Coffee Bean Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons instant coffee crystals
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 3-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions:

Combine coffee and milk, and let stand until dissolved. In another bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese together until fluffy, about 30 seconds on high if using an electric mixer. Add brown sugar and vanilla to this mix, then add the coffee-and-milk mix. Beat until combined, then beat in the flour as well. Cover and chill for one hour. Then take out and shape into 1-inch balls, shaping into ovals after determining the correct amount of dough. Press a ridge into the center of each oval to make it look like a coffee bean. Bake at 350º F for 9-11 minute, 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.

Yield: 48 cookies