Christmas Tree Cookies
Yields: 6 dozen
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Ingredients:
2 cups salted butter, room temperature*
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Assorted food colorings, candies, and/or sprinkles (optional)**
* You must use butter in this recipe. The secret of a great spritz cookie is a dough that is fat enough to press or pipe, yet sturdy enough to hold it shape in the oven. It must be butter.
** If desired, you can also color the dough with food coloring.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Refrigerate UNGREASED cookie sheets until ready to use. NOTE: Pressing the dough out onto cool, ungreased baking sheets makes it possible for each application to stick on contact. You will need to clean off the cookie sheets between batches.
In a large bowl, mix butter until creamy. Either use your electric mixer or beat by hand. Gradually add sugar; beating until light and fluffy. Cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly before beating in the egg.
Add egg and beat well; stir in vanilla extract. Gradually add flour to mixture, beating well after each addition.
Pack the dough into a Cookie Press fitted with desired template/disks of your choice (disks can include wreath shapes, stars, crescents, etc).
Begin cranking and twisting (if you use an automatic cookie press follow manufacturer's instructions) the cookie dough
through cookie press, forming desired shapes, onto chilled ungreased cookie sheets about 1-inch apart. If you press your spritz cookies the old fashioned way with a crank or twist press, the secret is all in the wrist. Turn the crank or the twist with the right hand, and then just before you are done, counter twist with the left hand and press gently down, then pull up and off the dough.
Hold the press upright in relation to the cookie sheet with the "legs" resting flat, and force out the dough until it appears at the edge of the mold, then lift the press away. Keep your cookies about 1-inch apart on the cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with colored sugar or add a maraschino cherry half before baking, if desired.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes in your preheated oven, rotating baking sheet halfway
through baking time, or until light brown.