Some people delight in Martha Stewart type gift wrapping, some trees are decorated with such precision they could be in home decorating magazines. The activity of choice for our family is decorating Christmas cookies. Admittedly motherhood has toned my extravaganza down to four or five varieties. We also do cream cheese cookies, gingerbread cookies and peanut putter blossoms. The. I usually add in one or two that I find during that year. Here is the recipe for cream cheese cookies.
Grammy’s Cream Cheese Cookies
1/2 pound butter (two sticks)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Cream butter and cheese until fluffy
Stir in sugar,eggs and vanilla
Combine flour and baking powder and stir into cheese
mixture
Chill dough overnight
Roll out a little at a time on floured board (keep
remaining dough chilled until ready to roll more and do not be surprised if you need a lot of flour to get it to roll!)
Cut with cookie cutters and place on cookie sheet
Bake in preheated 350 degree oven
Cookies take around 12 minutes depending on
size or shape -- I just do a lot of "checking" and lift a
cookie to make sure bottom is brown.
Icing- confectioners sugar, milk, vanilla (sometimes I also add melted butter)
These cookies have been part of my Christmas tradition since I was a child. I love these cookies and they are the perfect surface for yummy homemade icing. Here are some photos of this year's creations. It was really a fun year for cookie decoration because Laurel and Owen were so into it.
