The Best Holiday Cookies

Happy Snowy Sunday to you all! We got about four inches of snow over the weekend, but now have a bright and sunshiny day! Since Hubby was off yesterday it would have been the perfect time to do some major couch cuddling, but we had his Holiday work party to attend. Because of that, I was in the kitchen most of the day making what I think are the Best Holiday Cookies out there!

 

They're super buttery and creamy and can be jazzed up in so many different ways! I add my homemade cream cheese frosting to them and they are divine! They are the one thing I am requested to make over and over again. Since they rock my jock are so yummy I wanted to share them with you. Here's what you'll need:

 Look at all that butter. Mmmm...So to get started you'll want to make sure your butter and your cream cheese are softened. I like to cut my butter and cream cheese into big chunks to help it soften faster (you can see it in the ingredients picture on this post). I've tried to soften things in the microwave before, but my recipes always turn out too runny and not the right consistency. So, I do it the slow way. What helps speed my process up is I set whatever it is that needs softened on the stove top while the oven is preheating. It seems just the right amount of time to heat it up without changing the consistency. Make sense? Moving on. 

For these buttery delights you'll start off by beating your butter and sugar together. Once creamy, add the other wet stuff. Slowly blend in the dry ingredients until you have a nice thick mixture. Roll into balls and pop in the oven. I did teaspoon and tablespoon size dough balls. Press the top of a spice shaker (or sprinkle shaker in my case) in the middle to create a nice little bowl for the cream cheese frosting.

While the cookies are baking, prepare your frosting. Mix the super softened cream cheese and butter together. Once there's barely any lumps left, add in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Then add some food coloring to two separate plastic bags. Add in some frosting and squeeze around until you have the color you want. 

Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and pipe on the yummy frosting.

Then decorate them with whatever makes you happy! In my case it's Hershey Kisses, mini M&Ms and some sprinkles. 

Ingredients for the Cookies (makes about 4 dozen):

2 3/4 Cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 Cups sugar

1 Cup butter, softened

1 egg, room temperature

1 1/2 tsps vanilla

• Mix together the flour, baking soda and powder in a bowl. Set aside.
• Beat together the sugar and butter until creamy. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until well combined.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients. Once fully combined, roll the dough into small balls and bake on a greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. 
• Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Ingredients for frosting:
1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/4 Cup butter, softened
1 Cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

• Beat together the cream cheese and butter until the mixture is smooth and there are barely any lumps left.
• Slowly add in the powdered sugar. Once combined, add in the vanilla. 
• Pipe into bags and decorate or store in the refrigerator.

Hope you enjoyed my week of Holiday treats! Got any recipes I must try!? Love to hear them! I'll be showing you some of the favorite parts of my home at Christmastime soon. Hope to see you soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

**I linked up to the self sufficient homeacre, sweet bella roos, all things with purpose, cornerstone confessions, coastal charm, funky polka dot giraffe, mom on the run x2, hope studios, mommy on demand, inside bru crew life, cedar hill farmhouse, our delightful home, homecoming MN, dwellings-the heart of your home, between naps on the porch, by stephanie lynn, diyhshp, craft-o-maniac, a pinch of joy, sew can do, child at heart