Blueberry Cream Cheese Cookies

As much as I think Christina Tosi is a baking pioneer and genius, I was not crazy about the Blueberry Cream cookie that I bought from the Momofuku Milk Bar in NYC a couple of years ago.  This could be because it was pre-packaged and had been baked a while ago but it just didn't grab me.  I loved the idea, though.  I thought it just needed a little punch of flavor.  Cream cheese seemed like a perfect accompaniment seeing as cream cheese on a blueberry bagel is quite tasty.

Now, how to get that cream cheese to stand out and not get lost in the batter.  Answer: freeze it.  Cut it into chunks, freeze it for about 10 minutes, take it out and cut it up to about the size you see in the picture above and throw it into the batter.

Recipe adapted from The Meaning of Pie:

Ingredients:
4 ounces of cream cheese, cold
1 1/3 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon backing soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces dried blueberries

Method:

Cut up the cream cheese into chunks on a plate and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.  Bring out the cream cheese and chop into smaller chunks, about the size you see in the picture above.  Put back in freezer until ready to put into batter.

Place flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and combine with a whisk.

Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture has lightened.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat for a couple more minutes until thoroughly combined.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl a couple times throughout the mixing process to ensure all are completely combined.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.  Add in the blueberries and cream cheese and mix until combined.  Do a few more turns with the rubber spatula to make sure little bits on the bottom of the bowl are incorporated.  Let the finished dough rest in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap for a couple of hours to overnight.

When ready to bake, preheat the the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Break off pieces of the dough and roll between your hands to make balls.  Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes.  Cool on the cooking sheet and move to a cooling rack to coll completely.

These cookies are best stored in a zip lock bag in the fridge.  This helps the cream cheese stay together.