Easy Festive Cookies

Cookies:

Decorative variations:

Cookies: 
Preheat the oven to 180°C.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla essence and cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add the flour and baking powder and beat together.

Form the dough into a ball and place on a sheet of baking paper. Place another sheet of baking paper on top and roll out the dough until 5 mm thick.

Place the rolled-out dough in the fridge for at least an hour. Once chilled, use a round and triangle cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.

Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 10 – 15 minutes and cool before decorating.

Decorative variations: 
Santa hat: 
Add the food colouring to half of the melted chocolate.

Spread the melted chocolate mixture over a triangular cookie.

Add a line of white sprinkles to the bottom of the triangle and a slice of marshmallow to the top.

Christmas bauble: 
Spread a layer of white chocolate on a cookie and sandwich together with another cookie.

Dip the sandwiched cookies in white chocolate to cover it completely.

Add silver sprinkles and a round chocolate to the edge.

Reindeer: 
Dip the bottom of a red candy in white chocolate in order to stick it to the round cookie to make the reindeer nose.

Add two edible silver balls dipped in white chocolate to make it stick to the cookie to form the eyes.

Add two pretzels dipped in white chocolate to make the antlers.