Butter Pecan Cheesecake Cookies
A buttery cookie dough base with butter toasted pecans and filled with a white chocolate cheesecake center.
Ingredients
Butter Pecans
- 1 tbsp Butter
- ¾ cup Pecans I used pecan halves. Can also use pecan pieces.
White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz Cream Cheese Full fat, room temperature.
- ¼ cup Powdered Sugar
- 4 oz White Chocolate Bar I used Baker's brand white chocolate.
- ½ tspn Vanilla Extract
Butter Pecan Cookie Dough
- 2 sticks Butter unsalted, room temperature.
- 1 tbsp Butter unsalted, additional butter for browning.
- ⅔ cup Brown Sugar
- ⅔ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs room temperature.
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 2 cups Flour
- ½ cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Buttered Pecans (recipe below) chopped roughly.
Sugar Cinnamon Coating
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
- In a bowl using a handheld mixer on medium high, combine room temperature cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract. The mixture will look very creamy and have no lumps.
- Break the white chocolate bar into pieces in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir.
- Microwave on high for 20 seconds. Stir for 2 minutes allowing the white chocolate to melt. If needed, microwave for an additional 10 seconds if not thoroughly melted.
- Add the melted white chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and mix on high until smooth and very creamy.
- Cover and place in fridge until ready to use for stuffing cookies.
Buttered Pecans
- Melt one tablespoon of butter in a sauté pan over medium low heat.
- Once the butter is melted add the pecans and lightly toast over low heat for 5-8 minutes. They will be done when they are slightly darker and very fragrant.
- Set aside to cool. Once cool roughly chop before adding to the cookie dough.
Butter Pecan Cookie Dough
- In a sauce pan, brown one stick plus one tablespoon of butter. Set aside to cool.
- Combine the cooled brown butter and the other stick of room temperature butter in a bowl with both types of sugar. I used a hand mixer on high for 2 minutes.
- Next, I add the 2 room temperature eggs and vanilla extract. I mix on high speed until the mixture is smooth and glossy with no streak of egg remaining.
- I sift the flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking soda to the bowl of wet ingredients. I add the graham cracker crumbs to the bowl as well at this time and mix on low until a smooth dough forms.
- Next, add the chopped buttered pecans and mix into the dough until thoroughly combined.
- Using a 4 ounce cookie scoop, scoop a heaping scoop of cookie dough. Create a well in the center and place a heaping teaspoon of white chocolate cheesecake filling in the well.
- Press the cookie dough opening shut, using extra cookie dough to create a solid seal of cookie dough around the filling.
- Release the cookie dough into a bowl of cinnamon sugar and roll to coat all sides.
- Repeat with remaining cookie dough. I like to gently squeeze the cookie up to make them taller rather than flatter before I leave them in the fridge over night.
- The next day, place cookie dough in freezer until ready to bake (at least 30 minutes before baking. Can store in freezer for up to 3 months.)
- Bake cookies at 375*F for 14-16 minutes. The cookies will be a deep golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool completely for an hour on a wire rack.
- Any cookies not consumed the day they are made can be stored in a tightly covered container in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Buttery, full of flavor, chewy, soft, and gooey, these buttered pecan cookies are heavenly.