on May 8th, 2008Spritz cookies
My mother’s been on my mind a lot this week, with Mother’s Day just ahead. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of making cookies with her, especially when she’d dig out the cookie press to make these spritz cookies. Like millions of American families, we always had spritz cookies at Christmas, but my family had them many times during the year. When a small, buttery cookie that’s not loaded with sugar is all I need, these fill the bill.
While these can be piped from a pastry bag, my mother had a Mirro cookie press, an aluminum cylinder from the Fifties and Sixties with a handle on the side to make holding it easier when twisting the knob to extrude a cookie. At Christmas she would tint the dough green, sometimes swirled, then make fat little trees and decorate them with sprinkles or colored sugar. The rest of the year we had other shapes plain.
I don’t have the press any longer — I have a modern ratchet-style made of heavy-duty plastic but not made in the US as Mirros were – but I do have her recipe, which I suspect came with the press. I’m sharing it almost as she wrote it for me one Christmas; I’ve just expanded her abbreviated directions and added metrics.
Once you get the hang of your cookie press, these are fast to make and keep well in an airtight container. I plan to save mine and have some Sunday in her honor.
Ella’s Mom’s Spritz Cookies
1 cup/226g unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup/150g sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 1/4 cups/280g all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon almond extract
food coloring (optional)
Preheat oven to 375F/ 190C/ Gas 5.
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
Cream butter, adding sugar gradually.
Add unbeaten egg, the dry ingredients, extract and a few drops of food coloring, if using. Mix well.
Fill cookie press. Form cookies on ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with sprinkles or colored sugars.
Bake 7 - 10 minutes, until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.
Makes 5 - 6 dozen.
Ella’s tips: It’s important to use ungreased baking sheets or the cookies won’t stay put when you press them out. This is one time I don’t even consider parchment paper.
Like most cookie doughs, this freezes very well. I form it into “logs” the right size for my press before freezing so I can pull out one at a time for a quick dozen or so. I also form just-made dough into logs; it’s much easier to fill the press that way.
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Looks like another winning recipe. I just may try it this weekend if I can find my cookie press (what a great little device). I think of this kind of cookie for Christmas but it should be made throughout the year.
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I hope you find it! These really are good when you want just a little something.
I’ve tried a few other spritz doughs but they’re either so buttery I press out blobs or they need to be chilled and I get pellets. I always ended up back with this recipe and don’t even try others anymore. Sometimes Mom did know best.
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