Raspberry Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

That's one lengthy name huh! I think they should just be called delicious, or spectacular, or maybe more suitably 'pain in the behind cookies'...because life has a cruel sense of humour and these cookies are so scrummy but I have never before cursed at cookie dough balls so much in all my life! I'm not going to lie to you, if you are looking for a quick fix treat to quash that niggling need for something sweet, this most certainly ain't it! But what you do get for all your hard work is the love child of a deeply chocolatey cookie with a fruity creamy cheesecake, thats one sexy offspring.

Imagine the smile on unsuspecting guests faces as they take their first bite, the initial sensation is of the crisper sugar-coated cookie edges and an unexpectedly intense chocolatey rush. Then you sink into a soft, smoooooth, subtly berry tinted filling that contrasts beautifully. Truly addicting let me tell you! Oh and they are just so pretty :)

Sadly these really are the most fiddly sticky downright stubborn things to make that I have ever experienced, kinda backwards as I was expecting the Almond Tart to be the pain in the derriere not these cute innocent looking things! I learnt some tricks along the way to make the process a little less expletive-inducing and will include these in the recipe/notes below. The problem is the dough really is not made for stuffing, it's a pretty soft mix that does set up alright after a good chill but as soon as you start to roll it in your mitts it attaches itself to everything! Then try locking in a blob of liquidy filling in the middle of a squished sticky ball, its a learning curve I can tell you!

Click on any photo to enlarge. Check out the sticky paws in the second photo! Although please ignore my sausage fingers :)

         

If you give these a go, you will be repaid by some truly gorgeous cookies, no pain no gain hey! But I am sad to say Im not sure whether these will be making a repeat appearance just because im a quick-n-easy kinda gal :) (where cooking is concerned only I hasten to add!) Simple recipes with deceivingly delicious results are my kinda thang. I do think I will try each component separately again though as both parts were just..mmm

Raspberry Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

Adapted from Buns In My Oven

Made 24 cookies using balls slightly smaller than suggested

For the Cookies

1/2 cup (4oz) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup white (caster) sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

extra sugar for rolling

For the Filling

4oz cream cheese

1/4 cup powdered (icing) sugar

2 tsp seedless raspberry jam*

Beat together the butter and sugar for the cookies until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, beat until smooth

Sieve in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Mix until well combined

Put the bowl of dough in the fridge to chill thoroughly

Beat all the filling ingredients together

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and line baking sheets with parchment paper

To assemble: take a golf ball sized chunk of dough, roll it in your hands to form a ball and then flatten to form a disc**

Place a teaspoon of the filling into the centre, close the disc around the filling, roll it into a ball and then put in a dish containing the extra sugar - coat well ***

Put the cookie balls on the lined sheets 2 inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes

Cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, before cooling for at least 30 minutes in the fridge

Notes

*I only had seeded raspberry conserves so sieved the it before using. I found I had lots of filling left over probably due to making slightly smaller cookies. Pleeeassseee don't throw it though! It's utterly delicious as a dip for fresh strawberries :)

**This is where it gets interesting! After a while the dough begins to soften and get more sticky so I ended up keeping it in the fridge and using it from there. May seem a bit annoying but it definitely helped 

Flattening it into a disc is easier said than done..i found rather than squishing it, which just fixed it onto my hand, that having it on one palm and slapping it flat with the other worked a bit better for me

***I had to use less than a teaspoon to even get the dough to remotely close around it. Even then you may find this tricky, I just did a kind of botch job then patched up holes with a bit more cookie dough. Don't over fuss the ball then, if you do it is more likely to burst open. Just chuck it in the rolling sugar, making sure its well coated, and if there are any bits that look like they could leak just make sure they are on the underneath of the cookie when you place them on the sheet

 Click for a nice little printable :)