Apple Cheesecake Shortbread Cookies {Guest Post}

Apple cheesecake you can eat with your hands! These Apple Cheesecake Shortbread Cookies taste just like cheesecake but are as easy as slice and bake!

GUEST POST: Apple cheesecake shortbread cookies by Rachel Cooks

I’m thrilled to be participating in Rachel’s month-long apple event again this year. Last year I brought apple crisp granola to the party and this year I came up with these fun apple cheesecake shortbread cookies. If you’re a cheesecake fan, you’ll love these cookies. They taste just like apple cheesecake. They’re easy to make shortbread cookies (slice and bake!) but they aren’t your average shortbread cookies. They boast the flavors of cream cheese, dried apples, cinnamon and crunchy walnuts. It’s like cheesecake…that you can eat with your hands.

What says fall more than apples, cinnamon and walnuts? Okay maybe pumpkin does…but let’s not dwell on details here! This is APPLE month on Baked by Rachel! I love walking into the grocery store and smelling all the apples in the produce section. Or better yet, walking up to an apple orchard and smelling the fresh donuts and cider. I’m obviously ready for fall, can you tell?

These cookies will be great at your next party, or for pumpkin carving night…or with your coffee tomorrow.

I made these cookies with dried apples that I dried myself, using a method similar to the one Rachel used for her Maple Apple Chips. You can definitely buy store-bought dried apples as well. Both methods will work. I also used reduced-fat cream cheese, because it is what I happened to have. It worked great! You could use either full-fat or reduced-fat but I’d stay away from non-fat cream cheese in this recipe. Enjoy!

Apple Cheesecake Shortbread Cookies

Apple Cheesecake you can eat with your hands! These Apple Cheesecake Shortbread Cookies taste just like cheesecake but are as easy as slice and bake!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time28 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cookie
Servings: 18 cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 C unsalted butter softened
  • 3 oz cream cheese softened
  • 2/3 C granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 C dried apples chopped
  • 1/2 C walnuts finely chopped

Instructions

  • Whisk flour, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and cream on medium speed with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy, or about 2 minutes.
  • With mixer on low speed, add dry ingredients until just combined. Add in dried apples and mix only until combined.
  • On a sheet of parchment paper, shape the dough into a log about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap up in parchment paper and freeze until firm, or at least one hour.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove dough from freezer and roll in chopped walnuts. Slice into 1/4 inch slices (roll the outside in walnuts again after slicing if necessary) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden brown around edges, or about 16-18 minutes. Cool for 2-3 minutes on trays before removing from trays and putting on a wire rack to cool completely.

An apple a day party at bakedbyrachel.com
Seriously how awesome is the idea of slice and bake cheesecake… in cookie form?! Sounds perfect! -Rachel

You can find Rachel on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterst.
Be sure to check out these other great recipes from Rachel:
Mini pumpkin donuts with cider rum glaze, Sweet potato chips in the microwave, and Ginger cinnamon apple cider fake-tini.

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16 Responses to “Apple Cheesecake Shortbread Cookies {Guest Post}”

  1. #
    1
    Javi Trulove @ T3treats — September 11, 2013 at 7:26 am

    These Cookies looks amazing! i adore the pictures and the taste must be like heaven. I’m making some researching on cookies lately and i must cook these soon.

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    2
    Jamie @lifelovelemons — September 11, 2013 at 7:32 am

    Loving the dried apples in here! Never would have thought to make an apple flavored shortbread… thanks for sharing!

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    3
    Erin|The Law Student's Wife — September 11, 2013 at 8:13 am

    So fun! Love cheesecake, love apples, love cookies. Sold!

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    4
    Amy @Very Culinary — September 11, 2013 at 9:18 am

    If a stack of these were sitting in front of me…I wouldn’t share.

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    5
    Julie @ Table for Two — September 11, 2013 at 10:02 am

    i love the apple cheesecake aspect of this shortbread cookie! looks wonderful and totally something up my alley!

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    6
    Zainab @ Blahnik Baker — September 11, 2013 at 10:11 am

    Love everything about these cookies: cheesecake, apples and all!! A great creation Rachel!

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    7
    Lauren @ Climbing Grier Mountain — September 11, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    These are so stinking pretty! I Cheescake and apples, come to mama!!

  8. #
    8
    Gaby — September 11, 2013 at 7:30 pm

    I love slice and bake cookies especially with these fall flavors!

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    9
    Tracey — September 11, 2013 at 8:25 pm

    What a unique idea for a cookie! I’m always game for shortbread – all that buttery goodness!

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    10
    Karin@yumandmore — September 12, 2013 at 2:08 am

    What a great idea! a must make!!

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    11
    mary — September 16, 2013 at 3:06 pm

    recipe calls for cream in the directions, but not in the ingredient list…how much?

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      11.1
      Rachel — September 16, 2013 at 3:45 pm

      There is no cream, you are to cream the ingredients together :)

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    12
    Diana — October 27, 2015 at 5:06 am

    They are magical, an autumn fairy tale –
    inspired by your shots and I made them and …
    aroma of apples, cinnamon and nuts – delicious!
    Thanks for the great recipes, greetings!

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      12.1
      Rachel — October 27, 2015 at 7:17 am

      So glad you enjoyed them!

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    13
    Ilona — January 30, 2016 at 7:48 am

    Very nice cookies :) And easy to make. I don’t think I would like an apple cheesecake (for me they exist separately: cheesecake and apple pie :) ), but these cookies are great! :)

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      13.1
      Rachel — January 30, 2016 at 7:57 am

      Thanks Ilona! They’re definitely a match made in heaven!

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