Curd cookies with snowballs

Ingredients:

• 300 g butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla paste
• 230 g of cream cheese: 170 g at room temperature, 60 g frozen
• 1.25 tsp salt
• 4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3.5 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 tablespoons whole milk, plus more as needed
• Very finely grated lime zest or finely chopped cranberries, for garnish (optional)
• Special equipment: 30ml ice cream scoop (optional)

Preparation:

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 160°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the butter, vanilla, 4 oz (110 g) of room-temperature cream cheese, and 1 tsp. of salt. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar. Beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk. Beat until smooth, then add the flour and beat on low speed just until the dough comes together.
3. Remove the cream cheese from the freezer and cut into 0.6 cm cubes. Add them to the batter, stirring quickly with a silicone spatula until evenly distributed. Refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour.
4. Using a 30 ml ice cream scoop or 2 tablespoons, form 12 portions of dough. Roll them into balls and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly flour the bottom of a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Use it to flatten each cookie into a disk about 1 cm thick. Re-flour the surface of the cup after pressing each ball of dough.
5. Bake, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until the cookies are set but still pale and just barely browned on the bottom (20-24 minutes). Let them cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
6. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the remaining 60g of room-temperature cream cheese, 2 cups of powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the mixture forms a thick paste. Pour in the milk and slowly mix until a thick frosting forms.
7. Once the cookies have cooled, dip them top-side down into the glaze and lift them up, letting any excess drip off. Then, flip them coated-side up and place them on a wire rack. If the glaze is too thick, add another 1 teaspoon of milk to thin it out.
8. If desired, sprinkle the cookies with cranberries or lime zest: do so while the surface is still damp. Let the glaze set before serving (at least 10 minutes). Store the cookies in an airtight container, in a single layer, for up to 5 days.