I think I should start calling myself the Plan B Baker. After last week’s failed experiment, I was excited to return to a tried and true recipe. Easy to make, Spritz cookies are a Christmas staple. I wasn’t attempting anything new, I had all the ingredients and my equipment was ready to go. That is, until my electric cookie press gave out on me.
My dough was chilled, my oven was preheated and I needed a new plan. Even though I’m not one hundred percent sure I can still call them Spritz cookies, I decided to roll my dough into marble sized balls and dip them in decorative sugar.
At first, I thought I would just bake them as little dough balls, but realized after about a minute of baking that wasn’t going to work. I pulled the first batch out of the oven and smooshed them with a fork, like a peanut butter cookie. The first results were not super cute, but pressing my fork into the chilled dough before putting it in the oven turned out great!
The silver lining is that this method of Spritz production makes this recipe accessible to everyone. You don’t need any fancy equipment, but if you have a functional cookie press, this recipe works for that, too! Read on to discover how to make these classic buttery treats.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 3 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp pure almond extract (I used vanilla due to a tree nut allergy)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- Optional: food coloring and decorative sugar
TO MAKE
- In the bowl of a mixer, cream butter, sugar and cream cheese together.
- Add egg yolk and extract to the butter mixture.
- Gradually incorporate flour to the mixture.
- If using food coloring, add a few drops.
- Cover and chill dough for a minimum of two hours. Note: Dough can be made ahead of time and be kept refrigerated or frozen.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Press cookies onto parchment paper, or roll dough into marbles, dip in decorative sugar, and press with a fork.
- Bake between 8-10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.
Images are my own, recipe inspiration from King Arthur Flour.
