Christmas comes early in my house.
We put up an artificial tree in the first week of November, a real one Thanksgiving weekend.
We watch Christmas movie classics and read Christmas stories.
Of course, there’s plenty of baking. My kids, Christina, 17 and Seth, 14, help me test new recipes. This one was part of a cookie-press set I received for Christmas.
I tweaked the original recipe—more flour, less butter, and added nutmeg and a cream cheese drizzle—so it works as a cutout. The warm spices and orange just smell like Christmas!
Ingredients
Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup butter, softened
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest, freshly grated
1 egg, slightly beaten
Cream Cheese Drizzle:
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk
Preparation
Cookies:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir all dry ingredients together and set aside. In mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar with electric mixer till light and fluffy. Add orange zest and egg; beat till combined. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat just till combined, scraping sides of the bowl.
2. Chill dough for 20 to 30 minutes. Roll dough out onto lightly floured surface to approximately ¼-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place on cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or till edges and bottoms are slightly browned. Allow to cool completely before drizzling cookies. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
Cream Cheese Drizzle:
1. Blend butter and cream cheese with electric mixer till light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat till incorporated. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat till desired drizzling consistency is reached (adjust powdered sugar and milk as needed).
2. Place icing in a piping bag and drizzle cookies. Store cookies, covered, in refrigerator. Enjoy!
