Spritz Cookies

It's that time of year again. Christmas cookie time! But I make cookies all year round anyway.

Spritz cookies are one of the more popular holiday cookies. They are made with a cookie press. You fill a press with some dough and squeeze! (not quite, but close enough)

A couple of years ago I got an electric cookie press from my mom. I remember she had one when I was growing up, it was the kind that you turned like a water hose spicket. It would press down the dough and squeeze out the bottom through a metal plate with holes in it.

It is my pretty pink cookie press. It plugs in and you squeeze the the silver tab and that's it! Pretty easy.

I used these four plates. The dough is very stiff, so I just tore it in to chunks and put it in the press. You reattach the tube and squeeze the trigger and the presser foot thing rotates down and pushes the dough out through the holes.

Reminds me of a Play-Doh press I always wanted as a kid.

Enough of the cookie press lesson, now on to the recipe!!

Spritz Cookies

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.

Next in a mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add the egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract, mix well.

Lastly, gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat until a smooth stiff dough forms.

Fill the cookie press with the dough, use with the desired plates, press cookies onto a cookie sheet, ungreased or parchment papered or baking mat. (with the electric press, I hold down the trigger for 3 seconds, and hold to two seconds before I pull it away)

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.

Cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet then move to a cooling rack.

 

Another thing about cookie presses is that you have to play around with the timing. Too little time and barely any dough comes out to the desired shape. Too long of a time and way too much dough comes out and the shape is very distorted. So just play around with it until you find what's right.