December 28, 2024
I was looking for a way to use up some extra ingredients I had on hand after the Holidays - candy canes and white chocolate chips - and stumbled across several different iterations of these cookies. I ultimately created my own version by combining several I saw online.
I debated sharing these as they are the very definition of Instagram versus reality. Rolling the cookie dough around the cheesecake balls was ... a hot mess. However, the finished product was absolutely delicious. My kids inhaled them and said they were amazing. Anything that gets the kid stamp of approval is worth sharing. Plus, they were fun to make, which always adds bonus points in my book. Therefore, I decided to share. However, I tell you to proceed with caution ... these are not pretty to make!
To start, you need to create your cheesecake balls. Combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and peppermint extract in a mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Then scoop the mixture into teaspoon size balls and freeze until they are solid - at least thirty minutes.
While these were freezing, my kids has a blast crushing up the candy canes (and eating some pieces in the process). We put the candy canes in a zip lock and used a meat mallet to crush them, but I'm sure you could use a food processor for this step too.
Next you need to put together your cookie dough. Beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Next add eggs and extracts.
Mix together the dry ingredients, then add them to the mixer 1/2 cup at a time on low speed. Then add in your white chocolate chips and candy cane pieces.
Then scoop dough into a ball. Flatten the ball out, insert the cream cheese ball inside and re-roll the cookie dough ball around the cream cheese ball, making sure to completely cover. When placing these on the cookie sheet, make sure to leave enough space as these will spread. My cookie dough was still fairly wet at this stage, making it challenging to flatten and roll. In the end, I thought it was worth it since the end product was so good, but if you want an easier experience, I suggest adding additional flour to the dough and chilling for a bit before rolling.
The cookies will bake 12-14 minutes depending on your preferred level of done-ness. We prefer a gooey cookie in this house, so we cooked them on the short side.
After they come out of the oven, you can press them back into a circle form as they will have spread. Then be sure to enjoy!
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