Description
Delight in festive Christmas Cheesecake Cookies with a creamy, buttery texture and vibrant red and green marbled colors. These soft, sweet cookies combine cream cheese and peppermint for a holiday treat perfect for sharing or gifting.
Ingredients
Scale
Dairy and Wet Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Other
- Red and green food coloring
- Optional: powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats to prevent sticking.
- Cream Butter and Cheese: Beat the cream cheese and butter together at high speed until fluffy and smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add Sugar, Eggs, and Vanilla: Add the sugar to the butter mixture and beat until fully incorporated and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Then beat in the eggs and vanilla extract for 1 minute.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and stir just until incorporated. Avoid over-mixing to keep the dough tender.
- Divide and Chill Dough: Separate the dough evenly into three small bowls. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm up.
- Color and Flavor Dough: After chilling, add red food coloring to one bowl, green food coloring and peppermint extract to another, and leave one bowl natural. Mix each until desired color and flavor are reached.
- Form Cookies: Take half a tablespoon of each colored dough and gently roll together between your palms to create a marbled effect. Be careful not to overmix to preserve the colors. Repeat and place on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake Cookies: Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. Cookies should be light in color, beginning to brown slightly on the bottom but not on top.
- Cool and Finish: Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Optionally, dust with powdered sugar for added sweetness and festivity.
Notes
- Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to one week or freeze for up to three months.
- For a tangier cheesecake flavor, add a teaspoon of lemon juice or omit extracts entirely.
- Peppermint extract is optional and can be left out or replaced with another flavor such as almond or orange zest.
- Do not overbake cookies to avoid a dry, biscuit-like texture.
- If dough feels too sticky when coloring, chill again for a few minutes to make handling easier.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 0.3 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
