Spritz cookies are made with a cookie press, which shapes cookies into many fun designs. Kids especially love decorating the cookies with colored sprinkles.
2sticks unsalted butter at room temperature8 ounces
½cupgranulated white sugar
1large egg
1teaspoonvanilla extract
2cupsall-purpose unbleached flour
¼teaspoonsea salt
¼teaspoonaluminum-free baking powder
Assorted sprinkles for decorating
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and position racks for two cookie sheets at a time. Use single layer, metal, ungreased cookie sheets, and do not use parchment or silpats.
Fit a mixer with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally using a rubber spatula.
Break an egg into a measuring cup and stir in vanilla until the egg is lightly beaten. Pour the egg mixture into the mixer bowl and fully incorporate the egg starting on medium and moving to high.
In a medium-sized bowl, measure the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) and stir together with a spoon. Turn the mixer speed to low, and add the flour mixture in three, quick batches so that the flour does not fly up. Do not overmix, and stop the mixer as soon as the flour is just incorporated.
Read the directions for your particular cookie press. Here are some general directions: Put the dough in a cookie press fitted with a disc shape of your choice. Place the press directly on a cool cookie sheet. Press the lever once to dispense the dough, and lift the press straight up. Continue filling a cookie sheet spacing the cookies about 1 inch apart. Change out the disc shape as you like. If a cookie comes out misshaped, scrape it off with a spatula and reuse the dough. Sometimes it takes a little practice to get the hang of the press. When the sheet is full, decorate with an assortment of sprinkles.
Bake one or two sheets of cookies at a time in a 375 degree F oven until the cookies have the slightest hint of golden brown at the edges and bottoms. These cookies do not brown. About 8-11 minutes.
Remove from the oven, and leave the cookies on the sheet for a couple minutes. Then using a spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack to cool. These cookies keep in a cookie tin unrefrigerated for at least 3 days. They can be frozen.