Take the stress out of holiday cookie baking by using one dough to make 4 different cookies!
Servings 4-6 dozen cookies
Calories
Author Deborah Harroun
Ingredients
2packages8 ounces each regular cream cheese, room temperature
16ouncesunsalted butterroom temperature
½cupgranulated sugar
2teaspoonsvanillaor any flavoring you wish, I used spiced rum with the citrus
4cupsfloursifted
1/2teaspoonsalt
1/2cupfinely chopped macadamia nutsor nuts of your choice
1/2cupfinely chopped candied orange peeloptional, may use dried currents or chopped, dried cranberries
1/2cuporange marmaladeor jam of your choice
1/2cupseedless raspberry jam
12ouncessemi-sweet chocolate candy melts
12ounceswhite chocolate candy melts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and the butter together until fluffy. Add the sugar beat another minute. Add the vanilla and mix well.
Measure the flour by spooning it into a measuring cup and level off the top with the back of a butter knife. Sift the flour and add to the cream cheese mixture a little at a time while mixing on low speed.
Divide the dough into 3 sections. Remove one third of the dough and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Add the citrus peel and macadamia nuts to the other two sections as desired. Shape those sections of dough into separate disks, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes.
Roll out each disk on a lightly floured cutting board to about ¼ inch thick. Cut into shapes. Cut one disk into 1 ½ to 2 inch circles and one into 1 inch by 2 ½ inch rectangles. Shape the remaining disk into small 1 ½ inch balls and press your thumb into the middle of each ball to make “thumbprint” cookies.
Roll the sides of some of the thumbprints in chopped nuts. Spoon a tiny bit of jam or marmalade into the center of the thumbprint.
Bake the different shapes on separate pans so that they will cook evenly.
Bake for 15 to 17 minutes depending on the size or thickness of the cookies. Start checking the dough after 12 minutes. Remove when lightly brown and cool on wire racks.
Melt the chocolate candy melts in separate bowls.
Dip the circle cookies into the dark chocolate and the rectangles into the white chocolate.
Place the remaining chocolates into separate plastic zip bags and place a tiny whole in one corner of each bag. Use the chocolate in the bags to drizzle over the thumbprint cookies. Let the chocolate “set up” then arrange on plates to give as gifts or set out for your family.