Classic Spritz Cookies

These delicate, crisp cookies have a rich, buttery flavour that’ll keep you coming back for more. ...MORE + LESS -

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla

Food colour, if desired

Currants, raisins, candies, coloured sugar, finely chopped nuts, candied fruit or fruit peel, if desired

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1

Heat oven to 400ºF. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, salt, egg, almond extract and a few drops of food colour.
2

Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes on ungreased baking sheet. Decorate with currants.
3

Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from baking sheet to wire rack. To decorate cookies after baking, use a drop of corn syrup to attach decorations to cookies.

Did You Know... The name spritz comes from the German word spritzen , meaning "to squirt" because the soft dough is squirted or pushed through a cookie press to make fancy designs.
Purchasing Butter is responsible for the tender, rich texture and flavourflavor of these incredible cookies. Margarine would not work nearly as well. For these cookies, stick with butter!
Substitution Chocolate Spritz: Stir 2 ounces (56 g) unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled, into the butter-sugar mixture.
Holiday Spritz: Substitute rum extract for the almond extract or vanilla; tint dough with appropriate food colours. After baking, glaze cooled cookies with Butter-Rum Glaze: Melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine over low heat; remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup icing sugar and 1 teaspoon rum extract. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water until glaze is spreadable. Tint glaze with food colour to match cookies if desired.
Spice Spritz: Stir in 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice with the flour.
Success To ensure recipe success, do not use self-rising flour in this recipe.