Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or use a mixing bowl and a hand mixer).

Whip to stiff peaks, scraping the sides and the bottom of the bowl a couple of times in between. Don’t overwhip!

Spoon or pipe the cheesecake filling into 12 small portions, about 1-2 tablespoons each, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Freeze the cheesecake filling portions until firm, usually for at least 1-2 hours or until they are solid enough to handle.

In another bowl, add white and brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. Beat with a hand mixer for 1-2 minutes or until fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, and beat until well incorporated.

Sift in the flour, salt, and baking powder, and mix on low just until no dry ingredients are left.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and freeze for 30-60 minutes or until solid enough to form dough balls. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight.

Preheat the oven to 180C (355F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Form 12 cookie dough balls (50g each).

Take one cookie dough ball and flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand or you can roll it between two pieces of plastic wrap with a rolling pin.

Then, take one frozen cheesecake filling portion from the freezer and place it in the center of the cookie dough disk.

Enclose the cheesecake filling by wrapping the dough around it, then roll the filled cookie dough between your palms to form a smooth ball. Repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough and frozen cheesecake filling portions.

Place the filled cookie dough balls on the baking sheets, leaving some space between each cookie.

Bake one batch at a time (keep the second batch in the fridge while the first batch is baking) for 15-17 minutes or until the cookies have spread, puffed up, and become golden around the edges.

Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool down on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring them onto a cooling rack to cool down completely before enjoying.