The Ultimate Decorating Sugar Cookie and Cream Cheese Frosting

Serves: 24 cookies

Time: 1 hour 30 Minutes

Difficulty: Just Wright - medium

Healthy Level: For the Soul, calories don’t count

Listening To: Music - Mariah Carey Christmas Album

INGREDIENTS:

For the Cookies:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (do not use fat-free)

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ½ teaspoon almond extract

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest of one lemon)

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 2 cups powdered sugar, shifted

• 4 tablespoons milk (I use coconut milk)

• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

For Decorating:

• Other items you can purchase for decorating include Hershey’s Kisses, M&Ms, Sprinkles, Colored Sugar, Colored Writing Frosting

DIRECTIONS:

For the cookies:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl as needed.

2. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds. Next add in the cream cheese, and beat for an additional minute.

3. The beat in the vanilla and almond extract as well as the lemon zest until incorporated, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

4. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter-sugar mixture until just fully incorporated and soft dough is formed.

5. Lay down a sheet of parchment paper. Cutting the dough in half, place half the dough on the parchment paper. Then, top the dough with another sheet of parchment paper and roll out the dough in between the two sheets of parchment paper until the dough is ¼ inch thick. Repeat with the other half.

6. Place the rolled out dough in the parchment paper in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill.

7. Remove the dough from the oven and cut out using cookie cutters, etc. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8. When ready to bake, line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Place cut cookies on sheet and bake for 9-12 minutes (depending on cookie cutter shape and size). The cookies will look slightly under-baked, let cool completely on the baking sheet.

For the Frosting:

1. While the cookies are in the oven, make the frosting.

2. Add all the ingredients to the bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth.

3. Frost and decorate the cookies as desired.

4. Let the frosting set for at least 30 minutes, then enjoy! Can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature with parchment paper in between layers for up to 5 days for frosted cookies and 2 weeks unfrosted cookies.