Amaretto Cheesecake Cookies

These aren’t cookies in the traditional sense. They’re really cheesecake bars built on a brown sugar shortbread base. The crust gets partially baked first, then a layer of cream cheese filling flavored with amaretto liqueur and vanilla goes on top, and the whole thing gets finished with an almond crumble made from the reserved crust mixture.

Cutting the butter into the flour and brown sugar creates a crumbly shortbread dough. Reserving a full cup of that crumb mixture before pressing the rest into the pan gives you a ready-made streusel topping. It’s a clever technique that gets two textures from one batch of dough.

Four tablespoons of amaretto is generous. You’ll taste the almond liqueur distinctly in the cream cheese layer, which pairs perfectly with the chopped almonds in the topping. The two-stage bake lets the crust set before the filling goes on, preventing it from getting soggy under the weight of the cream cheese.

Chef Tips

• Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before beating. Cold cream cheese creates lumps that won’t smooth out in such a thin filling layer.
• Press the crust dough firmly and evenly. Thin spots overbake while thick spots stay undercooked.
• Cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares. The cream cheese layer needs to set fully or your bars will smear when you slice.
• Store in the refrigerator. The cream cheese filling softens quickly at room temperature.

Variations

• Replace amaretto with Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur) and swap almonds for chopped hazelnuts.
• Use almond extract (½ teaspoon) instead of amaretto for an alcohol-free version that still tastes of almond.
• Drizzle melted chocolate over the cooled bars for a chocolate-almond cheesecake cookie.