Easter Cut Out Cookies

Kitchen Supplies

Cookie Ingredients

• 2 Cups Butter, softened – I can NOT stress enough how important it is to use good unsalted butter.  The best is Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter.
• 1 Package Cream Cheese, softened – Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese is where it is at.  Do NOT go with a less fat or not fat option here.
• 2 Cups Granulated White Sugar
• 2 Egg Yokes – The large-sized eggs work the best.
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 tsp Cream of Tartar (not necessary if you don’t have it but it prevents the sugar from crystallizing when cooking and you will have a more chewy cookie)
• 5 Cups All-Purpose Flour – Plus a little more for rolling out your dough.
• Powdered Sugar – Mixed with the flour when rolling out the dough.

Butter Cream Frosting Ingredients

• 3 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar
• 4 TBSP Butter, softened – Once again, use the good Kerrygold Irish butter here.
• ½ tsp Vanilla
• 3 – 4 TBSP Milk
• Food Coloring
• Festive Sprinkles

Instructions for Easter Cut Out Cookies

1. Cream the softened butter and softened cream cheese until light and fluffy.
2. Next, add your sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla.  Mix until everything is combined.
3. Add the cream of tartar.
4. Gradually add in all of the flour and mix very well.
5. Using a spatula, push all the cookie dough to the center of your mixing bowl (into a ball shape).
6. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.  I like to cover my bowl with a plate, cling wrap, or even aluminum foil.
7. After the chill time is up, dust a clean work surface with a half-and-half mixture of flour and powdered sugar.  Roll out the cookie dough to your desired thickness.  My husband likes thicker cookies so we go for about 1/3 inch cookies.
8. Bring on the Easter cookie cutters.
9. Place the cookie shapes on your cookie sheet.  Try to handle as little as possible.  You want your cookie dough to stay cold and your hands just warm them up.
10. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°.  Your cookies are done when they are still white to slightly golden.
11. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 2 minutes (set a timer because this is important) before moving them to a cooling rack to finish cooling.  Your cookies should be completely cooled before you begin frosting them.

Instructions for Butter Cream Frosting

1. Mix powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla, and milk.  Start with only 3 TBSP of milk and add that last TBSP if your frosting to too thick and or stiff.
2. You can leave your frosting as is or you can divide it up into bowls and add food coloring.
3. Get frosting girl.  If you have anyone to help you out, now is the time to ask them.
4. Add sprinkles as you go otherwise, your frosting will set and the sprinkles won’t stay on.

Helpful Tips

• Store your cookies in an air-tight container on the counter or in your refrigerator for about 2 weeks.  Remember to layer your cookies with wax or parchment paper so the cookies don’t stick together.
• You can make the cookies ahead of time and store the unfrosted cookies in your freezer.  When Easter rolls around take the cookies out and let them come to room temperature before frosting them.
• If you want a slightly different taste, substitute Almond, Lemon, or even Mint extract for the Vanilla in the cookie dough or the frosting.

Happy Easter