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Soft Christmas cookies rolled in red and green sanding sugar, one broken to show the tender center

Soft Christmas Cookies

Tender cream cheese sugar cookies rolled in red and green sanding sugar. A little cream cheese, a spoonful of brown sugar and a short bake keep them soft for days.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 28 cookies
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour 375 g, spooned and leveled
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter 170 g, softened
  • 4 oz full-fat brick cream cheese 113 g, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar 150 g
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed 50 g
  • 1 large egg at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract optional, for the classic bakery-cookie flavor
  • 1/3 cup red and green sanding sugar about 65 g, for rolling

Method
 

  1. Mix the dry ingredients: whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  2. Beat the butter and cream cheese: in a large bowl, beat them on medium speed for about 1 minute, until completely smooth with no white flecks.
  3. Add the sugars: beat in the granulated and brown sugar for 2 minutes, until the mixture looks pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl.
  4. Add the egg and flavorings: beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract until fully blended, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add the flour mixture: on low speed, add the dry ingredients in two additions and stop as soon as no dry streaks remain. The dough will be thick, soft and slightly sticky.
  6. Chill: cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days. Cold dough holds its shape in the oven, so the cookies bake up thick instead of spreading thin.
  7. Heat the oven: set a rack in the center and heat to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment.
  8. Shape: portion the dough with a 1½-tablespoon cookie scoop, roll each portion into a ball and roll it through the sanding sugar. Place 12 per sheet, 2 inches apart, and press each ball gently to about ¾ inch thick.
  9. Bake one sheet at a time for 9 to 11 minutes. They're ready when the edges are set, the bottoms are barely golden and the tops have lost their wet shine. The centers should still look puffy and a little underdone. Don't wait for the tops to brown.
  10. Rest, then cool: leave the cookies on the hot sheet for 5 minutes so the centers finish setting, then move them to a wire rack. Store them only once they're completely cool.

Notes

Weigh the flour if you can: a cup scooped straight from the bag can weigh 20% more than a spooned-and-leveled one, and that extra flour is the most common reason a soft cookie comes out dry. Butter and cream cheese should both dent easily with a finger, about 65°F (18°C); cold cream cheese leaves small white lumps in the dough. Cook time covers three batches baked one sheet at a time (9 to 11 minutes each). Store airtight with a slice of sandwich bread for up to 4 days.