Buttery Christmas Spritz Cookies in Festive Shapes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Food coloring (optional, red and green preferred)
- Festive sprinkles or nonpareils for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). It is very important to use ungreased, cool cookie sheets. Do not use parchment paper or silicone mats, as the spritz dough needs to “stick” to the bare metal of the pan to pull away from the cookie press properly.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. This usually takes about 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high speed. Proper creaming ensures a light cookie texture.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract to the butter mixture. Beat again until everything is well combined and smooth. If you want to color the entire batch one color, you can add food coloring during this step.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make the cookies tough.
- If you want multiple colors, divide the dough and tint sections with food coloring. Fit your cookie press with your desired decorative disk. Pack the dough into the barrel of the press, making sure there are no large air pockets.
- Press the dough onto the cold, ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. They do not spread much. If adding sprinkles or nonpareils, add them now before the cookies go into the oven so they stick to the dough.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the cookies are set but not browned. You want them to remain pale for that classic look. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.