Description
Poinsettia Cookies are festive, buttery cream cheese cookies shaped into charming pinwheels topped with colorful M&M candies. These delightful treats are perfect for holiday celebrations, combining a rich, smooth dough with a crunchy sugary topping and a fun, colorful centerpiece.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 12 TB unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks, softened)
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1 large egg (separated)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 TB baking powder
Topping
- 1 cup colored sugar
- About 30 M&M candies (No snacking until cookies are finished!)
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, softened butter, and the egg yolk. Mix these ingredients until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add dry ingredients: To the wet mixture, add the all-purpose flour and baking powder. Blend thoroughly until the dough is well combined and forms a cohesive mass. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to two days.
- Roll out the dough: Remove half of the chilled dough and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Return the remaining dough to the refrigerator to keep it chilled until ready to use.
- Cut the dough squares: Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, trim any uneven edges from the rectangle for clean sides. Cut the dough into 3-inch squares and place them on parchment paper-lined sheet pans, ensuring they are spaced at least ½ inch apart.
- Preheat the oven: Set the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) to prepare for baking.
- Brush with egg white: Lightly whisk the reserved egg white, then brush one cookie square all over with this egg white coating. This step helps the sugar and shape hold better.
- Cut dough diagonally: Using a sharp knife, cut each square diagonally from each corner but stop about ½ inch from the center, creating four triangular folds.
- Add sugar and fold: Sprinkle approximately one teaspoon of colored sugar evenly over the entire square. Then, fold in every other pointed corner toward the center to form a pinwheel shape, overlapping the corners and gently pressing them down to seal the fold.
- Add the M&M center: Press an M&M candy firmly into the center of each pinwheel. This secures the folded edges and adds a festive color accent.
- Bake: Place the sheet pans in the oven and bake for 9 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are dry to the touch and have developed a very light golden color.
- Repeat with remaining dough: Take the reserved dough from the refrigerator and repeat the rolling, cutting, folding, and baking steps to yield about 30 cookies in total.
- Storage: Once completely cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container with wax paper layered between them. They will maintain their crisp texture and flavor for up to four days.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential for easy handling and to achieve the perfect texture.
- Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter for clean, precise cuts.
- Be careful not to cut all the way to the center; leaving about ½ inch uncut helps maintain the cookie’s pinwheel shape.
- Colored sugar enhances both the look and a slight crunch on top—feel free to choose your holiday colors.
- These cookies are best enjoyed within four days for optimal freshness and crispness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 125 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 28 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 26 mg
