Description
Sweet dreams come true with homemade Apricot Cream Cheese Cookies, blending tangy fruit and creamy richness into delightful bite-sized treats. Delicate and irresistible, these cookies will transport you to a world of pure culinary comfort.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- 2.5 cups (313g) all-purpose flour
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
Flavoring Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 6–7 tablespoons (120-140g) apricot jam or preserves
Finishing Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (95g) sliced almonds (optional)
- 3 tablespoons (23g) confectioners sugar for dusting (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare workspace by heating oven to 350°F and lining baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl, creating the dry ingredient foundation.
- Cream together softened cream cheese and butter until achieving a smooth, uniform texture.
- Incorporate granulated sugar into the cream cheese mixture, whipping until achieving a light, airy consistency.
- Blend egg, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract thoroughly into the creamy base.
- Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, stirring until ingredients are just integrated without overmixing.
- Craft uniform dough balls using a tablespoon, positioning them evenly across prepared baking sheets with generous spacing.
- Create gentle indentations in each cookie’s center using a thumb or small spoon, preparing space for apricot jam filling.
- Delicately spoon apricot jam into the center of each cookie, ensuring even distribution.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, watching for subtle golden edges indicating perfect doneness.
- Allow cookies to rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes, facilitating initial cooling and structural stabilization.
- Transfer cookies to wire rack for complete cooling, allowing jam to set and texture to develop.
- Optionally embellish cooled cookies with scattered sliced almonds and a delicate dusting of confectioners’ sugar.
Notes
- Swap out traditional flour for gluten-free alternatives like almond or rice flour to make these cookies celiac-friendly.
- Reduce sugar content by using natural sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit for a low-glycemic version.
- Experiment with different fruit jams like raspberry or peach for unique flavor variations that complement the cream cheese base.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes before shaping to prevent spreading and create more uniform, aesthetically pleasing cookies.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 70mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg