... and it is ALL for the hubby (ok, he may have to fight the girls if he doesn't share the monthly treats).

January's cookie trial was a pin that I found for New York Cheesecake Cookies (open that link... don't those cookies look ah-maz-ing!?). Perfect first cookie, right?

Well after I got all of my ingredients together and started my baking process, I came to realize that the picture for the above link... is a stock photo (oh the horror, lol) and the cookies that I was in the process of baking were NOT going to look like the oh-so-pretty picture from the recipe. It still got great reviews on the flavor so I forged ahead.

Mine never really got "lightly browned" on top, but they were pretty good. Different. Mine made 14 cookies.

Here is the recipe:

New York Cheesecake Cookies (src)

Ingredients Serves 121 1⁄4 cup graham crackers, finely crushed (1 sleeve)
1 cup flour
1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg, separated
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter with the brown sugar using an electric hand mixer. Add the egg white and beat until well combined. Add to the graham cracker crumbs and blend until just combined.
3. In a separate medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese with the granulated sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla until well combined. Set aside.
Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out the cookie dough and place on a nonstick or parchment lined baking sheet. (If you do not have an ice scoop, then measure out the dough into scoops of about 2 tablespoons.) Flatten slightly, pressing your thumb in the center of the ball to create a small bowl shape. Repeat with the remaining dough. Spoon the cream cheese into the indents in the cookies.
4. Bake until the filling is barely set and the cookies are lightly golden, 12 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets before removing them and cooling completely on a wire rack.

FINAL REVIEW:
The kids ate them, no problem... but they are kids and not picky when it comes to cookies.
The hubby originally said "yes!" but as the week went on and he thought about it more, he changed it to a no. They were pretty good, a nice change... but I probably won't go through the effort on these again.