Cream Cheese Cookie Press

By
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.
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Updated on 02/8/23
Cream Cheese Cookie Press

The Spruce / Sabrina Russo

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 60 servings

This dough works well to make for the holidays or any special occasion. The cream cheese adds a richness to the flavor and gives you an alternative other than only making butter cookies. Add this to your cookie press recipe collection. Just like a butter cookie dough, you can color this dough. Just divide it into portions to make multiple colors of cookies, adding the food coloring last.

Using a Cookie Press

Using a cookie press can be difficult due to many factors including the surface and temperature of the pan. The dough's temperature can also make or break your chance of producing cookies in shapes that adhere to the baking sheet.

If the dough is not firm enough for your cookie press, refrigerate it to firm it up more. Remember to hold your cookie press completely vertical to the baking sheet for best results. If the dough is not firm enough for your cookie press, refrigerate it to firm it up more. Remember to hold your cookie press completely vertical to the baking sheet for best results.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup (8-ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • 3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 large egg yolk

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

  • Food coloring, optional

  • Cookie decorations such as colored sugar, sprinkles, or dragees, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Cream Cheese Cookie Press ingredients

    The Spruce / Sabrina Russo

  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Whisk salt into the flour and set aside.

    salt and flower in a bowl with a whisk

    The Spruce / Sabrina Russo

  3. Cream butter and cream cheese together until fluffy. Add sugar, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and lemon or almond extract, beating until combined. Stir in the flour/salt mixture.

    dough in a stand mixer

    The Spruce / Sabrina Russo

  4. Divide dough, if you desire multiple colors, then add optional food coloring(s) and mix well.

    red, blue and white cookie dough in bowls

    The Spruce / Sabrina Russo

  5. Apply desired cutting plate shape and fill cookie press with dough.

    cookie dough in a cookie press

    The Spruce / Sabrina Russo

  6. Press cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet.

    cookie dough on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Sabrina Russo

  7. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges.

    Cream Cheese Cookie Press on a baking sheet

    The Spruce / Sabrina Russo

Notes

For a simple icing, add just enough heavy cream or milk to powdered confectioners' sugar, so it has a liquidy texture. Put icing in a zip-top bag, squeeze out the air, and then seal it. Cut off a small corner from the bottom of the bag to use it as a pastry bag. Let air-dry to firm up. You can also help decorations adhere to the cookies by creating a "glue." Just whisk a little water into an egg white. Brush on top of cookies and sprinkle on decorations. Let sit to dry.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
66 Calories
4g Fat
7g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 60
Amount per serving
Calories 66
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 16mg 5%
Sodium 24mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 4mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 10mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)