Frosted Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies

What if Valentine’s Day had an official flag? I imagine it would be filled with heart shapes and colors of white, red, and pink. The shades of red would be mostly in the pure red area. Pink would span from a hint to a very deep hue. Picking which shade for cookies seems as if it would be easy. One small overage of food coloring gel and the next thing you know you have something much darker than expected. The plan was for a lighter shade. Instead my Frosted Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies came out what I will lovingly call Pepto-Bismol pink.

The color is quite pretty anyway. At least it is to me. I think the cookies stand out and grab your attention. Sprinkles help break up the color too. And those darn sprinkles have a life of their own. They bounce like crazy. They wound up all over my kitchen no matter how I tried to contain them while sprinkling.

How are the frosted cream cheese cookies? A few adjectives come to mind first: addictive, sweet, comforting, and did I mention addictive? The cookies are rich, buttery, and made with cream cheese. The frosting is a simple buttercream made with creamy European-style butter. Sprinkles add both a decorative touch and a bit of crunch.

Do you make special Valentine treats? If so, then a list of recipes would be handy, right? All you have to do is scroll down to find 14 delicious ones that are only a click away. You can also check out another one of my favorites: Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies.

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Frosted Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies

A recipe for frosted cream cheese cutout cookies. The cookies are made with cream cheese, topped with buttercream frosting, and decorated with sprinkles.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 3 hours 50 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 4 hours

Author Renee

Ingredients

For the cookies:

• 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the frosting:

• 1/2 pound European-style unsalted butter at room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 box powdered sugar 1 pound, sifted
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or half-and-half plus more if needed
• Food coloring gel pink or desired color
• Sprinkles for decoration

Instructions

For the cookies:

1. Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a flat beater until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
2. Add egg and vanilla and beat to combine.
3. Whisk together flour and baking powder, and salt.
4. Put mixer on low speed and add flour. Beat until just combined (do not over-mix).
5. Divide the dough in half and shape into disks. Wrap disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
7. Sprinkle work surface lightly with flour.
8. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator and let it soften slightly (about 10 minutes).
9. Sprinkle rolling pin with flour and roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Move the dough around frequently to make sure it is not sticking. Use shaped cookie cutters to cut cookies.
10. Place cookies at least 1-inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment or non-stick baking mat. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, until cookies are just beginning to turn light brown around the edges.
11. Cool cookies on baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely.
12. Repeat steps with remaining dough. You can gather up excess dough after cutting the cookies, shape into another disk, and roll out for more cookies. The texture may vary with re-rolled dough.

For the frosting:

1. Beat butter, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl using an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Add powdered sugar and 3 tablespoons milk. Beat until smooth, adding more milk as needed for spreading consistency.
3. Stir in food coloring gel, a small amount at a time, until it has reached desired color.
4. Spread frosting onto cookies. Top with sprinkles for decoration if desired.
5. Store cookies on a platter in the refrigerator. If you need to stack them in a container, place parchment between layers.

Recipe Notes

Amount of cookies vary depending on size and shape of cookies.

Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cookies and Candies recipe booklet published in 1986 (no longer in print).

Valentine’s Day is coming soon. I’ve teamed up with some wonderful blogger friends for another Holiday Food Party to share recipes you can make for that special someone in your life. It is a fantastic lineup of sweets and treats:

1. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hi Hat Cupcakes (Gluten Free) from Pineapple and Coconut
2. Frosted Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies from Magnolia Days
3. White Chocolate Mousse with Frangelico from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
4. Chocolate Caramel Pretzel ‘n Chip Tart from Gotta Get Baked
5. White Chocolate Cherry Brownies from The Messy Baker
6. Chocolate Champagne Cupcakes from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
7. Sugar-Free Blueberry Yogurt Truffles from What Smells So Good?
8. Strawberry Cheesecake Heart Pie from Hungry Couple
9. Red Velvet Heart Sandwich Cookies from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
10. Chocolate Cannoli Cones from Created By Diane
11. Cherry Cheesecake Stuffed Cupcakes from Chocolate Moosey
12. Nutella Brownie Cheesecake No-Churn Ice Cream from Cupcakes and Kale Chips
13. Valentines Smores Hearts from Kelly Bakes
14. Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies from Roxana’s Home Baking

Special thanks to Jen at Jen’s Favorite Cookies our host and the one who does so much to make these Holiday Food Parties happen.