Spritz Cookies Recipe
Spritz Cookies are classic buttery and tender pressed cookies that are perfect for festive occasions and everyday treats. These cookies are quick to prepare, featuring a delicate almond and vanilla flavor with a crisp, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Using a cookie press, the dough is formed into beautiful intricate shapes and baked to golden perfection in just minutes.
- Author: Naya
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6-8 minutes
- Total Time: 21-23 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 5 dozen cookies (depending on size) 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups butter (3 sticks), softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- Food coloring (optional, as desired)
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 400°F (204°C) and allow it to fully preheat while you prepare the dough for even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly cream the softened butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy. This step is key to achieving a tender texture.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, milk, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined and smooth to distribute flavors evenly throughout the dough.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and baking powder to ensure they are evenly mixed.
- Mix Ingredients to Form Dough: Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed wet ingredients, stirring until a smooth dough forms. Avoid overmixing to maintain tender cookies.
- Add Food Coloring: If desired, knead in food coloring to achieve your preferred hues evenly distributed in the dough.
- Shape Cookies: Place the colored dough into a cookie press. Press shapes directly onto an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing them evenly to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cookies are just beginning to turn golden around the edges. Avoid overbaking to keep them soft inside.
- Cool and Serve: Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not chill the dough; it should be soft enough to press easily.
- Use different cookie press discs for a variety of shapes and patterns.
- For a stronger almond flavor, increase almond extract slightly but avoid overpowering the vanilla.
- To store, keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- These cookies freeze well; freeze unbaked shapes on a tray, then transfer to a bag; bake directly from frozen, adding a minute or two to baking time.
Keywords: Spritz cookies, holiday cookies, almond cookies, pressed cookies, buttery cookies, vanilla cookies, festive cookies