These festive and tasty blossoms are perfect for Easter. Switching out the traditional peanut butter for a little cream cheese give these blossom cookies a tender and creamy taste and texture. Using an assortment of sanding sugar colors, have fun and make your own rainbow of cookies.
I love blossom cookies because they always remind me of my grandmother. Peanut butter blossoms were one of her traditional recipes for holidays and they always remind me of my childhood. While I love the flavor of the peanut butter versions, I’m always trying new flavor combinations and decoration ideas for different holidays, like my red velvet hot cocoa Christmas blossoms, and an eggnog blossom. For Easter I decided to go with cream cheese… oh lemon could be interesting too… maybe next year.
These are an easy to make blossom cookie that can also be fun to include the kids in the baking. I used both candy Kiss’s and chocolate eggs, in addition to multiple sugar colors, and an egg-shaped cookie cutter to give the whole experience variety. Let the whole family decide on which shape and color to do next.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Blossoms
Most of the ingredients are things the average person will probably have on hand already, which makes these cookies easy since you’ll probably only need to buy the sugar and chocolates for topping them, and maybe some cream cheese.
Flour – All-purpose flour works fine for these.
Salt – A pinch as always.
Baking Powder – Just a bit for some extra lift.
Butter – Unsalted and room temperature.
Cream Cheese – Full fat, block style cream cheese, at room temperature. Adds a creamy texture and flavor to what’s basically a sugar cookie.
Sugar – White, granulated sugar.
Egg – 1 large egg, at room temperature for added moisture.
Extract – Both vanilla and almond. I’ve made these before with more vanilla and no almond, and the difference was noticeable. A little bit of almond extract really does make the cookies taste better.
Sugar and Sprinkles – Colored sanding sugar for rolling the dough in. I also used a pastel spring mix of nonpareils. I had a nice mix of light pastel colored sanding sugar, but I found the colors were too light on the cookies. Look for slightly darker “light” colors, like a light blue and pink instead of pastel versions.
Chocolates – I used a mix of Hershey’s Kisses and Eggs. I left the bag for the eggs in some of the photos so that you can see what I used. Look for fully chocolate egg candy and avoid ones with candy shells or fillings that might affect how the chocolate melts and rehardens on the cookie.
Making Cream Cheese Blossom Cookies
Start by whisking together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
Mix the butter and cream cheese together until combined, then add the sugar and cream the mixture until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and both extracts and mix until fully incorporated.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture about ⅓ at a time and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Chill the dough in the fridge for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and line a half-sheet baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough out and roll into a ball, then roll in one of your sanding sugars or sprinkles and place on the baking rack. The cookies don’t spread much, so you should be able to fit at least 16-20 on a baking sheet. Use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup and press down slightly on each cookie, since they don’t spread much, this will help them cook evenly and keep their shape.
Cook for 10-12 minutes (mine usually took right at 11mins) and remove from oven. Immediately push the chocolates into the tops and let them cool on the sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool for at least an hour so that the chocolate can reharden before serving or storing.
Easter Blossom Tips and Storing
Some of this I mention above but wanted to reiterate or expand upon.
Almond Extract – You can leave this out, but I definitely recommend using it. I’ve made these cookies before with only vanilla extract and the almond makes a noticeable difference (read: improvement) in the flavor.
Sanding Sugar – If the name sounds unfamiliar, don’t worry. Sanding sugar is simply a coarser type of sugar that is usually colored and doesn’t melt from the heat when baking. Its commonly available in any grocery store and any colored sugar you see is probably sanding sugar. Just look for the bottles in the same area you find sprinkles.
As I mentioned above, I have a nice set of pastel colored sanding sugar, but the colors don’t show up very well on the cookies. Look for colors that are still light, but darker than pastels (if you’re going for typical Easter colors).
Cookie Cutters – If you notice in the pictures, I make some of the cookies like normal blossoms with Kisses on them, and some are egg shaped with egg shaped chocolate on them. I used a very small egg-shaped cookie cutter for those. When you press down on the cookies in the directions, you can also place the dough inside the cutter and smush it down into that shape. Experiment and have fun!
Cold Dough – Keep the cookie dough cold while baking. After placing the baking sheet in the oven, place the cookie dough back in the refrigerator or the dough will end up being super soft by your last batch.
Chocolates – Some bakers say to let blossom cookies cool for at least 4-5 minutes before placing the Kisses on the cookies. I find that if you do it immediately after they come out of the oven it works out better. Plant the chocolate on the cookie right away and then let it cool on the baking sheet a few minutes, then gently transfer to a cooling rack, and don’t mess with them for about an hour. Done this way, the chocolate will melt but hold its shape, and when it cools and hardens again, the chocolate actually stays softer than it originally was and is easier to eat.
Storing – Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container and they should stay soft for 4-5 days on the counter. For longer storage, transfer to the refrigerator and they should be good for a week or so. You can also freeze the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
📋 Recipe
Easter Cream Cheese Blossom Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks) at room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese, (full fat, block style) at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
For Decorating:
- sanding sugar and/or sprinkles in various colors for rolling
- 36+ Hershey's Kisses and/or chocolate eggs for topping
Directions
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.
- In a large bowl with a hand-mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together at medium speed until combined, then add the sugar and cream the mixture until light and fluffy, about 2minutes.
- Add the egg and both extracts and mix until fully incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture about ⅓ at a time and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 45-60 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C and line a half-sheet baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Pour some sanding sugar and sprinkles into a small bowl, one for each color and set aside.
- Once chilled, scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough out and roll into a ball, then roll in one of your sanding sugars or sprinkles and place on the baking rack. Use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup and press down slightly on each cookie, since they don’t spread much, this will help them cook evenly and keep their shape.
- Cook for 10-12 minutes (mine usually took right at 11mins) and remove from oven. Immediately push the chocolates into the tops and let them cool on the sheet for 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool for at least an hour so that the chocolate can reharden before serving or storing.
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