Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

Total Time Prep: 15 min. Bake: 10 min./batch

Yield about 6 dozen

Tender and delicate, these intricately shaped cream cheese spritz cookies are as eye-catching as they are delicious. They're a perfect addition to any Christmas cookie tin!

Ingredients

1 cup shortening
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Optional: Green food coloring, assorted candies and colored sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream shortening, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, salt and cinnamon; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in orange zest. If desired, add food coloring.
Using a cookie press fitted with a disk of your choice, press dough 1 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Decorate with candies and colored sugar as desired. Bake until set (do not brown), 9-12 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Nutrition Facts

1 cookie: 56 calories, 3g fat (1g saturated fat), 4mg cholesterol, 20mg sodium, 6g carbohydrate (3g sugars, 0 fiber), 1g protein.

A hint of orange and cinnamon highlights these Christmastime classics. I like to add colorful sprinkles before baking them. The recipe is from a booklet that came with a cookie press in the 1950s...and I still have the press! —Sarah Bedia, Lake Jackson, Texas

Recipe Creator