Cream Cheese Cookies With Perfect Frosting For Christmas Or Any Day Recipes

CHRISTMAS SUGAR COOKIES WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• TO PREPARE COOKIES:
• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets and set aside.
• In a large dish combine flour, cornstarch, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a separate dish put butter and sugar and mix well using electric mixer, medium speed, until it gets light and fluffy. Add an egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
• Continue mixing slowly adding dry ingredients. The dough will be crumbly. Knead it well with your hands. Put some flour on the table and place the dough on it.
• Roll the dough up to 1/4 inch thick. Cut it in round shapes. I used a glass 2.4 inch in diameter. Place the cookies in the baking sheets.
• They should be 2 inches apart. Put them in the oven and bake for 8-9 min. Take them out of the oven and leave to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheets.
• Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
• TO MAKE THE FROSTING:
• In medium dish mix butter, cream cheese and vanilla, with a hand mixer, medium speed. Add powdered sugar and mix until well combined.
• Divide the mixture into 3 bowls. Add red food color in the first one, slowly, until you get the shade that you like. Put green in the second bowl, and leave the third one white.
• Spread the filling evenly on the cooled cookies and sprinkle with crumbs.

EASY CREAM CHEESE COOKIES

Steps:

• Start off by adding 1/2 cup unsalted softened butter and 4 ounces softened cream cheese to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric half mixer to cream them together really well.
• Now mix in 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar and mix it at low speed.
• Then add, 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and mix it in.
• Now sift in 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
• Mix the dry ingredients well. Now scoop out the cookie dough using a medium-sized cookie scoop.
• Then use your hands to round the dough into balls.
• Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 375 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 minutes. Make sure to bake on the center rack.
• Once the cookies are cooled, dust them with a little bit of powdered sugar, and enjoy!

CREAM CHEESE COOKIES WITH PERFECT FROSTING {FOR CHRISTMAS OR ANY DAY}

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, then add the egg and beat until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add the cream cheese and beat for 1 minute, scrape down the bowl once more, then beat in the vanilla extract, almond extract, and lemon zest until incorporated, about 30 seconds.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture, mixing just until fully incorporated and a soft dough is formed.
• Divide the dough into quarters. If using the dough within 24 hours, roll each quarter to a 1/4-inch thickness in between two sheets of parchment paper (alternatively, you can store the dough in a ball or disk and roll out when ready to cut and bake). Be careful not to roll the dough any thinner or the cookies will not be as soft. Keeping the dough flat, transfer it to the refrigerator and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. Repeat with the remaining dough (it is fine to stack the dough "flats" on top of each other to save space). If you will not be using the dough within 24 hours, divide the dough in half, pat each into a disk, then wrap each disk tightly in plastic and freeze in a ziptop bag for up to 1 month. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then proceed with the recipe as directed.
• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Remove one of dough flats from the refrigerator. (If you stored the dough in a ball or disk, roll it to a 1/4-inch thickness now, between two layers of parchment paper.) Remove the top layer of parchment paper, then with cookie cutters, slice the cookies into desired shapes. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, until barely lightly golden brown and the edges are dry. The cookies will look slightly underbaked. Let cool completely.
• To make the frosting: In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons milk as best as you can (the frosting will be very solid at this point). Beat in the corn syrup and almond extract until the frosting is smooth and glossy. If the frosting seems too thick, add more milk, one teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. If making colored frosting, add a few drops of food coloring until you reach your desired color intensity. Frost and decorate the cookies as desired. Let the frosting set for a few minutes, then enjoy!

CREAM CHEESE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.
• Combine the flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in chopped pecans. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• On four sheets of aluminum foil, shape dough into four 6 inch rolls, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each roll tightly in foil and refrigerate over night.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with foil. Remove rolls of dough from refrigerator one at a time. Coat each roll with red or green sugar crystals; cut dough into 1/4 inch slices.
• Place on prepared cookie sheets; top each cookie with a pecan half. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until bottom of cookie is lightly browned when lifted.

CREAM CHEESE CHRISTMAS (HOLIDAY) COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix sugar, salt, butter, cream cheese, almond and vanilla extract, and egg yolk together well.
• Stir in flour until well blended.
• Chill dough for at least 30 minutes (I've chilled mine a little less than 24 hours but I wouldn't suggest going over that.).
• After You've taken the dough out of the chilled area (sometimes I use the garage) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• On a lightly floured surface roll out 1/3-1/2 of the dough.
• Cut the dough to holiday shapes and place on an ungreased pan. (The cookies do not expand very much while cooking, so you can place them close together.).
• Here's where you can use the egg white! Spread the egg white over the top of the cookie and add sprinkle if you would like, or leave them plain and add frosting later!
• Bake the cookies 10 minutes (or until they're a light brown).
• Let cookies cool completely before adding any frosting.

CREAM CHEESE COOKIES

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Combine the butter, vanilla, 4 ounces of the room-temperature cream cheese and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and beat until smooth, then add the flour and beat on low until the dough just comes together. Remove the frozen cream cheese from the freezer and chop into 1/4-inch cubes. Add the cubes to the dough, quickly stirring with a rubber spatula to evenly incorporate them into the dough. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
• Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoons, scoop 12 portions of dough, roll into balls and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Lightly flour the bottom of a 1/2-cup measuring cup and use it to flatten each cookie into a disk about 1/2 inch thick, re-flouring the cup after each cookie.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cookies look set but are still pale and barely brown on the bottom, 20 to 24 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
• Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2 ounces room-temperature cream cheese, 2 cups sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture forms a thick paste. Add the milk and stir slowly until a thick glaze forms.
• When the cookies are cool, dip the entire surface of the top of each cookie in the glaze and lift up, letting the excess glaze drip off, then flip the cookie right-side up and onto the cooling rack. If the glaze is too thick, add another teaspoon of milk to loosen it. If using the cranberries or lime zest, sprinkle on top of the cookies while the glaze is still wet. Allow the glaze to set before serving, at least 10 minutes. Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

CREAM CHEESE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In small bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, cream cheese and 1/2 cup softened butter with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until fluffy; scrape side of bowl. Beat in egg just until smooth. Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla. On low speed, beat flour mixture into sugar mixture until well blended. Cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Shape dough into 60 (1-inch) balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are set. Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/4 cup softened butter, 2 to 4 tablespoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla with spoon until smooth and fluffy. If frosting is too stiff to spread, add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time. Tint with food color. Using knife, spread slightly less than 1 teaspoon frosting on each cooled cookie; top with sprinkles. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING / ICING FOR COOKIES

Steps:

• Soften cream cheese for a few seconds in microwave if necessary. Heat cream, butter, and cream cheese in a small pot, just until the butter and cream cheese melt into the cream. (Stir frequently to avoid burning.).
• Remove the pot from the stove, and stir in the 3 cups of powdered sugar. You will have a goopy mess. Beat it with your electric mixer, until it changes color slightly (3-4 minutes.)
• Spoon, paint, or spread it on your cooled cookies. It will still be pretty thin and goopy, but it should spread in a nice, even coat. (I used the back of my spoon to spread it.)
• Let the icing 'set' for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until it hardens. It won't harden completely, but it will form a nice soft frosting layer that squishes only slightly when pressed, similar to a slice of cheese.
• I modified a regular icing recipe to make this, and was very disappointed with the results at first, but after I left the cookies on the counter for two hours, I was glad I saved them. The icing is perfect for transporting, and has a very good flavor, just right for carrot cake cookies.