New York Cheesecake Cookies

What could possibly be better than a slice of New York style cheesecake? How about jamming the whole thing together and making New York Cheesecake Cookies?!

How Do You Make New York Cheesecake Cookies?
You can do this recipe with Graham Cracker crumbs, or with Graham Crackers, as I do. Break the cracker into pieces, place in a food processor and pulse on and off until the crackers are uniformly crushed. This recipe calls for 11/4 Graham Cracker crumbs, what is about 16-17 graham cracker squares, blended.
New York Cheesecake Cookies are a variation on the classic cheesecake recipe. I love how crispy, chewy, thick and soft they are, and not to mention their creamy-lemon-cheesy filling! My recipe skips sugar at the faze of making the dough, as Graham Crackers already contain it. With a sweet topping, these are delicious and sweet enough!

In a large bowl whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs and baking powder. I used all-purpose flour, but white whole wheat flour works fine also. You can experiment with different types of gluten-free flour, except coconut flour as it absorbs so much more liquid.

Ingredients
1 1⁄4 cup graham crackers, finely crushed (1 sleeve)
1 cup flour
1 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1⁄2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg, separated
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp lemon zest
1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, flour and baking powder. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter with the brown sugar using an electric hand mixer. Add the egg white and beat until well combined. Add to the graham cracker crumbs and blend until just combined.
In a separate medium bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese with the granulated sugar, egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla until well combined. Set aside.
Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out the cookie dough and place on a nonstick or parchment lined baking sheet. (If you do not have an ice scoop, then measure out the dough into scoops of about 2 tablespoons.) Flatten slightly, pressing your thumb in the center of the ball to create a small bowl shape. Repeat with the remaining dough. Spoon the cream cheese into the indents in the cookies.
Bake until the filling is barely set and the cookies are lightly golden, 12 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes on the baking sheets before removing them and cooling completely on a wire rack.