I can still remember sitting on the other side of the kitchen counter, on a tall stool, watching my mom make Spritz Cookies.
I was fascinated with the metal cookie press and all the different molds she used to create these delectable, delicious delicacies each holiday season.
You see my mom was big on throwing holiday parties for her friends and neighbors, she would spend weeks planning and days cooking just to make sure everything was perfect. Lets all just take a moment and sit back and take a deep breath exhaling slowly as we connect with these women who were exceptional homemakers, during a period of time that will never happen again.
The partygoers were presented with a wide variety of Holiday cookies and confections to chose from, the plates were all set at this most wonderful large buffet table, so they could pile their small plate with food, and than go sit in together in the designated circle of chairs to enjoy the party.
Being too young to participate I had to stay in the kitchen, however I didn’t mind that at all, these nights I was allowed a special tv dinner, a movie of my choice and of course a few of the Holiday cookies for dessert.
I found a way to be a part of these events by sitting in the kitchen and listening to the adults talk, and laugh and laugh, of they could go on and on, telling stories, as the alcohol flowed the laughter grew and grew. I always had a smile on my face as I listened to my mom and dad be so happy, filling the house with this laughter and loud voices, and the aromas of all the delicious food.
You see my dad was the principal of the local high school and my mom was an in home piano teacher, and home maker, so each year they would send out invites to everyone they knew and host a Holiday party. Many times two parties were held to split the groups up into reasonable amounts of guests.
As mom planned the menu and decided on what cookies to make I always held my breath hoping she would chose to make the Classic Spritz cookie, as it is a sweet, almond flavored, buttery small cookie sprinkled with sugar that just melts in your mouth in each bite. You see the base of this cookie is butter, so it doesn’t spread when baked, that why when you put the dough thru the cookie press, into shapes of stars, or flowerets the cookies keep their cute little shapes.
You may need to run out purchase a spritz cookie press now that you are curious about making these.
Once you do, it will change your Holiday cookie baking forever, having self-control is the hardest part about making these cookies.
Enjoy!
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Ingredients
Instructions
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Heat oven to 400°F. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, salt, egg, almond extract and a few drops of food color. Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes on ungreased cookie sheet.
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Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. To decorate cookies after baking, use a drop of corn syrup to attach decorations to cookies.
Notes
- Add ins:
- Food color, if desired
- Currants, raisins, candies, colored sugar, finely chopped nuts, candied fruit or fruit peel, if desired
- Spice Spritz: Stir in 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice with the flour.
- Chocolate Spritz: Stir 2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled, into butter-sugar mixture. Omit food color.
There's no need to grease the baking sheet as the buttery cookies should easily release from the pan.
Butter is responsible for the tender, rich texture and flavor of these incredible cookies.
Because spritz cookies don’t spread a lot you can press them out more closely (about 1-1/2 inches apart) on the baking sheet. Using a press can take some practice, but just hold the press flat on the baking sheet without tilting it. Use consistent, even pressure to push the dough onto the pan—don’t overload each cookie
