Miss D's & Shantel's Easter Sugar Cookies

By YogiRenee

These are rich and buttery. Freezes well in dough or baked forms.

Ingredients

• 5 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups ( 4 sticks ) butter
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 tbs vanilla extract
• ROYAL ICING FOR DECORATING

Preparation

Step 1

Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

Over a sheet of parchment paper, sift together the flour and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the cream cheese and continue beating until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in 3 additions, beating in each addition before adding more. Beat just until combined, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Using floured hands, form the dough into a smooth mound and divide into 2 equal portions. Shape each into a disk and wrap separately with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove 1 dough disk at a time from the refrigerator and let stand for 10 minutes. Place the dough on a clean, floured work surface
and roll out to 1/4-inch thickness.

Cut out cookies in desired shapes. Refrigerate the cookies until firm 20 to 30 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees
Bakethe cookies until lightly golden on the edges , 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely, then decorate as desired with royal icing.