Apricot Cream Cheese Cookies are some of the best Thumbprint Cookies ever! This scrumptious Christmas cookie is made with a soft shortbread dough that includes cream cheese. Then apricot preserves are put in the centers of each cookie. After baking the cookies are sprinkled with powdered sugar. These cookies are always a favorite whenever we bake them. Marvelous for Christmas Cookie Exchanges and holiday baking.
Combine butter, granulated sugar and softened cream cheese with an electric mixer, mixing until well blended.
Blend in eggs, lemon juice and lemon rind.
Add combined dry ingredients; mix well.
Chill dough at least one hour.
Shape level tablespoonfuls of dough into balls.
Place on cookie sheets sprayed with cooking spray.
Using thumb or finger, indent centers; fill each with about 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of preserves.
Bake at 350° for about 15-20 minutes.
Rotate cookie sheets on oven racks every six minutes of baking time.
Cool; sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.
Notes
NOTE: You must chill the dough in this recipe. The dough is too hard to work with otherwise.NOTE: Preparation time does not include time required to chill the dough.