I made these and gave them out as gifts this year. I put them in mason jars with a red and white striped ribbon around the mouth of the jar to play-up the red and white theme of the cookies. Then I put an adhesive bow on the lid. (I totally stole this idea from a magazine because I am not that creatively smart). Luckily, the cookies actually tasted yummy, too, and weren't too much work. It would have been smart of me to take a picture, because I think they actually turned out kinda cute! Instead, I am showcasing the photo from the magazine.
Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks of butter (at room temperature)
1 8oz. block of cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (plus extra for workspace)
1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
1 large egg
Turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
Directions
Mix the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix. Gradually add the flour until just combined. Turn the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times. Form dough into 2 1-inch thick squares. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour or so.
Take one of the squares from the fridge and lay out on a floured piece of parchment paper. Roll or form dough into a 9 x 12 inch rectangle. Hint: the dough works better if it remains somewhat chilled so don't work it a lot). Take half of the jam and spread it over the dough (don't use too much jam). Cut the rectangle 2 times so that you end up with 3 9x4 inch rectangles. Starting with the long end, roll each rectangle into a log. Cover each log with waxed paper and put back into the fridge for at least 30 minutes; OR, you can put these logs into the freezer for up to 2 months.
Heat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Take the logs from the fridge and cut into 1 inch slices; place on the parchment-lined cookie sheets. Whip the egg and brush onto the tops of each roll; sprinkle the raw sugar on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
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