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Cream Cheese–Lemon Bows

To make it easy to form these bow-shaped cookies, fill the pastry bag with dough in small batches; pipe two loops and then two tails rather than trying to pipe one continuous bow. Be sure all parts are touching so they bake together into one big cookie.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes about 1 1/2 dozen

Ingredients

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.

    Step 2

    Put butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed until creamy. Mix in granulated sugar. Add egg, and lemon zest and juice; mix well. Reduce speed to low and mix in dry ingredients.

    Step 3

    Preheat oven to 375°F. Transfer a small amount of dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large finely ribbed French tip (such as Ateco #865). Holding tip very close to the surface, pipe 3 1/2-inch bows onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing 1 inch apart. Refill pastry bag as needed with remaining dough. Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.

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