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Spritz Cookies:
1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large egg yolks (32 grams), at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) pure vanilla extract (optional)
2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
Garnish:
candied cherries, nuts, colored sprinkles or colored sugars
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Spritz Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter two baking sheets and place them in the refrigerator to chill while you make the batter.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until combined. Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract (if using) and beat until incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the flour and salt and beat until you have a well mixed batter.
To Press Cookies: Scrape some of the batter into your cookie press #ad that has been fitted with a decorative plate (follow manufacturer's instructions). Hold the cookie press perpendicular to your chilled baking sheet, and press out the cookies. (If you find the shape of the cookies is not clearly defined then the batter is too soft, so refrigerate the batter for about 15-30 minutes.) Continue to press out the cookies, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. If desired, decorate the cookies with pieces of candied cherries, nuts, colored sprinkles or colored sugars.
To Pipe Cookies: Have ready a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) diameter open star tip. Fill the pastry bag about half full, twist the end of the bag to close, and pipe rosettes or stars by holding the pastry bag perpendicular to your baking sheet, with the tip almost touching the sheet. Squeeze the pastry bag firmly and evenly without moving it until the shape is the desired size. Stop squeezing and push the pastry bag down a little and then lift the pastry bag straight up. Continue to pipe cookies, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
Bake cookies for about 9-13 minutes or just until the edges of the cookies are barely tinged with brown. Remove from oven and gently transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. In a covered container, these cookies will keep at room temperature for about 10 - 14 days or they can be frozen for several months.
Makes about 36 - 48 cookies (depending on size).
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Spritz Cookies, also known as Swedish Butter Cookies or Pressed Butter Cookies, are a popular Christmas cookie. They have a lovely sweet and buttery flavor with a texture that is tender crisp. As their name implies, "Spritz" is German for "spritzen" meaning "to squirt", which is exactly what is done with this cookie dough. By that I mean we make these cookies using a cookie press (gun). Here is the link to the cookie press that I used in the video #ad. This device has a cylindrical barrel with an easy-to-squeeze trigger or press, that squirts the soft dough through a decorative template giving us all sorts of wonderful looking cookies. You can make wreaths, flowers, trees, rosettes, stars, and stripes, to name a few. And while they are delicious plain, you can also decorate the cookies with candied cherries, nuts, colored sprinkles or sugars.
Spritz Cookies contain only a few ingredients, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and flour. You can flavor the batter with vanilla extract or almond extract. Baking powder is not used because we want the cookies to maintain their shape during baking.
When you mix the Spritz batter it is simply a matter of creaming the butter with the sugar, beating in the egg yolks, and then the flour. The batter needs to be of the right consistency. You want it soft enough so it easily pushes through the cookie press, but not so soft that the shape is not defined. If you find it too soft, then refrigerate the batter for about 15 to 30 minutes. Also, do not to use parchment paper on your baking sheets. The cookies adhere better to a buttered baking sheet that has been chilled in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Keep in mind that the longer you chill the baking sheet the colder it will be, which will affect the baking time. And if you do not own a cookie press, you can make these cookies using a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip.