Holiday Wreaths With Cherries Spritz Cookies For Cookie Press

Total Time: 5 hrs Preparation Time: 4 hrs Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 ounces fat free cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, pure not imitation
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 dozen red maraschino cherries
• 1/4 cup decorator sugar, green color (or enough to coat cookies)

Recipe

• 1 with an electric mixer (can be done by hand, but it's a lot of work!), cream butter & cream cheese until light.
• 2 add the granulated sugar to butter blend and beat until light and fluffy.
• 3 beat in egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extract.
• 4 in a separate large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt).
• 5 gradually blend in flour with creamed butter mixture.
• 6 chill dough for minimum 4 hours.
• 7 after dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350°f.
• 8 add chilled dough to cookie press, use wreath shaping disc.
• 9 press cookies onto lightly greased cookie sheet or baking stone (baking stone recommended).
• 10 sprinkle green decorator sugar (granulated) over cookies.
• 11 add 1 cherry in middle of each wreath.
• 12 bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until slightly browned. do not over bake
• 13 let cool on wire cooling rack before serving.