Whoever came up with the idea of using cake mix to make cookies deserves mad props. Not only is cake mix much cheaper than buying pre-made cookie dough, but cookies made from cake mix stay soft and chewy for days, something that many of you probably already know, never happens with cookies from a tube. What's also great about making cookies from cake mix is that the possibilities are endless; you can experiment with different flavored mixes and add-ins, to cater to your taste.
I saw these cookies on Two Peas & Their Pod and I couldn't have gotten in the car any faster to go buy a box of red velvet cake mix. Of course, I would find it out of stock. Of course. This is red velvet we're talking about. America's latest obsession. An obsession that I honestly never understood until I tried one of these cookies, warm out of the oven, oozing with cream cheese filling.
Contrary to what I believed for a very long time, red velvet is not just chocolate cake with red food coloring. No, ladies and gentlemen, it's much more than that. Granted, I'm tasting the cookie version, I can still vouch for the decadence and comforting richness that keeps people coming back for more. I get it now. That said, these cookies are huge, so you'll probably want to stop at just one...if you're able to resist.
I stopped at one...and a half....and a quarter. Those extra three fourths of a cookie were totally for taste-testing purposes (I almost kept a straight face saying that). It was crucial that I eat them in order to provide all of you with an accurate description of how off the hook these cookies are, which is pretty off the hook. If it isn't their indulgent red velvet flavor that keeps you coming back for more, it's their spot on cream cheese filling that brings everything together in gastronomic harmony. Did I mention that they're crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside? Perfection I tell you.
But the absolute best part about these cookies has nothing to do with their texture or taste. No, it's the fact that they are so incredibly easy to make, requiring only a few ingredients and minimal preparation.
So what are you waiting for?
So what are you waiting for?
Red Velvet Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients:
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
pinch of vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
For the cheesecake filling:
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and only took it out 10 minutes beforehand)
2 cups powdered sugar
pinch of vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
For the white chocolate drizzle:
1 and 1/2 cups white chocolate chips, melted (If you don't have white chocolate chips, or if you have an issue with melting them, you can simply drizzle some melted vanilla frosting, it's just as delicious)
Directions:
For the cookies:
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix and flour. Whisk together until clumps disappear. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cake mix with the flour, eggs, oil and vanilla and mix until smooth. The dough will be oily. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours.
For the cheesecake filling:
Using a hand mixer, combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Using a teaspoon, scoop out balls of cheesecake filling and place on a plate. Continue scooping out cheesecake filling into teaspoon balls until you have 10. Place plate in the freezer and freeze for at least two hours. (I started off making teaspoon balls and realized halfway that I was going to have a lot of filling left over, so I made my balls bigger. If you do this, make sure to use enough dough to completely cover the balls of filling so it doesn't leak out. You can also just make more than 10 teaspoon balls, and consequently, make smaller cookies to use up all of the balls.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
To assemble the cookies, take about 1/4 cup of red velvet cookie dough and flatten in your hands. Place a ball of cheesecake filling in the center and wrap the cookie dough around the filling. (If the dough starts to crack when you're wrapping it around the filling, don't freak out. If you just sort of cup the dough between both your palms, it will pull it back together). Gently roll into a ball and place on prepared baking sheet. Only bake 3 cookies at a time because the cookies are very large and will spread.
Bake cookies for 11-13 minutes or until they begin to crackle. Let them cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
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!
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod
