A simple, 4-ingredient recipe for incredibly rich and tender butter cookies. The addition of cream cheese creates a wonderfully soft dough that’s perfect for roll-and-cut cookies, thumbprints, or as a base for other pastries.

Author

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Recipe

MeasurementsIngredients
1/2 Pound (1 Cup)Butter, softened
1 Large (8 oz) PkgCream Cheese, softened
1/2 CupSugar
2 Cups (scant)Flour (See Note)

Instructions

  1. Preparation: In a large bowl, cream the softened butter, softened cream cheese, and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  2. On low speed, gradually add the flour to the creamed mixture, mixing until a soft dough forms.
  3. Gather the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
  4. Baking: Preheat your oven to 350°F.
  5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to your desired thickness (about ⅛ to ¼ inch is standard).
  6. Cut the dough into shapes with cookie cutters and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  7. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are just beginning to turn golden.
  8. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note

The original recipe calls for a “scant” 2 cups of flour, meaning slightly less than 2 full cups. You can achieve this by measuring 2 cups and then removing 1-2 tablespoons. This dough is also the classic base for cookies like Rugelach or Thumbprint Cookies.