Spritz Cookies

Joshua was so excited when he recently found my cookie press. He couldn’t remember seeing me use it before, but the idea of shooting out cookies from a press was definitely intriguing. Last night he decided to make cookies with it. I found this recipe for him, and he made the dough himself. I helped him learn how to assemble the press, but he basically made these cookies himself. I can’t believe it’s been so long since we’ve had spritz cookies. These are so delicious!

Spritz Cookies

1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup (6 oz) granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
½ tsp pure almond extract
2 ¼ cups (11 oz) all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
1 egg white, lightly beaten (optional—we skipped this step)
Granulated or colored sugar, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc. (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Have ready 2 ungreased baking sheets.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, cream the butter until fluffy and pale yellow. Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the mixture is no longer gritty when rubbed between your finger and thumb. Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla, and almond extract on low speed just until blended.

Sift the flour and salt together onto a sheet of waxed paper. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low speed or stir with a wooden spoon until blended.

Fill a cookie press with dough following the manufacturer’s instructions. Press the cookies out directly onto the pans. (Any dough that doesn’t come out of the press neatly may be scraped off the baking sheet and put through the pres again.) If the dough becomes too warm and sticky, refrigerate it for a few minutes to firm it up.

Lightly brush each cookie with egg white (if desired), and sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles or press a chocolate chip or candied cherry in the center of each. Bake just until the edges are golden, 8 – 10 minutes. (If the shapes don’t hold their definition after baking, refrigerate the dough for the next batch for 20 minutes to firm it up before pressing.) Let the cookies cool on the pans on wire racks for 1 – 2 minutes before transferring them to the racks to cool completely.

Recipe Source: The Williams-Sonoma Baking Book