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Cream Cheese Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

The holiday season just wouldn't be complete without a day of cookie baking. These simple sugar cookies get their lovely flavor and texture from a few unexpected ingredients.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 24 cookies (about)

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter softened or organic vegetable shortening
  • 1/2 cup vegan "cream cheese" (I used GoVeggie) softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

Icing:

  • 1/3 cup almond milk
  • 4 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Cookies:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Beat cream cheese, butter, and sugar together until creamed (about 2 minutes). Mix in extracts and scrape the sides of bowl then sift in flour, cream of tartar, baking powder, and salt. Mix just until the flour is combined, trying not to overmix. Scrape the dough out of bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll into a ball and flatten into a disc then place it on a large plate and cover with plastic wrap to seal. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to work with.
  2. Once cold, divide the dough in half and roll out each half one at a time on a lightly floured surface into a layer about 1/2 inch thick. Use a sharp knife or cookie cutters to cut into desired shapes. (For an easier option you can skip rolling them out and simply form the dough into 1 inch balls for round cookies. Another easy option is to form the dough into a, 2- inch in diameter log, and chill until hard enough to slice and bake.) 

  3. Place cookies at least 1-inch apart on a parchment lined baking tray and place tray in the freezer for about 15 minutes to chill before baking. (This helps them to keep they're shapes perfectly and also helps them bake soft.

  4. Once chilled, bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until very lightly browned on edges. Remove from oven and cool completely. If desired, decorate with frosting and sprinkles. Store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

Icing:

  1. Mix all ingredients for icing in a small bowl until smooth. Spoon it into a small tipped pastry bag and decorate the cookies as desired.