Cream Cheese Food

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 ICING

Steps:

• Soften cheese and butter.
• Beat well.
• Add sugar and vanilla.
• Beat again.
• Spread on cooled cake.

CREAM CHEESE BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Lightly grease a square 8X8-inch pan.
• To make the cream cheese layer, put the cream cheese in a mixer bowl and mix with the paddle attachment until it's smooth.
• Add the rest of the cream cheese layer ingredients, beating well and scraping down and of the batter that dares try to escape up the sides of the bowl.
• To make the brownie layer, melt the butter and the chocolate together until smoothly melted.
• Put aside and let come to room temperature.
• Be patient, it's worth it.
• In a separate bowl from the cream cheese mixture, mix the eggs and the sugar until it's thick and a gorgeous lemon color.
• Add the chocolate mixture and mix well until combined.
• Again, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the flour, vanilla, baking powder, salt and the chocolate chips, mix well until combined.
• Pour half the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan.
• Dollop the cream cheese mixture over that.
• Don't worry if it doesn't cover the chocolate. It won't.
• Add the remaining chocolate mixture.
• Take a knife and gently draw it through the batters, from left to right and from top to bottom, making a checkerboard pattern.
• Don't allow the mixtures to combine, be careful.
• Sprinkle with the nuts.
• Bake in the oven until the sides, but not the tops, begin to brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• Don't wait until a tester comes out clean, if you do then you have overbaked and basically murdered the brownies.
• Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes, cut into 12 or 16 brownies, cover and refrigerate.