Spring Spritz Cookies

Are these not adorable?

Spritz cookies are one of my favorites.  They are absolutely addicting.  They are super fun because you can make them in all different shapes and colors.  And one recipe makes about 8 dozen, but you can put like 30 on a cookie sheet so it goes quickly!  Here is how to make them:

Here are the ingredients you need...just basic stuff.  If you don't have almond extract you can leave it out.

Cream your room temperature butter and your sugar together with an electric mixer until it is a light yellow color.

Then add your egg and milk.

Sift together your flour and baking powder and gradually add to your wet ingredients.  (Or be naughty like me and sprinkle on your baking powder and then dump in all your flour at once).  Mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of bowl a couple times.

Your dough is now complete!  How easy was that?

I used 4 different colors, so I put 3/4 of the dough aside in a bowl.

I left the last 1/4 of dough in the mixer bowl and added some pink food coloring. 

Doesn't it look pretty all stripey?  You could make a stripey dough if you want, but I kept mixing until it was uniform in color.

To make spritz cookies you need one of these...a cookie press.  You can find them at craft stores and cooking stores and I think even WalMart has them.  Or order one online.  They come with different discs, which is what determines the shape of your cookies.  Here are the four flower discs I have.  Cookie presses can be as cheap as $10 and with a 40% off coupon at Michael's you can get it for $6!  This one was a middle of the road model and I think the original price was around $20.  They even have more expensive ones that are battery operated (not sure why you would feel the need for that) but are apparently supposed to be easier to load. 

But they are really easy to load.  You just press dough down into the tube and then put the disc in place and screw on the end cap.  Easy!

Then you just press them out.  Each time you pull the trigger a cookie is pressed out.  You need to use an ungreased baking sheet.  I tried to use parchment to make clean up easier, but they dough won't stick to it.  So, ungreased cookie sheet it is.  Place the press right up next to the last cookie.  You will get 5 cookies across the sheet.  Just FYI, the first cookie is sometimes a bit hard to get going because a little of the dough needs to be hanging out of the holes in order for it to work right.  If you make an ugly one just pick up the dough and shove it into your mouth set it aside to put back into the press for later.

Here they are all pressed out and ready to bake!

When you finish that color, wipe off your mixer bowl and paddle and place another hunk of dough in the bowl.  I don't wash them in between cause I am too lazy.  Just try to get most of it off but if a little is left it won't matter.  Here are my green ones.  Aren't they cute?

When they bake they puff up a bit.  You know they are done when the bottoms are barely browning.  Don't overcook them! 

Here are the blue ones all cooked.  I have loosened these from the cookie sheet, that is why they are so close together.  That reminds me, don't let them sit on the cookie sheet for more than 5 minutes.  Use a very slim spatula to loosen them.  Don't worry...some will break and you can hurry and eat them.

Green ones all baked.

Purple beauties all ready to go!

Once they are cooled you can use some icing to brush on to them and then add sprinkles to dress them up.  The icing makes them stick.  I just thinned my icing till it seems thin enough to brush on with a pastry brush.

I brushed a few cookies at a time and then sprinkled them.  Don't do too many or your icing might dry before you can get the sprinkles on.  The icing also gives them a bit of a shiny top coat.

To make the bouquet, I melted some white chocolate chips in a chocolate melting pot.  If you don't have a chocolate melting pot, just put about 1/2 cup of chips into a small glass bowl.  Microwave them stirring every 15 seconds.  Don't get them too hot.  Once they are about half melted you should be bale to melt them completely just by stirring.  Be SURE not to get any water into the bowl or the chocolate will seize up.

Here I am putting a bit of chocolate on the back of a cookie.

Then you stick a stick into the chocolate and give it a turn to coat it with the chocolate.

Place another cookie on top, matching up the shape.

Lay them down on the cookie sheet so the cookie you put on last is on the bottom, that way the white chocolate drips down onto that cookie ensuring they stick together well.   Let them harden up before you move them.

I think they are soooo pretty on a white plate.  They are really irresistible!

Here I put some paper easter grass in a cello bag and added some cookies.  Tie closed with a cute ribbon and deliver to your sister who will love you forever for ruining her diet!

Finish your bouquet by finding a cute bowl or vase.  Place a piece of styrofoam inside to stick the cookies into.  Then cover the top of the styrofoam with Easter candies.

It would look cute to tie a green ribbon around each stick to resemble leaves....but my kids were DYING to eat these so I didn't do it.

Spritz cookies can be made in all different shapes, including Christmas trees and pumpkins, so they are a great cookie for every holiday!

Wilton Spritz Cookie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Yield:
7-8 dozen cookies.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture to butter  mixture; beat until combined. Do not chill. Fill cookie press with dough and with desired disks, press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet on cooling rack. Remove from sheet; cool completely.

Icing Recipe:
1 c. powdered sugar
2 tsps. milk
2 tsps. light corn syrup plus more for thinning
1/4 tsp clear vanilla or almond extract

Directions: Mix ingredients together in a small bowl with a spoon.  Add small amounts to corn syrup to thin to reach desired consistency.

What is your favorite cookie??