Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

Christmas is almost here, yay! Everywhere you look decorations are up, and a festive atmosphere is  in the air. You can find Santa at every mall, which are swarming with people buying presents.

Therefore the festive baking it has been on my mind lately. I don't start baking festive cookies until december. The first festive cookie this year, is one of Brandon's favorite cookies: the lemon cream cheese cookies with lemon icing. Those cookies are very soft and with a refreshing lemon flavour, the glaze is optional but makes for a more festive look.

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter or hard margarine ( I used soya margarine, my butter was in the freezer :( when i decided to make the cookies)

1 cup of soft brown sugar

 4 oz cream cheese (half of block cut lengthwise )

2 eggs( each of them lightly beaten)

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

 The zest from one lemon.

Lemon glaze

2 cups of icing sugar

4 tbsp of lemon juice

Silver cachous to decorate ( if desired)

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Grease 2 large baking sheets or line with baking paper.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, cream cheese, butter or margarine.

Until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one by one mixing well after each addition. Sift the flour and baking soda in a different bowl. With the paddle attachment or with a spatula stir in the flour mixture. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and mix well.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets ( about 40 of them) making sure they are well spaced.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes rotating baking pans half way thru the cooking time to ensure uniform baking.

Let the cookies cool on the baking pan for a few minutes before removing to cooling rack.

To make the icing:

Place the icing sugar and lemon juice in a heat proof bowl over a pot with simmering water. Stir until smooth.

 Remove from heat. Keep the bowl over the pot with hot water wile dipping the cookies in the glaze.

Place the cookies on the cooling rack for the glaze to harden.

 You can decorate with some silver cachous for a more festive look. I only decorated a few of them.

Enjoy!

Variation to this cookies. Substitute the lemon juice and lemon zest with orange juice and orange zest for orange cream cheese cookies.