Cream Cheese Cookies Sugar Free Food

CREAM CHEESE COOKIES - SUGAR FREE

Steps:

• Blend the cream cheese and butter.
• Add flour and salt then blend until flour is completely incorporated.
• Gather dough into a smooth ball, cover with plastic wrap and chill 1-2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Lightly dust counter with flour and roll out 1/2 of the dough to 1/8 inch thickness and carefully cut into 2-inch squares, saving scraps to re-roll.
• Blend jar of preserves with a spoon so it is a smooth consistency.
• Place a 1/4 teaspoon dab of preserves in the center of each square. Fold over two opposite corners of square to the middle, overlapping slightly and pressing so they stick together and jam squishes out a bit. After folding each cookie, transfer to an ungreased cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart.
• Bake each batch for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are barely golden brown. Gently press any overlapped corners down that have opened while baking.
• Transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
• When cookies are cool, place an additional small dab of apricot preserves on each side of the folded cookie.

CREAM CHEESE COOKIES

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Combine the butter, vanilla, 4 ounces of the room-temperature cream cheese and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and beat until smooth, then add the flour and beat on low until the dough just comes together. Remove the frozen cream cheese from the freezer and chop into 1/4-inch cubes. Add the cubes to the dough, quickly stirring with a rubber spatula to evenly incorporate them into the dough. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
• Using a 1-ounce ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoons, scoop 12 portions of dough, roll into balls and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Lightly flour the bottom of a 1/2-cup measuring cup and use it to flatten each cookie into a disk about 1/2 inch thick, re-flouring the cup after each cookie.
• Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cookies look set but are still pale and barely brown on the bottom, 20 to 24 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
• Meanwhile, combine the remaining 2 ounces room-temperature cream cheese, 2 cups sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture forms a thick paste. Add the milk and stir slowly until a thick glaze forms.
• When the cookies are cool, dip the entire surface of the top of each cookie in the glaze and lift up, letting the excess glaze drip off, then flip the cookie right-side up and onto the cooling rack. If the glaze is too thick, add another teaspoon of milk to loosen it. If using the cranberries or lime zest, sprinkle on top of the cookies while the glaze is still wet. Allow the glaze to set before serving, at least 10 minutes. Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

CREAM CHEESE SUGAR COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, cream cheese, salt, almond and vanilla extracts, and egg yolk. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour until well blended. Chill the dough for 8 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/3 at a time to 1/8 inch thickness, refrigerating remaining dough until ready to use. Cut into desired shapes with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Leave cookies plain for frosting, or brush with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with candy sprinkles or colored sugar.
• Bake for 7 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light and golden brown. Cool cookies completely before frosting.