Gramma's Cream Cheese Recipe

This recipe is to be used with Aunt Chick’s cookie cutters, pastry canvas and rolling pin sock makes 4-6 dozen white cookies.

Cream together:
2 cups unsalted butter, soft
6 oz. cream cheese (hard)
2 cups sugar2 large eggs, + 1 egg yolk
2 tspns. vanilla (found at www.grammascutters.com/categories.asp)
1 tspn. lemon oil (found at www.grammascutters.com/categories.asp)
2 tsp. lemon zest

Whisk :
6 cups flour (unsifted)
1.5 tsp. salt

Combine mixtures until evenChill: Separate dough into 3 balls, wrap in plastic and refrigerate 5 hours to 3 days (dough tends to stick in cutter unless very chilled) or freeze up to one month. (Thaw completely in the refrigerator)

Bake: 375 degree oven for 7 minutes on parchment paper on cookie sheet until barely tinged around the edges. Transfer sheets to wire racks until cookies firm up, then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight container for 3 weeks or freeze for several months.Roll: out dough in powder sugar vs flour. Prep cutters once with non stick spray and frequently with powdered sugar or flour. (Tap out all excess powder in cutter to preserve detail.) Cutout cookies and refridgerate for an hour to overnight to help shape set (especially when using Aunt Chick's Cookie Cutters).

Allow: 3 hours to prepare dough, cut cutters and bake.

Decorate: with “Pastry paint” (see www.grammascutters.com for recipe) and sugars.