It’s possible you’ve already retired your apron for the baking season because you are simply cookied out! I feel you, I’ve been there, read: may be there now. If, however, you’re getting a late start or are on a baking extravaganza, I urge you to try these cookies. Afterwards, you might just decide these are your new go-to Christmas cutout cookies.

They are impressive in that you can roll them out thick & they keep their shape while baking instead of becoming a misshapen pool of dough. But more importantly, they taste so, so good! They stand alone on their own. Good enough to eat without any frosting, I know because I’ve eaten my fair share just that way.

Typically, I make royal frosting, but as I mentioned before, I’ve fallen victim to the, “I’m done baking!” So, I made a traditional butter cream frosting & told the fam they could frost & decorate their own cookies, a sort of Christmas cookie assembly line, if you will. Give these a shot, I’m confident you will be happy with the results.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (16 oz) butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter & cream cheese, until light & fluffy, 3 – 5 minutes, scraping down the sides & bottom, as needed.

Add the sugar, egg yolks, & vanilla. Mix well, another 1 – 2 minutes. Add the flour & salt. Mix until combined, being careful not to over mix.

Place dough in a Tupperware container, cover, & chill for a minimum of 2 hours. Longer is fine, of course.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters & cut into shape, placing 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 – 12 minutes until set, but not browned on edges or bottom. Remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Frost cookies or place unfrosted in a Tupperware container & freeze until you’re ready to frost or eat as is.

Source: melskitchencafe.com