Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies

These Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies have the look of Christmas with the red and green sugar crystals. It's the taste of cream cheese cookies that's over the top, however.

Your friends and family would also appreciate these as Christmas gifts. Everybody loves food gifts. Especially cookies!

Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup green sugar crystals
1/2 cup red sugar crystals
1 cup pecan halves

Directions

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Combine the flour and salt and gradually add to creamed mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in the chopped pecans. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

On four sheets of aluminum foil, shape the dough into four 6 inch long rolls, 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each roll tightly in foil and refrigerate over night.

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with foil. Remove the rolls of dough from the refrigerator one at a time. Coat each roll with red or green sugar crystals and cut the dough into 1/4 inch slices.

Place on prepared cookie sheets and top each cookie with a pecan half. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until the bottom of the cookie is lightly browned when lifted.

Make these cream cheese cookies once and you'll make them again and again. Even if it's not Christmas!

You Might Need:

• Atlas Deluxe Cookie Press

• Kitchen Supply Aluminum Half Size Sheet Pan 18-inch by 13-inch

• Calphalon 12-by-17-Inch Rectangular Nonstick Cooling Rack

• Silpat 11-5/8-by-16-1/2-Inch Nonstick Silicone Baking Mat