Recipe - Cream Cheese Christmas Molding Dough For Cookies

1 pack (3 oz) cream cheese;
completely softened*
One half cup Butter or margarine;
completely softened*
One half cup Firmly packed brown sugar
One half teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla or almond extract
1 2/3 cup Allpurpose flour

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
2 One fourth cup Confectioners' sugar
One fourth cup Softened butter or margarine
One half teaspoon Vanilla extract
1 One half tablespoon Milk
Food coloring; optional

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Stir by hand until well blended. Lightly
spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Add to cream cheese mixture,
stirring by hand until dough forms a ball. Knead in bowl or on floured
surface, 1 to 2 minutes, adding additional flour until smooth, pliable and
not sticky. (Dough is easier to shape the more it is handled.) Roll dough
out on a floured board to cut with cookie cutters. Put shapes on ungreased
cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees until edges are light brown: thin shapes
~ 10 to 15 minutes; thick shapes 15 to 22 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. Remove
from cookie sheets. Store cooled cookies. Refrigerate leftover dough up to
2 weeks. Makes 2 dozen 2 One half x One fourth inch cookies, depends on size of cookie
cutter shapes. Decorate cookies: Frost with a Buttercream Frosting then
decorate with any of the following: chocolate pieces, sprinkles, nuts,
raisins, cinnamon candies or colored sugars.
*Tip: Cream cheese and butter or margarine may be softened using an
electric mixer. In bowl, beat together sugar, butter, vanilla and milk
until smooth. If necessary, add more milk until frosting is spreading
consistency.
Posted to BakeryShoppe Digest V1 #444 by Shelley Sparks
ssparks@mailbox.arn.net on Dec 09, 1997