STRAWBERRY LEMONADE CHEESECAKE COOKIES

STRAWBERRY LEMONADE CHEESECAKE COOKIES Strawberry Cookies 1 (15.25 ounce) package strawberry cake mix 1/3 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs Cheesecake Filling 4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature 2 tablespoons sour cream 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 teaspoon lemon juice Strawberry Drizzle Garnish (optional) 3 tablespoons strawberry jam 2 teaspoons powdered sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, vegetable oil, baking powder and vanilla. Stir in eggs just until combined – don’t overmix! (Dough will be oily which is normal). Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Cheesecake Filling by beating together all of the Cheesecake Filling Ingredients until smooth. Set aside. Working in 2 batches of 12, drop dough by 1 heaping tablespoon balls (dough will be sticky) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a nonstick mat. Refrigerate remaining dough until ready to use. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 minutes. Let cookies cool on baking sheet (they will deflate) for 10 minutes then press down in the center of each cookie with the back of a teaspoon to make an indentation. Fill each indentation with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of cheesecake filling. You can either remove cookies to a plate at this point or place entire baking sheet in the refrigerator to cool for at least 30 minutes – the longer the better for the cheesecake filling to set. Repeat with remaining dough for a total of 24 cookies. When ready to serve (or after cookies have been refrigerated 30 minutes), whisk together Strawberry Drizzle and drizzle over cookies. (I add Drizzle to a Ziploc bag, snip the corner to neatly drizzle). Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1 week.