Holiday Wreaths With Cherries Spritz Cookies for Cookie Press

Every holiday season I always make several different of batches of spritz cookies, but this variation is my favorite. The kids always help make the cookies and is becoming a tradition in our home. Prep time includes chill time and cooking time assumes 15 minutes per dozen

• Ready In: 5 hrs
• Yields: 4 dozen

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)

Directions

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.