cream cheese sugar cookies

In our family, holiday tradition dictates that Santa is left a plate of cookies and milk on Christmas Eve. As parents, we drink half of the glass of milk and take a bite out of a cookie and place it back on the plate. For many children, part of the wonder of Christmas is seeing the half eaten treat that they left for Santa and believing that he was there.

Our family’s tradition is to make my husband’s famous snickerdoodles or cream cheese sugar cookies (my personal favorite). After all, if you have to eat Santa’s cookie they might as well be ones you love! Cream cheese sugar cookies have a soft shortbread texture and a sweet tang from the cream cheese. I dip them in a simple glaze of powdered sugar, milk and almond extract from Beanilla. Almond extract has a sweet natural almond flavor that adds depth of flavor to the glaze that you put on the sugar cookies.

cream cheese cookies

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookie RecipeYields 3-4 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour

Icing:

3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. whole milk
½ tsp. pure almond extract
Food coloring (2-3 drops)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

Lightly grease cookie sheets. In a large bowl, cream together butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Stir in flour until well blended. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet (or use a cookie press). If desired, make an indentation in the center with your thumb or other object; fill with preserves, or press candy into center. Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven. Cookies should be pale.

Icing:

Place powdered sugar, milk and almond extract in bowl. Whisk until smooth, add food coloring of your choice and whisk to incorporate.

To ice cookies:

Invert cookies so the top is facing the icing. Dip the front of the cookie into the icing. Place right side up on wire drying rack to let the icing harden (overnight is preferred). Garnish with sprinkles or edible glitter and enjoy the smile on your children faces as the see that Santa enjoyed the treat you set out for him.