Butter Cookies for Holiday Decorating

The secret's in the cream cheese...

Glazed Butter Cookies

(The New Best Recipe Cookbook by the editors of Cook's Illustrated)

Makes about 38 cookies











BUTTER COOKIE DOUGH

Ingredients:

2 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 c superfine sugar (see note)
1/4 tsp salt
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 16 pieces
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 Tsp cream cheese, room temperature
*processing granulated sugar in a food processor for 30 seconds produces superfine sugar

GLAZE
1 Tsp cream cheese, room temperature
2-3 Tsp milk
1 1/2 c confectioners sugar

1. For the cookies: Using an electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, and salt at low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With the mixer running on low, add the butter one piece at a time; continue to mix until the mixture looks crumbly & slightly wet. Add vanilla and cream cheese and mix on low until large clumps form, about 30 seconds.


2. Knead the dough by hand in the bowl to form a large, cohesive mass. Divide the dough in 1/2, patting each half into a 4in. disc. Wrap discs in plastic wrap and refrigerate until they begin to firm up, 20-30 min. (The discs can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks; defrost in refrigerator before using).


3. Adjust oven rack to the middle position; heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out 1 dough disk to 1/8in thick. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters and place cookies on baking sheet 1 1/2 in apart. Bake until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool the cookies to room temperature on a wire rack. (pull cookies 1-2 min early for softer cookies)


4. For the glaze: Whisk cream cheese and 2 Tsp milk in a medium bowl until combined and no lumps remain. Whisk in the confectioners sugar until smooth, adding the remaining milk as needed until the glaze is thin enough to spread easily. Drizzle a scant teaspoon of glaze onto each cooled cookie, or spread it on with the back of a spoon. (I used a shortcut - Pillsbury icing - for the cookies in the photo above).