Easter egg cookies

Well, what is more fitting for Good Friday than Easter egg cookies! P and I made these this week to take with us to Beaumont for Easter with his family. So fun and easy. This cookie recipe comes from one of my oldest friends. I'm not sure if it was her mom's or where it came from, but I got it from Amanda probably in middle school! They make for a very soft and chewy sugar cookie which is just how I like them!!

You'll need
1 C butter
3 oz. cream cheese
1 C sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 C. flour

Cream the butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add in yolk and vanilla and and mix until combined.

Then add flour slowly until completely incorporated.

Dump the dough out on to a piece of saran wrap, roll it into a large ball, then flatten it, and put into the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

After chilling, roll out the dough to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and cut with cookie cutters.

Bake in oven preheated to 350 for about 15 minutes, until the cookies are just starting to turn golden on the edges. Let cool on pan for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing.

Ice and decorate however you like:
for a quick buttercream, you could use this great recipe for "the best frosting I've ever had" from Tasty Kitchen

Or if you want a more designer look- where you flood the cookie with icing that becomes hard and smooth go with a fancy, but really easy to make royal icing from Bake at 350

OR, The icing we used to use, which is the EASIEST version of a royal icing
Just mix together 1 egg white with 2 cups powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp lemon juice.
Whip together for several minutes adding more sugar if needed. It will be done when a knife leaves a clean path through the icing.
This will be what you use to outline the cookie- if you don't want the icing to fall over the edge ( a personal preference) or you can thin it with milk or lemon juice a little at a time- till you have something that is thin enough to spread easily over the surface of the cookie!

Lots of options to make your cookies as cute as can be!
Enjoy and Happy Easter!!