Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

We made our traditional Christmas Spritz Cookies this week. While doing so I noticed a recipe for Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies, and since we had some cream cheese that needed to be used, I decided to compare the two recipes. They're actually very similar, and I think the hint of orange peel and cinnamon did add a nice festive essence to the cookies which also had cream cheese. They were a bit softer, though, so they might be more fragile (not a plus for cookie platters). However, I liked both of them, and it's nice to have an option available when I have extra cream cheese to use.

Cream Cheese Spritz Cookies

• 1 cup butter-flavored Crisco (or 1/2 cup regular shortening and 1/2 cup margarine)
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon orange peel
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• food coloring, optional

Cream shortening, cream cheese and sugar together. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla, and food coloring, if using. Combine dry ingredients. Mix together. Put dough in cookie press and form cookies on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.