Cheesecake Thumbprints

Baking is an art that intrigues me. I keep getting Baking books from library to try out stuff, but would most of the time end up looking at the pictures and returning them; sometimes because I feel they are time consuming and at times because I may not have all the ingredients on hand. This time I had 'Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook' from library and me and my son were flipping the pages. We came across the recipe for Cheesecake Thumbprint cookies and my son was wanting to make it. He is 4 and enjoys watching me cook and giving me a helping hand. So I finally decided to try this one out and am happy that I did.

Makes around 15-16 cookies

Cream Cheese	- 2 ounce
Sugar	- 1/4 cup
Sour Cream	- 3/4 tsp
Vanilla Essence	- 3 drops
Salt	- 1/8 tsp + half a pinch
Butter	- 1 stick (1/2 cup) at room temperature
Egg yolk	- 1 large
All Purpose flour/Maida	- 1 cup

1. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer at a medium speed for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.

2. Add 1/8 cup of sugar and half a pinch of salt and blend until smooth for 3 minutes.

3. To the cream cheese mixture, add half of the egg yolk, sour cream and vanilla and beat until smooth.

4. Refrigerate the cream cheese mixture for about 30 minutes.

5. In the mean time, beat the butter and remaining sugar with an electric mixer at a medium speed for 2 minutes. I used salted butter.

6. Add remaining salt (not needed, if using salted butter), egg yolk and beat to combine. If using Salted butter, add 2 tbsp of sugar in addition to the 1/8 cup of sugar.

7. Sift the flour into the butter mixture slowly with the mixture on low speed.

8. Once the ingredients are mixed well, use your hands to make the dough into ball shape.

9. Preheat the oven at 350 degree F.

10. Line a baking tray with a parchment paper.

11. Shape Level tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets about an inch apart.

12. Using your thumb or a spoon, make an indentation  in the center of each ball.

13. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven and make indentations again with a spoon, as the dough may have raised a bit.

14. Bake again for 7-9 minutes until the edges of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. Turn off the oven.

15. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

16. Once cooled, fill the center of each cookie with around a teaspoon full of cream cheese filling, mounding it slightly.

17. Preheat the oven again at 350 degree and bake the cookies again for 7-8 minutes, until the filling is firm.

18. Cool the cookies in a wire rack completely and refrigerate in an air tight container for at least 4 hours before serving.

Your cheesecake thumbprint cookies are ready! The cookies are best if they are refrigerated overnight. Allow them to sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving.