Description
Sweet cream cheese sugar cookies blend classic comfort with delicate richness. Home bakers can create these simple yet elegant treats that delight taste buds and bring warmth to any gathering.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 ½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 ½ cups (438 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (227 grams) butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces (226 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cans store-bought frosting or homemade icing
Instructions
- Mixing Base: Blend butter, cream cheese, and granulated sugar in a spacious mixing bowl using a hand mixer until the mixture transforms into a voluminous, airy texture. Thoroughly scrape the bowl’s sides to ensure uniform blending.
- Wet Ingredient Integration: Fold in egg, almond extract, and vanilla extract, mixing until completely integrated with the creamy base.
- Dry Ingredient Preparation: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl until uniformly combined.
- Dough Formation: Gradually incorporate dry ingredients into wet mixture, adding in increments and mixing minimally. Pause to clear bowl’s edges between additions, creating a cohesive dough.
- Dough Chilling: Divide dough into two symmetrical disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate overnight to enhance flavor development and structural integrity.
- Oven Preparation: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Dough Rolling and Cutting: Remove one dough disk, allowing slight softening at room temperature. Roll to ½-inch thickness on flour-dusted surface and use cookie cutters to create desired shapes.
- Baking Process: Arrange cookie shapes on prepared sheets, maintaining 2-inch separation. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are set and cookies appear slightly puffy.
- Cooling and Decoration: Cool cookies completely on baking sheets. Prepare icing by microwaving frosting in 15-30 second intervals, stirring until achieving a pourable consistency.
- Final Embellishment: Allow icing to cool momentarily, adjusting thickness for precise piping or complete cookie coverage.
Notes
- Chill Strategically: Refrigerate dough overnight to develop complex flavors and improve cookie structure, preventing excessive spreading during baking.
- Soft Butter Matters: Ensure butter and cream cheese are at room temperature for smooth, airy creaming that creates tender, delicate cookies.
- Handle Dough Gently: Minimal mixing prevents tough cookies; mix just until ingredients combine to maintain a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Temperature Precision: Use exact oven temperature and avoid overbaking; cookies should have barely golden edges and soft centers for optimal taste and texture.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes (plus overnight chilling)
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 22
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 83 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 42 mg