COOKIES

• Preheat your oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
• In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until creamy and light (1-2 minutes)
• Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt
• Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined
• Roll two tablespoons of dough into a ball and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Place only six cookies on a standard sheet per bake, leaving enough space between each cookie, as they will spread slightly.
• Bake for 8 minutes, then remove the cookies from the oven and use a small measuring cup (I used a ⅛ cup) to gently press an indent into the center of each cookie. Return to the oven and cook an additional 1-2 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. The centers may still look a bit soft, but they will firm up as they cool. You may need to lightly press the middle indent in again when you remove them from the oven
• Move the cookies immediately to a wire rack to cool completely - they will still be soft, so gently transfer them over.

CHERRY FILLING

• Place all ingredients - cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice - into a medium pot, stir, and place over medium-high heat. Stir regularly and break up the cherries with a spoon as they soften, to release their juices and also make for smaller cherry bites
• Once the mixture starts to thicken, it will thicken quickly, so stir constantly. As soon as it boils, remove the pot from the heat and immediately transfer to a dish. Cool at room temperature for 15 minutes before placing in the fridge to chill completely

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• Cream together your cream cheese and salted butter in the bowl of a mixer until smooth
• Sift in powdered sugar and mix
• Beat in your vanilla and milk
• Place into a piping bag and store in the fridge until ready to use

ASSEMBLY

• Place a spoonful of cherry filling into each indent of your cooled cookies.
• Pipe the cream cheese frosting around the rim of your cookies and enjoy!