Hanukkah Cookies

Name: Hanukkah Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen.
Cuisine: Jewish
Ingredients: 2 cups butter, softened; 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened; 2-1/2 cups sugar; 1 large egg, room temperature; 1/2 teaspoon almond extract; 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; ICING:; 3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar; 1/3 cup water; 4 teaspoons meringue powder; Blue and yellow paste food coloring

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch + cooling YIELD: about 3-1/2 dozen.

Cream cheese adds richness to these Hanukkah cookies. Decorate them with royal icing or your favorite buttercream frosting and toppings. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Ingredients

2 cups butter, softened
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2-1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
ICING:
3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup water
4 teaspoons meringue powder
Blue and yellow paste food coloring

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and extract. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture. Divide dough in half. Shape each into a disk; cover and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with floured 3-in. cookie cutters. Place cutouts 1 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake until set (do not brown), 10-12 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
For icing, in a small bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, water and meringue powder; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat on high 4 minutes or until soft peaks form. Divide icing into thirds. Tint 1 portion blue and 1 portion yellow; leave remaining portion white.
3. Pipe icing onto cookies as desired. (Keep unused icing covered at all times with a damp cloth. If necessary, beat again on high speed to restore texture.) Let cookies stand at room temperature several hours or until frosting is dry and firm. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 236 calories, 11g fat (7g saturated fat), 33mg cholesterol, 91mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate (23g sugars, 0 fiber), 2g protein.