Made with half a brick of cream cheese in addition to butter, these winter-sprinkle infused cookies studded with white chocolate chips are super soft cookies that belong in your yearly Christmas cookie rotation.
I’m not sure how the weather is where you are, but here on the Mason-Dixon line it’s unseasonably beautiful right now. The grass is still green, the sun is shining, there are birds singing outside of my window as I type this, and I spent this past Saturday hiking (coat-less) with my dog.
Temperatures are expected to surpass 70-degrees on Christmas Eve, and my siblings are in absolute uproar, particularly Andi (my 10-year-old sister).
She wants snow, no sun, and generally just weather that’s bitter and dismal enough to keep you indoors, at least for Christmas Day.
In my family’s house, Christmas has always been a cold, sometimes snowy, grey day that lends itself to hunkering down inside, eating cookies for breakfast and lunch, lounging in pajamas in wrapping-paper-scented air, and feeding our stock of AA and AAA batteries to new toys and gadgets.
But sunny, 70-degree days are excellent at inducing guilt if you choose to spend them inside rather than out, and Andi can’t quite handle the thought of breaking Christmas tradition and feeling like she should go outside.
So, while I can’t give Andi snow for Christmas, I decided her Christmas cookies should at least be snowy and winter-y, and these well-sprinkled “Blizzard Cookies” (a cousin to my cookies and cream cookies) were born.
If you’re a lover of the dark, the over-baked, the crisp-edged and crunchy cookies that break in half with a hard snap and a shower of dry crumbs, well, you’ll be disappointed with these.
But, if you’re like me, and you prefer the sort of cookie that melts beneath your teeth and hints at a near-underbaked, buttery center studded with molten white chocolate chips, then this is the recipe for you.
Cream cheese and cornstarch (my secret ingredients in many of my cookies and even my coffee cake) are added to a relatively basic cookie recipe for maximum softness, then white chocolate and as many sprinkles as your heart desires (which is a quarter cup, for my heart) are stirred through the batter. The cream cheese also does a good job of tempering the sweetness of the white chocolate, sprinkles, and ample sugar.
If you’re finding yourself faced with the unspeakable horror of an impending sunny Christmas (even you, Australian readers) then do yourself a favor and add these winter-y blizzard cookies to your dessert table this year.
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Enjoy!
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Blizzard Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
- 4 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups premium white chocolate chips
- ¼ cup colored sprinkles
Instructions
- In KitchenAid, cream together butter and cream cheese until well-combined.
- Add sugars and beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Pause mid-way through to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add egg and beat until combined.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- In separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.
- With KitchenAid on low speed, gradually add flour mixture until completely combined.
- Stir in white chocolate chips (low-speed), and pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add colored sprinkles and stir until just combined (by hand is preferable, but the dough is quite sticky and thick, so you may mix briefly on low-speed).
- Cover and transfer to refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Once cookie dough has chilled, remove from fridge and scoop/roll into 1 ½" balls. Place on parchment paper and slightly flatten with your hand or with the bottom of a clean glass. Add additional sprinkles if desired.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring to cooling rack to cool completely.
Matthew Hartman
Can I use this recipe with Macadamia nuts? I really love the way these came out and I think Macadamia nuts would benefit the truly rich buttery taste of these.
Sam
That would be fine, enjoy! 🙂
Janet
Because of the cream cheese in these cookies, should they be kept in the refrigerator? Thank you!
Sam
Nope, no need! Enjoy!
Brenda Wright
Can the Blizzard Cookies be made into bars? If so, what would I do differently in the recipe?
Sam
Hi Brenda! That should be fine. You shouldn’t have to make any alterations to the actual recipe, just the bake time. 🙂
Lisa
I was wondering how these cookies freeze?
FYI… I have made your “worst chocolate chip cookies”. And they are the worst ever. 😉 😉
Sam
Hi Lisa! These should freeze just fine. You can either freeze the dough raw or cooked, although I prefer to freeze the raw dough to have fresh cookies. 🙂
Samantha Howard
I couldn’t find snowflake sprinkles so I used Valentine’s Day themed sprinkles that had x and o shapes with silver parcels. I then took a heart shape cookie cutter to shape them. They were yummy and my 9 year old loved them.
Sugar Spun Run
So festive and fun, Samantha! I am so glad that you enjoyed the cookies. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Julie
Delicious and easy! I made each cookie with 1/4 cup of dough and baked them for 17 minutes. I also sprinkled some sprinkles on top before I baked them so you could see the snowflakes better. They’re beautiful and taste amazing!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the blizzard cookies, Julie! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Jade
My five kids have declared Blizzard cookies “epic”.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them Jade! 🙂
Inez Morris
WELL-I cannot run out and buy a Kitchen Aide mixer. if I make the cookies with my little hand mixer will they turn out=or is it Kitchen Aide or nothing at all.
Sam
Hand mixer will work 🙂 Enjoy!
Dave B.
Sam,
Well I finished baking your wonderful Blizzard cookies just in time for tomorrow’s expected snowstorm here in Maryland and then the Polar Vortex that is coming behind it. These cookies are a SMASH HIT with my family.
The cookies turned out EXACTLY like the pictures in your recipe and, most importantly, they taste awesome. I gave some to my mom and she said, “I think I’m hearing the angels singing!.”
My batch yielded an incredible 3-1/2 dozen cookies, a great value. Based on this recipe The Food Network should give you your own baking show! I can’t wait to explore some of your other recipes. Keep up the great work. You’re amazing.
–Dave B.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them! Thank you for the wonderful compliment. I hope you love everything you try. Stay safe in the snow. 🙂
Dave B.
I am going to make these cookies tomorrow (Jan. 28, 19) in advance of a snow event here in Northern Maryland. Question: How many cookies does this recipe yield?
Sam
Hi, Dave! It should make about 3 dozen cookies. Stay safe in the snow! 🙂
Dave B.
That’s the perfect amount! I’m starting on them momentarily. I’ll let you know how they turn out! Oh, and I remember that 70 degree Christmas in ’15. It was TERRIBLE!
Sam
It definitely was not Christmas weather at all!
Jenni
These are so good! Nice & soft, great flavor. I’m glad we made these – they are going to be a part of our regular Christmas cookie baking from now on 🙂
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Jenni! 🙂