Spritz Cookies
Spritz Cookies
I honestly had no idea what Spritz Cookies are until two years ago when I found a cookie press in my mom’s basement that she bought from Winners for $7 and had never used. It looked like a fun new Christmas cookie challenge so I decided to give it a shot. The first time I made them they turned out perfect and were easy to do! This time I had more trouble because the $7 cookie press malfunctioned a bit. Next time I make Spritz Cookies I’m going to invest in a better cookie press, probably the OXO one.
Do not let that scare you away from trying these! I’ve included lots of tips below for troubleshooting these cookies. I highly recommend making them. They look SO GOOD on a cookie tray and have a delicious light, buttery taste. And they are a lot less work than decorating cookies with icing but people will be very impressed with how pretty they look.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Sanding sugar (or other sprinkles)
Food colouring (optional)
YIELD
3 dozen
TIME
Prep - 20 minutes
Bake - 10 minutes
TOOLS
1 large bowl
Stand or hand mixer
Cookie press (see note in intro)
Baking sheets and cooling racks
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place two unlined baking sheets in the fridge (or outside if it’s cold).
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg and vanilla. Beat for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Add flour and salt and mix on lowest speed of the mixer or by hand until just combined.
If you are using food colouring, divide dough into different bowls. Mix in colouring and set aside.
Use a spoon to scoop your first batch of dough into the cookie press. Push down to eliminate air bubbles. Screw in desired disc.
Bring out your cold, unlined baking sheet. Begin pressing cookies onto the pan. Depending on the pattern you can do one click or two clicks. See my tips above for making this a smooth process.
Sprinkle coloured sugar or sprinkles on top of each cookie.
Baking times range for the size of cookies you are making. Ensure cookies on each sheet are the same size.
Small cookies - 5 minutes
Medium cookies - 7 minutes
Large cookies - 9 minutes
Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Wash thoroughly, dry completely, and cool you baking tray before reusing for another batch of your cookie dough.
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.
TIPS FOR USING YOUR COOKIE PRESS
Baking sheets: your baking sheets need to be completely clean, dry, and cold.
if you’re making this in the wintertime, placing the sheets outside between batches cools them down quickly. The night I made these it felt like -20 so my sheets cooled down in under 5 minutes!
If you mess up a cookie and remove it from the pan to replace it, use a paper towel to wipe up the residue from the butter left behind. The smallest amount of grease can prevent cookies from sticking to the pan.
Speed and consistency: try to get a rhythm going to press out the cookies without stopping.
If you are not satisfied with how a cookie looks, scrape it off the pan with a spatula and add the dough back into the next batch that you do.
Cookie press angle: try your best to keep the cookie press completely straight as you press out cookies. If you slip or angle the press as you lift it, the cookies will have a twisty shape.
Making the dough: the best part of these cookies is they are so light and fluffy. This comes from following the above directly exactly: creaming the butter and sugar to make them light and fluffy AND not overmixing once you’ve added flour, which will activate gluten proteins and lead to tough cookies.
