Christmas may be over, but that isn’t going to stop us from sharing a little more holiday cheer (and calories!).
These Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies are perfect for any occasion and any time of year, but in our family they tend to make a special appearance for the Christmas holiday. A seriously delicious cream cheese cookie, cut out into the shapes of Christmas Trees, stockings, wreaths and stars; then topped with a delicious almond frosting.
If you put a few of these out for Santa I’m certain he would leave you an extra present – though I wouldn’t know; I never have any cookies left to share with him. 
I wanted to share this recipe with you last week but it wasn’t ready in time. Instead I shared the very festive (hey it’s got green and red) avocado and tomato dip – prefect for New Years Eve.
This recipe was actually originally posted 2 years ago (!) when we first started our blog, when it was just our online collection of family recipes. These cream cheese cut out cookies come from a friend of the family, Betty.
Betty shared this recipe with my Mom a few years ago, and my Mom has been baking these cookies ever since. I love that. I love when family and friends share recipes. Good food is meant to be shared, and now whenever we have these cookies we think of Betty.
We had a very nice Christmas – our first with Baby Boy, who is now officially 9 months old (where has the time gone?). It was fun watching him open his presents. We would tear the wrapping paper or tug at the tissue paper to start him off, then after he got the idea he would rip it off. At first he wasn’t really sure about this whole unwrapping presents thing. He would grab the wrapping paper then look at us, as if to say “Really? You’re going to let me rip this thing apart and not stop me?” Once he got into it he really had fun. I think the wrapping paper was more fun than the actual present – though he thoroughly enjoyed those too.
I didn’t ask Santa for anything for Christmas. I already got what I wanted, 9 months ago and 4 and 1/2 years ago); a beautiful, happy and healthy Baby Boy and a wonderful, loving wife. I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.
We hope you had a great Christmas and Hanukkah, and a wonderful time with the people you love.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add sugar, beat until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract, beat well.
- In small bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to cream cheese mixture. Beat until well mixed.
- Divide dough in half, wrap each portion in plastic wrap, refrigerate about 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough half at a time to 1/8 inch thickness. On lightly flowered surface cut out cookies with cutters. Place 2 inches apart on a non greased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 min or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.
- Frost cookies with almond frosting.
Ingredients
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
- 4 or 5 tablespoons milk
- Food coloring - optional
Instructions
- In small bowl beat the powdered sugar, softened butter and almond extract until smooth.
- For piping consistency beat in 4 or 5 tsps milk. For spreading consistency add a little more milk.
- If desired tint with food coloring
I thought it would be fun to share a photo of my Christmas baking, as I did quite a lot of it. I went through about 8 pounds of flour and 2 pounds of butter. Here’s what my lucky family got in their Christmas cookie tins:
- S’mores Cookies
- Rainbow Cookies
- Rachel’s Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe coming soon)
- Snickerdoodle Sandwichs (Recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod)
- S’mores Cake in Jars (Recipe from How Sweet It Is)
- Red Velvet Cake in Jar (Recipe coming soon)
Subscribe to Email Updates
Welcome to The Keenan Cookbook! We're your hosts Chris & Rachel. 
This looks great. Thanks!
I just want to reach into the screen and grab one to eat right now! Yum!
I hear you. As soon as they invent Wonkavision I’m gonna be the first one to sign up.
Wow! Your cookie tins look amazing! How did the s’mores cake in a jar taste? It looks like an amazing mess hahah
Are the cream cheese cookies like a soft sugar cookie? They look delicious
Thanks Madeline! I actually haven’t hard the S’mores cake just yet. I saved one for myself but haven’t broken into it yet – tomorrow if the weather is nice (because of course I have to photograph before I can eat anything. hah).
The cookies are dense and chewy actually. You would think soft like a sugar cookie but they aren’t.
That is too cute about your son enjoying the wrapping paper more than the presents!
These cookies look oh so good and I’d gladly eat a dozen right now. Love the addition of the cream cheese. Thanks for the recipe! 
That’s a lot of cookies!! You were busy!
Those cookies look lovely. And wow, you baked a lot of cookies. Impressive!
I may have gone a little overboard
ooh ! You need to send some to your adopted family of Recipe bloggers via mail next year
So yumm !!
Lol! Perhaps
Our 11 month old wanted nothing to do with unwrapping presents. I wonder if it’s a girl thing? She’s all dainty, and princessy and just stared at me like I was handing her a pile of dirt. Which makes me think they gave me the wrong child at the hospital, I don’t do pink or princesses. ANYWAY, these cookies look terrific! Festive and tasty!
Lol! Too cute. Thanks for sharing =D Hope your little one enjoyed the presents after they were open at least. Took our little guy a day or so for the novelty of Christmas to wear off before he was like, oh yea, toys!