Gingerbread Cookie Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients

• 1 30-ounce package refrigerated Pillsbury gingerbread cookie dough

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 4 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

1.  Roll two teaspoons of cookie dough into a ball for each cookie. Place balls of dough into paper lined mini cupcake/muffin pans. Make a well/indentation into each ball of dough with the back of a measurement teaspoon.

2.  Beat room temperature cream cheese with powdered sugar. Stir in vanilla and lemon zest to taste. Place filling into a piping bag, cut off edge of bag. Place one teaspoon or so of filling into each area of cookie dough. Don’t over fill the cookies with filling as they will rise when baked.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes or until cookie tested with tooth pick comes out almost clean. Let cool before removing from cupcake pan. Makes 4 dozen.