Lemon Cream Cheese Crinkle Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 ½ tbsp lemon peel
• 10 g vanilla sugar
• 250 g cake flour
• 9 g baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp yellow food coloring
• 200 g powdered sugar
• 100 g cream cheese
• 85 g butter
• 145 g sugar
• 2 x eggs

Method

1. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest in freezer for 60-90 minutes or refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.
2. Sift powdered sugar in a bowl. Take two baking sheets and lined with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 175 celcius, fan forced.
3. Remove dough from freezer and devide the dough in parts about 30 g each. Use a digital scale ensuring each cookie is abour the same size. Roll into balls and then cover in powdered sugar. Place cookies on baking sheets. Make sure to wash your hands after you rolled a few cookies or the dough will stick to your hands.
4. Bake for 10-13 minutes. The cookies should be pale in colour and fluffy. If they become flat and golden they have baked for too long. Let cool for about 3-4 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack allowing to cool completely.
5. Store in fridge in a airtight container with parchment paper for 1-2 weeks, or keep in freezer for about 3 months. I prefer storing them in the freezer.
6. Add butter and sugar in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Beat on medium/high speed until light and fluffy. Scrape the inside of the bowl making sure everything is mixed thoroughly together. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined.
7. Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and yellow food coloring, mixing until combined. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat the dough. The dough should be sticky.
8. Zest and juice lemons. Sift dry ingredients (except powdered sugar) in a bowl.