Merry Cheesecake Cookies

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup nuts, any kind chopped and toasted
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 line an 8 by 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. let parchment come up over the sides of the pan to use as "handles" when unmolding after baking.
• 3 in a mixer bowl, combine flour, butter, and brown sugar. blend at low speed until incorporated and mixture is like sand, about 2 to 3 minutes. stir in nuts. reserve 1 cup of mixture for topping.
• 4 with your fingers, press remaining mixture into pan. bake on the middle rack of the oven until crust is set and golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. let cool on a rack while assembling the filling.
• 5 in a clean mixer bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar. blend until smooth, then add the remaining filling ingredients, beating until smooth.
• 6 spread evenly over baked crust. sprinkle the reserve crust mixture over filling.
• 7 bake until top is golden brown and filling is set, about 25 to 30 minutes. let cool completely on a rack, then use parchment "handles" to remove from pan in 1 piece. cut into bars or squares and top with colored sugar sprinkles.