Divine Cookie Dough

Divine Cookie Dough

Heart shaped cookies, dusted with sugar before baking

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup soft Butter
• 1/2 Cup + 1 heaping Tablespoon Icing Sugar
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1/3 Cup Cream Cheese, softened
• 2 Teaspoons Vanilla extract
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon or Lime Zest, optional*
• 2 3/4 Cups Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, grease or line baking pans with parchment paper.
2. With electric beaters or in a stand mixer cream the butter, icing sugar, and egg yolk together until pale and fluffy. This takes a few minutes. 
3. Next beat in cream cheese, vanilla and the citrus zest if using it. Continue to beat until smooth.
4. In another medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda together. 
5. Add a pinch of salt now if you used unsalted butter. If you are trying margarine. . . you are in the wrong place.
6. Using a wooden spoon gradually stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until a soft dough forms. 
7. Try to not over mix the dough or the cookies wont have as nice a texture when done.
8. Cover dough and chill in fridge for about 2 hours.

Finishing the Cookies:

Jam Drops

1. To make Jam drop cookies you will need about 6-8 tablespoons of a delicious fruit jam. Or a Variety of jams. 
2. Let the dough sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes. 
3. Then break off small 1/2 ounce sized bits and roll into balls. 
4. Gently press the center of the ball down with your thumb. 
5. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of jam into center. 
6. Repeat will remaining dough. 
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. 
8. Let stand on hot cookie sheet for 2 minutes after baking then transfer to wire cooling racks to finish cooling.

Drops with Cream Cheese Frosting 
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

1. Follow the instructions for making Jam Drops, except do not fill the indent with Jam. 
2. Leave them empty and bake according to above instructions. 
3. Once the cookies are cool, Frost with a star tip to make little stars of frosting in the centers. 

Use Cookie Cutters

1. Divide chilled dough into 4 sections. 
2. Roll each section out to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out with desired shapes. 
3. Place onto prepared cookie sheet and bake between 9-12 minutes. 
4. Keep a closer eye on the cookies as they will bake faster than the rolled cookies. 
5. Let cooked cookies stand on the hot pan about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

Notes:

This is an adapted Jam Drop cookie recipe my mother had lying around the house. We aren't sure where it came from and I kind of had to fill in all the instructions because as I have mentioned before, my mother never wrote down instructions for recipes. Just lists of ingredients with a name. But it is a delightful cookie recipe and it is very versatile.

Also this recipe makes a whole lot of cookies, so unless you have a large family coming I might suggest only trying a half recipe the first time.