Spritz Cookies

Welcome to day 2 of the cookie bake-off! I'm sharing a cookie recipe that my Mom always makes every year around Christmas time. She gets together with her friend and they spend a whole day baking and Spritz Cookies are one of the main cookies they bake. I sometimes go and help them bake but this year I was in the middle of moving and I wish I would have been there to help. Next year!

Jump to:

• What is a Spritz Cookie?
• Ingredients for Spritz Cookies
• How to Make Spritz Cookies
• Decorating Spritz Cookies
• Baking Equipment
• Best Baking Tips 
• Storage Tips 
• Please Let Me Know What You Think!
• Spritz Cookies

What is a Spritz Cookie?

A spritz cookie is a pressed cookie made with a cookie a press. The cookie dough is a lot similar to that of a rolled sugar cookie. With sugar cookies, the dough is rolled out and a cookie cutter is used to shape them. What is a cookie press you might ask? I thought this video below I found on youtube does a good job at explaining how to use one.

I like this Sugar Cookie Press: Oxo Good Grips Press 

Ingredients for Spritz Cookies

• All-purpose flour - is a type of wheat flour that is commonly used in cooking and baking. It is versatile and can be used for a variety of recipes, including bread, cakes, cookies, and pastries.
• Salt -
• Powdered sugar - Is also known as confectioner's sugar or icing sugar, it is a finely ground sugar that is commonly used in baking and dessert making.
• Butter, softened - is the most commonly used type of butter in baking, as it allows for more control over the amount of salt in the recipe.
• Egg - The best type of eggs you can buy at the store are organic or free-range eggs, while others may prefer eggs from specific breeds of chickens
• Almond extract - I have a recipe for Homemade Almond Extract if you would like to try it out.
• Vanilla - It is made by macerating and soaking vanilla beans in a mixture of water and Vodka. Use a good pure vanilla instead of the imitation vanilla extract.
• Green food coloring (optional)
• Red glazed cherries (optional)
• green glazed cherries (optional)
• decorative candies (optional)

How to Make Spritz Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Place flour and salt in medium bowl; stir to combine.
3. Beat powdered sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, almond extract, and vanilla Gradually add flour mixture--mix until well blended.Divide dough in half.
4. If desired, tint half of dough with green food coloring.
5. Fit cookie press with desired plate (or change plates for different shapes after first batch).
6. Fill press with dough; press dough 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
7. Decorate cookies with cherries and assorted candies, if desired.
8. Bake 10-12 minutes or until just set.
9. Remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely.
10. Prepare Icing, if desired.
11. Pipe or drizzle on cooled cookies.
12. Decorate with cherries and assorted candies, if desired.
13. Store tightly covered at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months.
14. Place all ingredients in medium bowl; stir until thick, but spreadable. (If icing is too thick, stir in 1 teaspoon additional milk).

Decorating Spritz Cookies

The ones you see in the picture are kind of plain but they are very festive looking with the red and green food coloring. When it comes to decorating a cookie, cupcake, or cake I struggle with this. I have no imagination when it comes to decorating. I watch those videos on Facebook or Youtube and see people make these very gorgeous decorated cookies and it makes me wish I could do that.

Maybe that should be a goal of mine for next year? Well anyways... you could use red, multi-colored, or green sprinkles. Dip the spritz cookies in chocolate, or place a gumdrop in the middle. I would check out Pinterest to see what other people have done for decorating cookies. There are some pretty nice blue snowflakes on there and they piped icing on them to make them look super pretty!

Baking Equipment

These are common baking tools every baker should have during the Holidays. 

Rectangle Steel Sheet Pan - No matter what you're making, the durable non-stick and scratch-resistant coating on our cake pans allows your food to slide or pop out easily, making cleanup almost effortless. Non-stick bakeware sets are a must-have for busy cooks

Glass Mixing Bowls - This set includes different sized glass bowls for all your baking and mixing needs. 

Cooling Racks - For those who love to bake but have limited space, this three-tiered Wilton cooling rack just solved that problem; cool batches of cookies, cake layers or countless finger foods all at once without sacrificing counter space

Best Baking Tips 

• Room temperature butter is key, let it sit out on the counter for a couple of hours before baking. 
• Read the recipe over a few times before baking or look up videos to see how it’s done properly. 
• Get an Oven Thermometer - Not every oven is the same. Keep an oven thermometer inside to make sure the oven is at the proper temperature. Wondering why your cookies or baked goods didn’t get done? This might be the reason why. 
• Don’t peek at whatever is baking in the oven! This lets out warm air.  
• Always combine the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl and the dry ingredients in another bowl. Slowly incorporate them together. 
• Have any more baking tips? Let me know in the comments below.  

Storage Tips 

Always store leftovers in clean, food-grade containers. The  type  of container doesn’t really matter. Use zip lock, glass, plastic,  whatever!  Just make sure the food is sealed tight before storing in the fridge or freezer. 

Please Let Me Know What You Think!