Red Velvet Cookies

I am all aboard the red velvet train and was excited to try this cookie spin on the delicious cake.  Thanks again to Ms. Paula Deen for the inspiration and for emptying my fridge of butter!  These red velvet cookies required only a few ingredients and packed a definite red color punch.  Though the dough did need to chill and my hands ended up with a lovely red tint, these cookies were well worth the extra effort.  They were especially moist and super tasty.  Just like the cake, the cookies were not too sweet but had a decadent flavor with a touch of the traditional cream cheese frosting taste folded in.  A bonus, at least when I made them before Christmas, was the festive bright red color with a light snow of powdered sugar.  Christmas-time or any other time, I'm a fan of these cookies and they were a great, sharable version of the much loved red velvet cake.

Ingredients
1 block (8 oz.)             cream cheese
1/2 cup                     butter
1                              egg
1 teaspoon                vanilla
1 box                        Red Velvet Cake mix
Plus powdered sugar for rolling and dusting

1.  Cream together cream cheese and butter.
2.  Mix in egg.
3.  Mix in vanilla.

4.  Mix in the Red Velvet Cake mix.

5.  Cover mixing bowl and chill for about 2 hours (2 hours too long if you ask me, but that is a good time for tasting!).
6.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
8.  Pour a cup or two of powdered sugar into a bowl for rolling the dough, refilling as needed.

9.  Roll dough into golf ball-sized balls with some help from the small ice cream scoop.
10.  Roll dough balls in powdered sugar.

11.  Place dough balls onto cookie sheets.
12.  Bake for 12 minutes.

13.  Let cool slightly, then sprinkle with powdered sugar for extra decoration and a touch of sweet.
14.  Enjoy the soft, gooey cookies and don't forget a glass of milk!