Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

What’s better than making fun shapes with Play-Doh? Being able to eat it!! Making spritz cookies with a cookie press was so much fun growing up for that very reason. And I loved dying the dough a variety of colors depending on the season.

…wait a minute, I still love to make these cookies because it reminds me of Play-Doh. All the different shapes you can make – oh the possibilities! Such a great tool for holiday cookies and even for frosting with the attachments. Today I am showing you the heart-shaped variety, as it is the season for such shapes. I refrained from dying the dough since I had little heart-shaped sprinkles to add on before baking. So cute!

CREAM CHEESE SPRITZ COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening

3 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel)

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp grated orange peel

2-1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

Food coloring, decorator candies and colored sugar, optional

Directions:

1. In a bowl, beat shortening and cream cheese until blended. Add sugar; beat until creamy. Beat in egg yolk, vanilla and orange peel.
2. Combine the flour and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Add food coloring if desired.
3. Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press dough 1 inch apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Decorate if desired. Bake at 350° for 6-9 minutes or until set (do NOT brown). Remove to wire racks to cool.

Source: Adapted slightly from Taste of Home