cookies and cream cookies

Surprise! I'm baaaack! It has been one year to the day since my last post. Bet you never imagined you'd hear from me again. I wasn't sure you would either. We shall see how long this foray back will last, but I thought it fitting to celebrate this break-from-a-year-long-break milestone and say hello to you all with a cookie recipe.

Said recipe is touted by its creator as "the best ever cookies & cream cookies". Cookies and cream is always my pick of poison if I see it on a shake menu. Ditto that for cheesecake. I have never seen, however, a cookie labeled as such and so was immediately intrigued. I am also a sucker for anything labeled "the best" and of course, I had to try it out.

I baked the recipe as written (aside from an Oreo substitution). My first batch turned out puffy with cakey texture. With the second batch, I added extra butter, omitted the baking powder and still, they were a bit puffy. To cut some of the sweetness of the white chocolate, I used Famous Chocolate Wafers rather than Oreos. You sugarholics out there might prefer the latter. I say, go for it.

For aesthetics sake, I flattened them before putting them in the oven.  This batch was less cakey, but still had some poof to it, which I imagine must be from the cream cheese. Side note- the huge benefit of the cream cheese is that the cookie stays pretty moist even three days later, unlike any other chocolate chip cookie I've had, which basically starts on its path to drydom after eight hours. (That is absolutely an unscientific time estimate.)

"The best" billing might be a slight exaggeration, but these are certainly delicious and texturally different. 

Cookies and Cream Cookies
adapted from glazed and confused

Printable Recipe

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup instant milk powder
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 cups coarsely chopped Famous Chocolate Wafers (half a package)
1 cup chopped white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together until light and creamy, about a minute. Add the brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract and beat for two minutes. Add the instant milk powder and beat another two minutes until incorporated, light and fluffy. Add in the dry ingredients and beat on low speed until fully incorporated. Fold in the Famous Wafers and white chocolate.

Form 2-inch balls of cookie dough and press down to flatten. Arrange racks ⅓ from top and bottom of oven. Bake for 6 minutes, switch the top and lower trays and rotate the trays front to back. Bake for another 4-5 minutes, or until brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.