Easy Cream Cheese Cut-Out Cookies

Super Bowl Sunday ended with a winter storm that brought Snow Day Monday to Western NY. In the past a snow day at our home was all about snowmen, hot chocolate, baking cut out cookies and just spending the day together – It was always an exhausting day full of fun, messes and chaos but happy memory making non the less!
Now that my children are 14 and almost 13 years old, snow days aren’t what they used to be. They still like to play outside, mostly snowball fights or sledding and when they are inside they are off in one direction or another playing video games, watching Netflix or hanging out with friends. Since Valentine’s Day is coming up and cookies were on the agenda this week anyway, I decided I’d keep the snow day tradition alive and bake cookies today.
As I put the butter and cream cheese in a bowl for the cookies, my daughter says to me “Mom wait, Joey and I want to make the cookies too, don’t start without us!” YES! they were looking forward to our snow day tradition just as much as I was… I wasn’t sure if they would be in the mood to bake with me, but I was so happy they were!  Now on to the cookies.

They measured everything, prepared the dough and waited until it was ready to be rolled out. It took them each a few tries to get the dough at the same thickness – I had to “throw back” a few paper-thin and some extremely thick hearts

Once the cookies were cooled I prepared the frosting. I used the recipe from my Grandmother’s The Good Housekeeping Cookbook from 1943. They have some really great recipes in there including a section for frugal wartime recipes.

We didn’t have any Valentine sprinkles at home but since it there was a storm outside I wasn’t planning on leaving the house to buy some. I did find leftover red sugar crystals from Christmas so I used those to decorate some of the hearts and I like the way they turned out.

• 1-c. butter
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
• 1 1/2-c. granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1-tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2-tsp. pure almond or lemon extract
• 3 1/2-c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1-tsp. baking powder

directions:

• In large mixer bowl combine butter and cream cheese. Let stand at room temperature about 30 minutes or until softened. In separate bowl, stir together flour and baking powder, set aside.
• Beat softened butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla and almond extract or vanilla extract and blend well. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until well mixed. Wrap in plastic wrap or cover bowl and chill about 1 – 2 hours or until firm and easy to handle.
• Pre-heat oven to 375° on lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters. Place 1-in. apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

The Good Housekeeping Cookbook – Plain Butter Frosting Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons cream or milk
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• food coloring (optional)

directions:

1. work butter on high-speed until fluffy and creamy
2. gradually add confectioners’ sugar and cream or milk alternating while continuing to blend
3. add extract and food coloring – spread or pipe frosting

These cut-out cookies are soft, delicious and easy to make! Bake up a batch and let me know what you think… just be careful, it’s impossible to eat just one!

 
Another highlight of my day; both of my kids went outside not once, but three times to shovel the driveway and they hung up their own wet jackets and gloves! I’m learning to embrace this new season of parenting and enjoying the moments I spend with them.  

Blessings ~ Danielle