Cheesecake Cookies (Recipe by Paula Deen)

Welcome to the wonderful land of cheesecake...Well, I have actually never tried to make cheesecake before. I am afraid I have feared failure for the past several years. My really good friend Dana made cheesecakes all the time in college and they always cracked on the top...she has now mastered cheesecake though, and they are truly delicious. I however decided to cheat a little this time and made the cheesecake in a 9 x 13 baking pan so they were a lot thinner than actual cheesecake. Don't call me a slacker...I needed to start out easy just for my own sane of mind. I was attempting the dessert for Brian's family who was in town for the weekend and I really didn't want something ugly or inedible, so I took a no-fuss, simple recipe from Mrs. Paula Deen to help me out. I was serving a simple house salad with homemade garlic croutons, warm toasted garlic bread with butter and oregano, my traditional homemade lasagna layered with my delicious red sauce made from scratch of course and these cheesecake cookies for dessert sprinkled with a touch of powered sugar, mint, and a sliced strawberry. (The picture doesn't include any strawberries because I pretty much gobbled those down because they were so delicious and forgot to save some for photo purposes.) Anyway, if you are looking for a simple, creamy, and decadent dessert...this one's for you!

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla or almond extract
• Fresh berries and mint leaves, for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Start by sifting your flour into a large mixing bowl.

Combine flour and brown sugar.

Add in pecans and butter into your bowl and stir to combine.

Press dough into an ungreased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

I started the filling while my crust was baking.

For the filling, place your softened cream cheese and sugar in a bowl

Beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a bowl until smooth.

Using a handheld electric mixer; add eggs and extract; beat well.

Pour the filling over a slightly cooled crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Cut into squares before serving. Decorate tops with berries and mint leaves.