Cream Cheese Cookies

Each Christmas I make gift boxes of various cookies and candies for a select few neighbors, teachers and close friends. Every year I try a new recipe or two, this year it's peppermint marshmallows and caramel fleur de sel macarons. Although I try to incorporate a few new cookies into the boxes to keep it interesting there are always a few regulars. Cookies that make their way into the boxes year after year. Cream cheese cutout cookies are always one of them!
Cream cheese cutout cookies are adapted from Paula Deen's Just Desserts, and wow are they delicious!! They are the perfect combination of soft, sweet and absolutely irresistible. The cream cheese adds a certain amount of tanginess to the cookie, I paired it with an almond glaze to give it more depth than a traditional sugar cookie.
Once you try this cookie you'll never go back to your old sugar cookie recipe, I guarantee it!

Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies
adapted from Paula Deen Just Desserts

makes 3 dozen

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Cookie:

1 cup butter ( softened)

3 oz. cream cheese ( softened)

1 cup sugar

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 c. flour

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Almond Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp. almond extract

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Beat together butter, sugar and cream cheese in mixer until soft and fluffy. Add egg yolks and beat until incorporated. Slowly add salt and flour 1/2 c. at a time until all flour has been incorporated and a dough forms. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes. After thirty minutes, split dough in half and place on counter with powdered sugar underneath. Roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut out with your favorite cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet with parchment or silpat. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Do not over bake or they will lose their softness! Cool on cooling racks.

Glaze:

Mix together powdered sugar, milk and almond extract with a fork in a small shallow bowl. Hold cookie by the sides and place into glaze top side down. Invert and place on cooling rack to harden.

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* I used dragees and Martha Stewart poinsettia sugar flowers to garnish the tops of the cookies before the frosting set