Christmas Spritz Cookies

Submitted by RecipeNut

• Ready In: 32mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 60

ingredients

• 2 1⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄4 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• green food coloring (optional)
• red glazed cherries (optional)
• green glazed cherries (optional)
• decorative candies (optional)

• Icing

• 1 1⁄2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk (plus additional, if needed)
• 1⁄8 teaspoon almond extract

directions

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

Reviews

[professor.denise]

Perfect-- It was August and the batter was very soft, so I used a tiny cookie scoop instead of the spritz press. Fast, easy, looks like they came from the bakery--2 tsp vanilla for me, no almond, no icing.

 

[Sweet**Fuzion]

I made these cookies and they were great. They came together easy and smelled just like my memories of buttery-almond spritz cookies. I did add food coloring to half the dough and the kids loved the pretty pink they made. However I did need to decrease the temprature to 350 and baked them for only 5-7 minutes- depending on the shape that I used. The taste is richer and the texture is much more tender when the cookies are removed when just set. Thanks so much for sharing it really is a great recipe.

 

[Ames Shaps]

I tried this recipe because it uses powdered sugar (I have a ton!) and it's supposed to work well for pressing. I've had problems in the past getting a good dough for my press. I was really impressed (no pun intended) that it worked so well and without refrigeration! Thanks for the recipe--it's a keeper!

 

[DeeBee]

I never did get these to press out of my Cookie Press. I use an old fashioned hand press (screw type). I even tried refrigerating the dough... nothing helped. I wound up rolling into small balls and pressing them with the bottom of a glass that had been dipped in sugar. I topped them with some red and green sugar and baked for the same amount of time called for in the recipe. The cookies tasted great, but I was disappointed that I couldn't make spritz cookies! :-(

 

[personalchef]

Excellent spritz cookies. Like your first reviewer said, I've also found the hard bite of most recipes for spritz cookies unpleasent. This one is tender, buttery and just right.