Hello!

My Mom didn’t like to bake cookies. She liked pies (mostly fruit pies), sometimes cakes, I remember her saying, “I will go smear us up a cake.” But occasionally she would surprise us and make up a batch of cookies.

One of her favorite cookies was filled raisin cookies. I remember watching her cook the filling and make the dough and seal the edges of the cookie with a fork. They were not my favorite by far, but they were cookies and still good. I believe I can still smell those coming out of the oven and see Mom hurrying around the kitchen. Ahhh….memories are precious, and she’s been gone for several years now.

This week’s recipe is one of Mom’s. Although she didn’t make these when I was a kid, they are good. She made these occasionally after I was grown. But I knew what she was cooking by the wonderful smell the minute I set foot in her house….

These cookies have a delicate blend of flavors. I like the cream cheese and the light lemon flavor, then in the next bite you get the chocolate chip and the nuts. Kind of sounds like quite a combination, but they are really good, and they just all blend together so well.

Cream Cheese Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter (room temperature)

1 cup sugar

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese (room Temperature)

2 eggs (beat lightly)

2 Teaspoons vanilla

½ teaspoon lemon extract

2 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts.

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl: Cream together butter and sugar and beat with mixer until smooth.

Blend in Cream cheese and eggs, vanilla, lemon juice. Slowly add in flour baking powder baking soda.

Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

You can chill this for about an hour in the fridge, it makes them easier to scoop out and handle.

Drop teaspoon size amounts onto a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Enjoy!