Cinnamon Swirls

Yum. These were so good. The other people who tried them said they were a little different from what they were used to, probably because these cookies had no eggs and lots of cream cheese. They were flaky and perfect! Mine, of course, didn't turn out as perfectly shaped as I would have liked, but most of them still turned out great.I made these for a friend last week as a sort of goodbye/goodluck gift. I don't know if he really liked them, and maybe I should have stuck with making something more traditional and more cookie-like, but I had cream cheese and wanted to use it before leaving for winter break...and these were good. Try them out! I'd probably chill them in the fridge for more than just 1 hour, or chill them in the freezer.

Cinnamon Swirls
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home by Linda

1 cup butter, softened
One 8-ounce pkg cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a large bowl beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until fluffy. Combine the flour and salt and gradually beat it into the butter mixture.

Divide dough in two and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour. Combine cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a rectangle - about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the sugar mixture to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Roll up tightly - starting at either the short or long edge. (Starting at the short edge will give you a fatter log, and bigger cookies.) Wrap log tightly and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice logs into 3/8 inch slices and place two inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.