Cream Cheese Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (6 oz) block full-fat cream cheese, room temperature (170g)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature (170g)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (4g)
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (215g)
• 1/3 cup rainbow sprinkles - optional (60g)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix together 3/4 cup of cream cheese and 3/4 cup butter on a medium-high speed until fully combined.

2. 2

   Add in 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Mix on a medium-high speed for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes lighter in color.

3. 3

   Slowly mix in 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour on a low speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as need. The cookie dough should be thick and a bit sticky.

4. 4

   Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.

5. 5

   Preheat your oven to 350 F / 175 C and take your cookie dough out of the fridge.

6. 6

   Cut the block of cookie dough into 16 equal sized pieces.

7. 7

   Toss each block of cookie dough in a small bowl filled with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar until lightly coated, then use the flat bottom of a glass to flatten each cookie to be about 1/3 inch thick. If your glass is sticking to your cookies as you flatten them, dunk the bottom of the glass in the bowl of granulated sugar.

8. 8

   If desired, sprinkle a tsp of sprinkles on top of each flattened cookie and gently press them into the cookie using the bottom of the same glass.

9. 9

   Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown. Keep an eye on these cookies, they brown quickly, and you don't want to over-bake them.

10. 10

    Let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or for up to a week in the fridge.