Holiday Spritz Cookies
I am back at you all with 12 Days of Holiday Baking. Last year was my first year of taking on the project, 12 different recipes, 12 different blog posts, 12 different baked goodies, and lots…lots…LOTS of kitchen messes, flour, sugar, and fun with my kiddos. One request I had for this year’s holiday baking was to add in some recipes that are simple and quick, so here is my first baked goodie that falls into that category.
Spritz cookies are like if sugar cut out cookies and shortbread cookies had a baby. They have the flavors of both, and they are in fun shapes; BUT the hassle of making a huge floury mess with cut out sugar cookies isn’t there. Spritz cookies are a press cookie and can be decorated just like cut out sugar cookies. They are quick and easy for almost any age. My 9-year-old, YoYo especially had a blast with the cookie press.
We decided to keep it simple this year and only did 3 different press designs: wreaths, snowflakes, and trees. Adding in food coloring for each. YoYo dug through my sprinkle hoard and found the perfect ones for each press design.
Spritz Cookies
Equipment
- cookie press
- non-stick baking sheets
- food coloring
- sprinkles
Ingredients
- 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 3 sticks=1½ cups
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp almond extract can substitute for vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp salt omit if using salted butter
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In an electric mixing bowl, add in the butter and beat on medium high (scraping the sides of the bowl every couple of minutes) for 8 minutes. This will cause the butter to become light, fluffy, and the color will become a cream color instead of yellow butter.
- Add in the sugar, eggs, almond extract, and salt. Beat on medium low until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl and beat again to combine.
- Add in the flour one cup at a time beating on low until the flour is barely combined with the rest of the ingredients. Repeat this until all of the flour has been added and is completely combined with the dough.
- Add in desired food coloring, divide into different bowls for more than one food coloring. Once food coloring is mixed thoroughly through the dough, add into the cookie press according to the directions for your press.
- Press the cookies with the cookie press onto the sheet, add on any sprinkles you desire. Pressing the cookies may take some initial trial and error. The dough is buttery, so you do not need to grease the pan. A non-stick pan is preferable, or a silicone baking pad. Through my own trial and error I learned parchment paper does not work, the dough will not stick enough to it for the press to work. Bake in a 375°F preheated oven for 5 minutes. Let cool on a cooling rack. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Nutrition
Have you made spritz cookies before? Traditionally, in my family, we tend to only make them around the Christmas holiday season, but they can be made for any occasion. My cookie press came with a whole variety of press designs including a heart, fleur de lis, star, teddy bear, and many more.
Hope y’all are having an amazing holiday season, staying warm if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, or staying cool if you are in the Southern Hemisphere. Stay safe, be kind, and hug your loved ones. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
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