Cheesecake cookies and New Year’s Resolution

You might wonder what cheesecake cookies have in common with New Year’s Resolution. Well, at the end of the last year I promised myself that I will not have any resolutions for this new year. I actually don’t need them to feel better about myself, I decided. When the New Year came I actually changed my mind.

My first resolution was to start 366 Self-Portrait Project.

The second one was to cook and to bake more NEW things. Things I have never made before. I remember, our first year of marriage was pretty boring if we talk about food. I was terrified by the scale of my husband’s pickiness. When I found something he would like and enjoy to eat I cooked it for weeks, with pasta now and then. It’s much better now. He is more open to new things and even if he doesn’t like them he always tastes it and gives me an honest opinion.

This year I’ve decided to be more open to new things myself. It’s not about my husband. It’s about me pushing the envelope in trying to cook and bake things I’ve been scared or intimidated by. One of those things was sloppy joe, for example. I made it a few weeks ago and I don’t know what I was so scared about in this dish.

Being honest with you this year is all about cheesecake. I am going to try to make more new things, that’s for sure, but what I really want is to make a cheesecake. An edible one. I have in mind something like White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. Just thinking about it give me goosebumps (and a heartburn!!!).

So here we go.

With baby steps I started from cheesecake cookies. I couldn’t believe how easy and fast they are to make.

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp. butter, softened

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

In a medium bowl blend butter, brown sugar and flour with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Put 3/4 cup of the mixture aside for topping.

Press remaining mixture into an 8×8 baking dish sprayed lightly with cooking spray, bake for 15 minutes in 350 F.

In meantime, combine sugar and cream cheese. Mix until smooth. Beat in egg, milk, lemon juice and vanilla.

Spread over the baked crust and sprinkle with remaining brown sugar (crumbs) mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes in 350 F.

Before cutting chill it for about 1 hour.

Cut into 2×2 inch squares.