COOKIES AND CUPS SUGAR COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 36 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.
• In large bowl, mix cookie mix, softened butter and egg with spoon until soft dough forms. Stir in 1/4 cup candy sprinkles. Shape into 36 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Place in mini muffin cups. Press indentation in center of each with end of wooden spoon.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately repeat indentation into center of each cookie with end of clean wooden spoon to make 1-inch opening, cleaning off end with paper towel when needed. Cool in pan 20 minutes. Loosen edges with small knife if needed. Remove to cooling rack. Cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
• In small bowl, place half of the frosting. Tint red with food color. Place large piping bag fitted with medium star tip on its side. Using large icing spatula, spoon remaining vanilla frosting so it covers half of the length of side of piping bag. Carefully spoon red tinted frosting on top. Insert tip into indentation in each cookie cup. Squeeze bag to fill opening, and pipe about 2 heaping teaspoons per cookie cup. Sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sprinkles. Store loosely covered at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mix the butter, cream cheese, and sugar on medium-high until smooth and pale, about 4 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract, if using. Mix until well combined.
• In another large bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
• Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in three additions. Mix slowly until barely combined.
• Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray (or grease with butter). Pinch off about 2 teaspoons of cookie dough. Roll into 1-inch balls, then press into cups of the muffin tin, making sure the dough goes up the sides.
• Bake until light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining dough.
• For the marshmallow buttercream, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mix the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and milk on medium-high until fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the marshmallow cream. Mix until combined, about 2 minutes more. Mix in the vanilla.
• Pipe or spoon the buttercream into the cookie cups. Decorate with the sprinkles or crushed peppermint candies.