“…..while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads….” And OH, how I loved, “The Nutcracker” ballet! One bite of these dainty little cookies, and I was dreaming of the first time that I saw the Sugar Plum Fairy dancing on the stage in Chicago when I was a little girl!

These cookies will bring back many fond memories of reading, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”, and watching the “The Nutcracker” ballet all rolled into one! And I am so glad that I chose to make these for this year’s Freaky Friday Virtual Holiday Cookie Exchange!

What is this, you ask? It’s a wonderful group of bloggers that get together several times a year for seasonal and holiday fun! We each get secretly assigned (“secret Santa-style!” 😉 ) to another blogger in the group; and, make, photo and review one of their recipes! Then on reveal day, we all get to see who had who and what everyone made! SO much fun!! 😀

 

 

For this edition, I was assigned to such a lovely blogger and one smart cookie, Angela , who’s blog home is named after her family name, LeMoine Family Kitchen! She lives in the same state as me, the beautiful Garden State of New Jersey! (Hi, neighbor!! 😀 ) Angela is married to her high school sweetheart, Steve, and together they have two wonderful boys, Jack and Ryan! Though she has a degree in Environmental Policy from Rutgers and was accepted into the Institute of Culinary Education, she chose to stay at home to raise her family. So very important to be there for them! I would’ve done the same!

What I wouldn’t give to be in her kitchen during the holidays! All of her Grandparents came over to the U.S from Italy, and everyone piles in and fills the kitchen with vivacious conversation, roaring laughter, and lots of pots stirring and taste-testing going on! My kind of kitchen! 😀

Since the theme of this edition of Freaky Friday is all about the sweets ‘n treats for the holiday season, I had to skip past all of her delicious savory recipes and head straight for the baking aisle! 😀 (But do take the time to check out those recipes, too!) She had a nice collection of desserts and several that caught my eye were her Cinnamon Swirl Pinwheels with Espresso, Christmas Tree Sugar Cookies, and Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies! But ultimately, I chose a classic, her Christmas Cream Cheese Cookies , that just looked so very pretty and festive! 😀

These are really fun to make, so let’s get started! 😀

The dough has minimal ingredients and is super easy to put together! Mine was just a tad soft and sticky, so instead of adding a wee bit more flour, I simply wrapped the dough in plastic wrap and chilled it in the fridge for an hour. Worked beautifully!

 

 

I didn’t have any large-crystal colored-sugar, (sometimes called “sanding sugar” or “decorator’s sugar”), and the grocery stores wanted an arm and a leg for a dinky little container.

So, I just simply made some myself using regular sugar, and it could not have been a better way to go for these cookies! The fine grain kept the cookies delicate, without too much crunch, that would spoil their light as air consistency. 😀

 

 

Once the dough was chilled, it was easy to handle and roll into small balls, then into the pastel red and green sugar! Though I enjoy bright reds and greens this time of year, I also very much enjoy the softer colors and love the look of pastels on a cookie tray! Just so pretty! 🙂

 

 

I got much less than the recipe said,
but I’m glad that I didn’t make them any smaller.
These were perfect just as they were! 

 

 

Though the recipe said it makes 46, I got 35 and was very happy with them! I made mine about 1 – 1 1/4″ balls, but you can make yours a tad bit smaller to get even more if you wish.

 

 

Some I made a delicate red….

 

 

 

…. some were colored a pale green,
and the rest of the dough was a magical mix of both!

 

 

One thing’s for certain.
The Sugar Plum Fairy herself
sprinkled them ALL with Christmas spirit!

 

 

These were so, sooooo very good!! And absolutely beautiful!! Like the Sugar Plum Fairy stopped by and magically made them herself! A cookie that was just right. So fluffy and dainty. Ever so light and crispy on the outside. Pillow-soft and tender on the inside.

 

Just like tiny, perfect little cakes!! 

 

 

When these were all done, I almost started to panic, because my hubby was eating them so fast that I was afraid that I wasn’t going to have enough left to take any pictures! That man proudly ate E-L-E-V-E-N cookies within the first 15 minutes!!!!!!!

I jokingly asked him if he liked them, and he said, and I quote, “You have no idea how happy I am!”

Is there any better compliment than that?!?!

(I think we have found a new holiday favorite! 😉 )

So, if you’re on the hunt for a new holiday cookie to make, don’t pass this one by! They’re absolutely delicious, don’t require a long list of expensive ingredients, and easy enough for children to help with! A quintessential Christmas cookie! 😀

Thanks so very much for having me, Michaela! And thank YOU, Angela, for this wonderful recipe that will be made every year from here on out! 😀

*Please be sure to stop by Angela’s blog, Lemoine Family Kitchen,
to check out all of her wonderful recipes! 

 

Happy Holidays everyone, and to all a good night!
Ho! Ho! Ho! and Merry Christmas! 

 

Recipe adapted from LeMoine Family Kitchen.

Yield: 35-38 cookies

Sugar Plum Fairy Cream Cheese Cookies ~ Freaky Friday Virtual Holiday Cookie Exchange

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Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, can use light
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• red & green sugar sprinkles, or homemade colored sugar, *see note

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350º F.

Using a hand mixer (or stand mixer), cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar together until well combined and smooth.

Add the eggs and vanilla and again mix until combined. (Scrape bowl and paddle and remix as needed.)

In a small bowl, mix together with a whisk the flour, baking powder and salt.

With the mixer on low, slowly combine the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just incorporated (do not over mix).

Place dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour for easier handling if dough is too soft and a little sticky.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop out the dough and roll into balls. (*I used about a tablespoon and rolled into 1 1/4" balls.) Roll into the mixed sugar sprinkles, place onto a parchment lined baking sheet, slightly press down on the cookie, and besprinkle top a little. Repeat with all the dough.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until edges or golden and centers are set.

Cool on a cooling rack. Store airtight.

Notes

*For homemade colored sugar, mix 1/3 cup sugar with 3 drops food coloring of choice. In small bowl, add drops of coloring to sugar and stir vigorously with a spoon. Use the back of your spoon to help mix, too. 3 drops will make a nice pastel color.