Spritz Cookies

Spritz Cookies

Holiday Spritz Cookies

Spritz Cookies are crisp when you bite into them and soft inside. I made these Spritz Cookies using my Cuisinart Electric Cookie Press. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking, 2011, (pgs. 26-27). These Spritz Cookies have a great buttery flavor and the shapes hold well. I used various colored sugars and sprinkles. Spritz Cookies are also beautiful on their own using different shapes from your cookie press and you can tint the dough in different colors. If you want to change the flavor profile, substitute the pure vanilla extract to almond, coconut, orange or lemon extract.

Makes about 6 dozen 1 1/2 inch cookies.

Ingredients
1 Extra Large Egg, just the Yolk

1 tablespoon Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

2 sticks (16 tablespoons) Unsalted Butter, softened

2/3 cup Granulated Sugar

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

Colored Sugars and Sprinkles, optional

Gel Food Coloring, optional

Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, beat Egg Yolk, Heavy Cream and Vanilla Extract with a fork until combined; set aside.

In a bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment, cream Butter, Sugar and Salt on medium high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.

Scrape down bowl with spatula.

With mixer running on medium speed, add Yolk-Cream-Vanilla mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

With mixer running on low speed, gradually add Flour and beat until combined.

Scrape down bowl with spatula and give a final stir to make sure no Flour pockets remain.

Dough will be soft, but do not refrigerate.

If you want to tint dough, separate Dough into bowls depending on how many colors you want. Add 4 to 5 drops at a time and combine with a spatula until desired color is reached.

Fit your cookie press with desired disk to form cookies.

Press Dough onto an ungreased baking sheet, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart.

If desired, decorate with colored sugars and sprinkles.

Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Remember to cool cookie sheets completely before you press more cookies or the cookies will lose their shape.

Cool cookies on sheet for about 3 to 5 minutes and transfer to wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys