Description

Elevate your holiday baking with these incredibly tender cream cheese spritz cookies that perfectly balance tangy richness with classic vanilla sweetness. Using a cookie press allows you to create intricate, bakery-style shapes that hold their definition and melt on the tongue with every bite.

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
3/4 teaspoon high-quality vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Gel food coloring (optional)
Candy melts for dipping (white or dark)
Festive sprinkles

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and prepare several ungreased, cool baking sheets.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, beating until the mixture is smooth and velvety.
Set the mixer to low and gradually mix in the flour until just combined and no white streaks remain.
If desired, tint the dough with gel food coloring, then load it into a cookie press fitted with your chosen design disk.
Press the cookies directly onto the ungreased sheets about 1 inch apart and bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just barely golden.
Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack, then dip the cooled cookies in melted candy and decorate with sprinkles.

Notes

If you find your cookies are spreading too much in the oven, check that your butter was truly at room temperature and not starting to melt, as this destabilizes the emulsion. Additionally, always allow your baking sheets to return to room temperature before reusing them for subsequent batches to ensure the dough grips the surface correctly.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American