Holiday Best - Cookies winner

Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Submitted by Wes Tripp of Cape Girardeau

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg yolk

2 cups flour

colored sugar (if desired)

In large bowl, combine all ingredients except flour and colored sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add flower; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours for easier handling.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. On lightly floured surface, roll out 1/3 of dough at a time to 1/8-inch thickness. (Keep remaining dough refrigerated.) Cut with lightly floured cookie cutters. Place 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. May leave cookies plain or sprinkled with colored sugar.

Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until light golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets. Wait until cookies are completely cool before decorating with icing. This recipe also works well if you use about 1/2 tablespoon of dough, roll into a ball, roll in sugar and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass before baking.