Cream cheese adds richness to these holiday cutout cookies. Decorate them with royal icing or your favorite buttercream frosting and toppi...
Hanukkah Cookies
Cream cheese adds richness to these holiday cutout cookies. Decorate them with royal icing or your favorite buttercream frosting and toppings. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Total Time
Prep: 25 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling
Makes
about 3-1/2 dozen
Ingredients
2 cups butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
ICING:
3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup water
4 teaspoons meringue powder
Blue and yellow paste food coloring
Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in. cookie cutters. Place 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake until set (do not brown), 10-12 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
For frosting, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, water and meringue powder; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat on high 4 minutes or until soft peaks form. Cover frosting with damp paper towels or plastic wrap between uses.
Pipe icing on cookies as desired. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.
