Cream Cheese Cookies

By susanwadle

These were amazingly simple to make - next time I might cut back a bit on the sugar and add some orange or lemon zest.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature Ask a question about this ingredient.

Details

Servings 24
Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

My mother's cream cheese cookies couldn't be easier to make, which makes them ideal for last-minute bake sales or houseguests. They're chewy in the center, where the texture is kind of like a coconut macaroon, with buttery, burnished edges that crumble like a sandcastle gently collapsing. The cream cheese gives the cookies a nearly unidentifiable tang that keeps you reaching for just one more.

My favorite part, though? My mother got the recipe at a Tupperware party in the 70s. One of the women brought a batch of the cookies with her, and at the end of the party, she dictated the ingredients and instructions to all of the other guests. Who knows how many subtle variations of this recipe exist today, legendary among countless other families?

Makes About 24 cookies

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a standing mixer or hand beaters, cream together the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in the flour and salt, just until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and give it a quick stir with a spoon to make sure everything is evenly mixed.

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Well, maybe we're just getting used to the bland pastries here in Mexico, But the wife and I found these over-poweringly sweet. I'll try cutting the sugar back to 3/4 C, add some zest and maybe some ground green cardamom.

Wow! I just finished making these cookies. They are amazing, I added the zest of a lemon and it adds that extra something. I could eat the entire batch...they were super easy and very few ingredients, PERFECT!

I had the opposite problem -- mine didn't spread at all! I used white whole wheat flour. Would that make a difference?

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As I type this I'm chewing one of these cookies that was baked by Merrill herself. I swear, they are ADDICTIVE.

Made these last night. First, let me say that my experience demonstrates that one should follow instructions. I have parchment but I decided a silicone mat would work just as well. Ha! I watched with horror through the oven door as the little mounds of dough oozed and slid across the stick-free surface, ran together and emerged as one gigundo, scallopy-edged, very flat and thin cookie. (Tasty, though!) So out came the parchment paper -- which solved the oozing problem, but I still got cookies that are quite thin. I didn't get that nice little mound in the middle that we see in the picture. I added lemon zest to the next batches, an addition I find quite appealing. But quantity-wise, I had the opposite problem of djnvz -- using a one tablespoon scoop I got FIVE DOZEN 3-inch cookies! Merrill, where did I go wrong?? (No, I did not double the recipe.)

Might be -- I'll get some Philadelphia and do a side-by-side comparison. In fact, I'll use it to make a second batch, just for the sake of experiment, of course -- not because we can't stop eating them! :-) Stay tuned!

I was so happy to find a fan-freaking-tabulous egg free cookie for my allergic friend, I wish bakers here would put egg free tags for baking. I made these up right away. I ate one warm and one cold and they are excellent as is with a crisp edge and soft middle and chewy all around. I would have added lemon zest but I'm not in my house with a zester and they don't need it. I hope they stay crisp and chewy. Any tips on storage?

I was able to get the attractive ridge like in the picture by sweeping a leveled round tablespoon onto the baking sheet with my finger, and letting it lie as is. My batch produced 29 cookies. Took 13 to 14 minutes in the oven. I set the convection on after the first batch but it only reduced the time by a minute. I always ignore times and just bake till done, usually, just using the recipe as a guideline. Eveyone, make thise now!

I made these last night and after 12 mins they were still so pale I had to leave them in the oven for a little bit longer. Not sure if its coz I didn't use a mixer or a hand blender, or if my spoonfuls were too big (they did end up just being 16 cookies in all) but I wasn't too happy with this first batch. My hubby still liked them though, there's only 5 left as we speak. Is there a better technique? Should it be in the middle of the oven, higher or lower? Flatten the spoonfuls? I am making another batch so I hope this turns out more like the picture.

I think they were probably a little too big -- the dough should make about 24 cookies. Also, sometimes I find that in cooler ovens, it helps to turn the temp up to 375 -- might want to try that next time, but do keep an eye on them! They should be pale in the center but a nice dark brown on the bottom and edges. Also, I made them tonight, and they took more like 14 minutes to cook, so don't worry if you need to leave them in the oven a bit longer!

Eager to make a batch, until I read it takes 1 cup of sugar. I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Anyone, clever enough to suggest a sugar substitute other than an artificial sweetener.

These are ridiculously good cookies - chewy on the inside, crumbly on the outside. Oh, and super fast which automatically adds three bonus gold star stickies in my book! I added a little bit of lemon zest (because I can't help myself) and as soon as the butter comes to room temperature I'm making a second batch....because the husband/kids performed a few too many 'quality checks' on the first batch!

These really hit the spot with their simplicity. We scooped out half and added a little lemon zest to the remaining half. Both are great and perfect for this cold rainy day. Boiling water for tea now! :)

I came home from a dinner stuffed, but couldn't resist making these. So simple and so delicious. You're so right, Merrill. The tang from the cream cheese make these irresistible + perfect w/the crisp, burnished edges. Total time: under 30 minutes. Genius.

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