There’s no need to use a pastry bag to fill cookies. Just transfer the frosting to a zip-top plastic freezer bag, and snip the corner.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons red liquid food coloring
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Parchment paper
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/4 cup white chocolate morsels, melted according to package directions and cooled
• Garnish: white chocolate morsels

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add egg and food coloring; beat 30 seconds.
2. Sift flour with next 2 ingredients in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until combined. Stir in vanilla.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, and place 1/2 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Press thumb or end of a wooden spoon into each ball, forming an indentation.
4. Bake at 325° for 10 to 15 minutes or until cookies are fragrant and dry. While cookies are still warm, press indentations again. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).
5. Stir together cream cheese and melted white chocolate in a small bowl. Fill centers of cookies with cream cheese mixture.