Is the Christmas cookie phenom a recent thing or is it just me? My sister and I don’t remember making Christmas cookies as kids (thanks, mom)! But if there’s ever a time of year to start traditions, Christmas is that time.
My sister, Morgan, has been making this recipe with her boys, Sawyer (5) and Palmer (2) for the last few years. This year, I brought my son, Archer (10 months) to join the crazy… *eh ehm* I mean, fun!
Morgan began with a recipe she found online and has tailored it to her liking over time. A few of her tricks include doubling the extracts for more flavor, setting aside some of the dough to freeze, and using applesauce instead of egg due to a food allergy in the house.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 sticks (8 oz.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg OR 1/4 cup of applesauce
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Parchment paper
This will make 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on the size of your cutouts.
Tip: We set aside about half of the 
dough to freeze. We rolled it up into a ball, covered it in saran wrap, and popped it in the freezer for another day. The frozen dough will keep for up to 1 month.
Now let’s get cooking!
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Place the butter, cream cheese, and sugar into a stand mixer, if you have one, or a large bowl and hand mixer works just as well. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Once it’s the right consistency, add in the egg (or applesauce), vanilla & almond extracts, and the lemon zest.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Slowly add the dry mix to the butter & cream cheese mixture until a soft dough is formed.
This is the time to separate the dough to freeze, as mentioned above. 
Using the batch of dough you are not freezing, roll out two separate “piles” on parchment paper.
Place one pile on a cookie sheet, topped with parchment paper, with the second pile on top.
Set aside to cool in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour (this is a great time for a lunch break!)
After the dough has cooled, this is the fun part. Time to break out the cookie cutters!
One dozen will bake in the oven at 350 for 12 minutes.
Let the cookies cool for at least 10 minutes before icing.
We used store-bought vanilla icing and sprinkles 
Let the kids go to work and have fun. This is the time for memories to be made!
Don’t forget to set a few aside for the big guy in red 
