Cheesecake Stuffed Oatmeal Cookie

I was in the mood for an oatmeal cookie and wanted to try a new recipe. I love oatmeal cookies because they give the illusion of being ‘good’ for you! I found this recipe on a blog totally dedicated to the wonderful Oatmeal Cookie. The combinations that he comes up with amazes me, if you are in need of a new cookie, definatley check out his blog.

While I usually use my tried and true recipe,  I settled for an oatmeal cookie that is stuffed with a cream cheese mixtures before baking. What could be more ‘good’ for you than adding dairy to your wholesome oatmeal cookie?? This is practically a breakfast food right??  That is my delusion, please do not take it away from me.

If you are planning on whipping these up quickly, think again. This cookie does take a little more prep time than your typical recipe because you have to make two doughs (the cookie and the filling) and allow both to chill before baking. Oh, and it took me quite a while to stuff each doughball with the filling mixture, it was quite a process compared to my usualy scoop and drop method of baking cookies.
In addition to their filling, another thing that sets these cookies apart from your basic oatmeal cookie is the inclusion of graham cracker crumbs in the dough!  Who would have thought?  I liked the flavor that the graham cracker crumbs gave the dough and the cookie, just a little depth of flavor that paired nicely with the brown sugar undertones without making it too sweet. MMM Good.

As for the filling, the cream cheese filling is basic but you could add flavored extracts to jazz it up a bit if you so desired (almond or coconut extract would be yummy).

I did  find this dough a little difficult to work with because even after chilling for 30 minutes it was hard to get the dough to form a ball that was not super sticky. It could have been my warm kitchen, I am not sure. Next time I might roll the filling into balls after chilling and then freeze for 5-8 minutes to firm up more and make it easier to form the cookie dough around.
The cookie dough itself was also hard to work with and did not want to form into a ball (again, could have been my warm kitchen). This made it all the more difficult to form a ball around the cream filling. Let’s just say that this was a very messy and time intensive process for me! I did get to lick my fingers after each batch went in the oven so the process was not without its rewards! (don’t worry, I washed them before prepping the next batch). Because the dough is cool when you put it in the oven I pressed down slighlty on the dough balls with a glass (dipped in sugar) so they baked evenly.

All in all the cookie part had a lovely flavor that I enjoyed. It was tender and chewy but not cakelike at all, just what I like in a cookie. I would make the dough again even without the filling because I really liked the cookie flavor. The filling on the other hand was not what I expected. It wasn’t bad, just not the ‘cheesecake’-like filling I was hoping for. The consistency was a little to runny for my liking, almost like icing/frosting. I tried them warm as well as cooled and while it did firm up a bit after cooling, it was still to thin in my opinion. I did freeze some baked cookies and ended up liking those much better than warm. Maybe I was just in a weird mood, could have been the heat and humidity ha ha.   Live and learn.

I would make these again, but next time I would try them using only two eggs and one egg yolk in the cookie dough to help keep it more firm. I would add more oatmeal (maybe even wiz some in a food processor to use) as needed until the dough came together and was no longer sticky (or maybe even add some shredded coconut and use some coconut or almond extract in the filling). I will definately chill the dough until it can from  a dough ball easily.
As for the filling, I will use more cream cheese to thicken the filling dough and add maybe a teaspoon of flour/cornstarch as well. I will chill,  form into balls and then freeze until set so I can form the cookie dough around it without it oozing all over.

I rate these cookies a 7 but I would make again as there is room for improvement.

Golden Girls
adapted from OatmealCookie
Filling
8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese
4 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Cookie
2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups finely ground graham crackers
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Add the filling ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well.  Let the mixture cool and solidify in the refrigerator until ready for it.
Preheat oven to 350º.
In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla and then add to the creamables. Mix together until smooth.

In another large mixing bowl, wisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until evenly combined.
*I needed to chill the dough for 15 minutes because mine was so moist it would not hold together.
Shape dough into balls—about 2 tablespoons each.

Remove the filling mixture from the refrigerator and stuff each dough ball with 1 teaspoon of the mixture.
Put the stuffed dough balls in the freezer for five minutes to firm up.
Place chilled dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.