SPRITZ COOKIES

Your holiday baking (or eating!) might not be complete without these traditional Spritz cookies. This is my first year making the buttery cookies and I am hooked! A kind friend brought me a beautiful plate of Spritz cookies last Christmas. I was so touched by her thoughtfulness that I wanted to pass on that same holiday cheer this year. While you could use a pastry bag and star icing tip to get a similar effect, the cookie press gadget is the key to these precisely shaped cookies. From flowers to hearts to pumpkins to butterflies, these shapes are going to be used year-round. Buy the cookie press for less than $20 and you’ll have years of baking Spritz cookies ahead of you.

I tried the basic vanilla cookie dough recipe and the surprise ingredient, for me anyway, was cardamom. I didn’t have that spice in my pantry and was curious to try it. What a delicate difference it makes! You can decorate the cookies with sprinkles, add food coloring to the dough, or ice them once cooled, but they are just as pretty plain. The cookie press makes fast work of the process and you can even switch shapes as you go. And if you think making these cookies is a breeze, eating them is even easier!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg, vanilla extract, cardamom and salt with the electric mixer.
4. ......................................

for full recipes please see : www.abakershouse.com

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