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For a delightful tender and supple texture, substitute some butter with cream cheese in traditional sugar cookies. Enhance the cream cheese vibe by incorporating swirls or blobs of creamy and zesty Cream Cheese Frosting, which can be colored with gel or paste food coloring in your preferred holiday shades. Alternatively, showcase your culinary creativity with a variety of icings, like intricate designs of colored Royal Icing or a delicate dusting with Powdered Sugar Icing.
Ingredients:
– 1/2 cup salted butter, softened
– 4 oz. cream cheese, softened, or 4 oz. mascarpone cheese
– 1 cup sugar
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– 1/4 tsp. baking soda
– 1/4 tsp. salt
– 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg or 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)
– 1 egg
– 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Preparation:
– In a big bowl, mix the butter and cream cheese on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg (if using). Continue to beat until well combined, occasionally scraping the bowl. Incorporate the egg, then the flour. Split the dough in two. Wrap and chill for an hour until it’s easier to work with.
– Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lay parchment paper on baking sheets. On a floured surface, roll out one half of the dough at a time to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Use floured 2 1/2-inch cookie cutters to shape the cookies, re-rolling any scraps as needed. Place the shapes 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets.
– Bake until the bottoms are lightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Optionally, decorate with Cream Cheese Frosting and sprinkles.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
– In a large bowl, blend 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup softened butter, and 2 tsp. vanilla extract on medium speed until light and airy. Slowly add 5 1/2 to 6 cups powdered sugar until the frosting reaches the desired spreading consistency. Tint with gel or paste food coloring if desired. Keep the frosting and frosted cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. This recipe yields 3 1/2 cups.
*The % Daily Value (DV) indicates how much of a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. A general nutrition guideline is 2,000 calories per day.
