Vanilla Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cup flour
1 egg white
sanding sugar, for decorating

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, cream cheese and vanilla. Once fluffy add the salt and egg yolk. (Reserve egg white in a bowl for later. I stuck mine in the fridge to be safe.)

Add flour to mixer and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to an hour before rolling. The colder the dough the easier it is to roll out because it is extremely soft!

Flour a clean surface and flour your rolling pin. Divide dough into 4 sections (chill sections you are not rolling) and roll each section to a 1/4 inch thickness. Use your favorite cookie cutter.

Dust the flour off the cookies and place on a prepared cookie sheet. Whisk the egg white and brush an egg white glaze on each cookie. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake for 8 minutes and then let cookies cool for 1 minute before moving to a rack.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Cookies with the chocolate stuff stuck inside the other stuff.

Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups packaged shredded sweetened coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
12 oz dark chocolate chunks (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup almonds with skins (4 oz), toasted, cooled, and chopped

Directions
While the butter is softening, toast the almonds on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes, until they're golden.

Beat together the butter and both sugars. Once fluffy, add the eggs and beat well. Then beat in the vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour and mix until just blended. Stir in oats, coconut, dark chocolate, almonds, and cinnamon.

Grease baking sheets. For each cookie, measure 1/4 cup of the batter and place them about 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.  Just barely pat down each cookie. Bake them at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.