Best Spritz Cookie Recipe Ever

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Combine butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, mixing for about 15 seconds after each yolk. Add cream cheese and mix until well combined. Mix in nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt; beat until completely mixed. Add flour and stir just until incorporated.
• Fill a cookie press with dough and press out cookies, using your favorite shape, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the egg and mix to incorporate; don't worry if the mixture seems to separate.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the creamed butter. Mix until combined. Using a cookie press, press the cookies onto ungreased baking sheets. Top with sprinkles of your choice. Bake until firm but not yet browning, 6 to 8 minutes. After a few minutes, move cookies to a rack and cool.

Steps:

• HEAT oven to 400 degrees F. Combine powdered sugar and shortening in a large bowl; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, salt, water, vanilla and almond extracts. Using a spoon, stir in flour until well mixed.
• FIT cookie press with desired template. Fill cookie press; press dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar, if desired.
• BAKE 7 to 9 minutes or until set, but not brown. Cool one minute. Remove to cooling rack.

Steps:

• Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the over and preheat to 375 degrees.
• In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together on medium speed the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating smooth after each addition. Scrape down the side of the bowl and beater. On low speed, add the flour and mix only until it is completely absorbed. Remove the bowls from the mixer and finish mixing the dough with a large rubber spatula.
• Insert a die into the cookie press, then fill it with about a quarter of the dough. Press the cookies out onto the prepared pans, leaving 1-inch around all cookies. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until they are a very pale golden color. Slide the paper from the pans onto the racks. If desired, decorate with bits of candied fruit, raisins or nuts; make into sandiwches with ganache or melted milk chocolate; or dip partially into chocolate that may further be dipped into chopped nuts or shaved chocolate. Store the cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or waxed paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.

Steps:

• Thirty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C.
• Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, or until pale gold. Stir once or twice to ensure even toasting and avoid over-browning. Cool completely.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt.
• Food processor method: In a food processor, process the almonds and sugar until fairly fine. Cut the butter into several pieces and add it with the motor running. Process until smooth and creamy. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and process until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the flour mixture and pulse in just until blended. Stand Mixer Method: Use a nut grater to grate the almonds powder fine and then whisk them into the flour mixture. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, on medium speed, beat the sugar and butter until fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract and beat for 30 seconds, or until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
• Scrape the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap and use the outside of the plastic wrap to knead together the dough until it is completely even and soft enough to pipe smoothly.
• Scoop the dough into the pastry bag (or spoon some of the dough into the cookie press and cover the remaining dough). Pipe 7 rosettes or 14 stars about 13⁄4 inches in diameter onto the cookie sheet, no less than 1 inch apart.
• To get the best possible shape for the rosettes, use your fingers to smooth the ends of the rosettes after piping. For the stars, hold the bag in a vertical position (straight up and down) with the toothed edge of the tube just slightly above the cookie sheet. Squeeze the bag firmly without moving it until the shape is as wide as desired, just at the point when the lines in the dough are on the verge of curving. Stop squeezing the tube and push the tube down slightly. Lift the tube straight up and away. Decorate with the glacéed cherries set in the centers, and/or top with sugar sprinkles or dragées.
• Bake for 5 minutes. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheet halfway around. Continue baking for 5 to 7 minutes, or until pale gold.
• Set the cookie sheet on a wire rack and use a pancake turner to lift the cookies onto another wire rack. Cool completely.
• While each batch of cookies is baking, shape the dough for the next batch. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 month, or refrigerated or frozen for 6 months.

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position; heat the oven to 375°F In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla with a fork until combined; set aside.
• In a standing mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and salt at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer running at medium speed, add the yolk-cream mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer running at low speed, gradually beat in the flour until combined. Scrape down the bowl and give a final stir with the rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain.
• If using a cookie press to form the cookies, follow the manufacturer's instructions to fill the press; if using a pastry bag (see TECHNIQUE below). Press or pipe cookies onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet until just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; using a metal spatula, transfer them to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
• FOR LEMON SPRITZ COOKIES: Follow the recipe for Spritz Cookies, adding 1 teaspoon lemon juice to the yolk-cream mixture in step 1 and adding 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest to the butter along with the sugar and salt in step 2.
• FOR ALMOND SPRITZ COOKIES: Grind ½ cup sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons of the flour called for in Spritz Cookies in a food processor until powdery and evenly fine, about 1 minute; combine the almond mixture with the remaining flour. Follow the recipe for Spritz Cookies, substituting 3/4 teaspoon almond extract for the vanilla.
• TECHNIQUE: Filling a Pastry Bag: (1) Make a C shape with one hand and hold the piping bag. Fold the bag over that hand about halfway down, insert the tip, and scrape the dough into the bag. (2) When the bag is about half full, pull up the sides, push down the dough, and twist tightly while again pushing down on the dough to squeeze out any air. (3) Grab the bag at the base of the twist. Using the other hand as a guide, hold the top at a 90-degree angle about 1/2-inch above the baking sheet and squeeze to form the shape.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl. Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract; beat well.
• Stir together flour and baking powder; gradually add to butter mixture. Stir just until smooth dough forms. Do not chill.
• Place dough into cookie press and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned around edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool.

Steps:

• 1. With an electric mixer at high speed cream butter until soft.
• 2. Add sugar gradually, continuing to cream about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
• 3. Add egg yolks one at a time. Add vanilla. Beat well.
• 4. Add flour in three additions. Mix well after each addition. Dough will be stiff.
• 5. Shape dough into 2 rolls. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour.
• 6. Assemble gun. Fill with cookie dough.
• 7. Bake 7-10 minutes (I bake for 9 minutes) until just starting to turn light brown around the edges, being careful not to overbake.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sift together the flour and salt; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolks, almond extract and vanilla extract. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients. Fill a cookie press with dough and shoot cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. If you like, decorate with sugar or sprinkles at this time.
• Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add 1 egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; add to creamed mixture and mix well. , Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press dough 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° until set, 11-12 minutes (do not brown). Remove to wire racks to cool., Place confectioners' sugar in a small bowl; stir in enough water to reach desired consistency. Working with 1 cookie at a time, brush glaze on the surface and sprinkle with sugar. Let stand until set.

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar, add egg yolk, almonds and extracts, beat again, until well blended. I like to beat for a few minutes at this point, . Blend the flour in gently a cup at a time, until the flour is completely incorporated. Be careful not to over mix, as this will toughen the cookies.
• Cool the dough slightly, if it is too warm, but don't chill for long, as the cookie dough will not cooperate with the press if it is too cold!
• Preheat oven to 375, press out the cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet. I decorate with colored sugar or candied cherries which I cut into fourths.
• Bake for 7-9 mn. taking care not to brown them.

Steps:

• Mix the butter or margarine, sugar, egg yolks and vanilla. Add the flour and mix by hand.
• Spoon into cookie press and press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugars.
• Bake in preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven for 7-10 minutes.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
• In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium-high until the mixture is superlight, fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl and add in two eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract and beat until everything is well combined, about 2 minutes.
• Add in dry ingredients and beat just to blend, about a minute. Load dough into cookie press and make shapes as desired, pushing dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and spacing cookies 1 inch apart.
• Beat remaining egg with 1 teaspoon water. Using a pastry brush, coat cookies with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar (pearl, sanding and colored sugars all work here), black or white sesame seeds, or poppy seeds. Bake until golden brown and baked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream butter, 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar and salt until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and extracts. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture., Using a cookie press fitted with a disk of your choice, press dough 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until set, 6-8 minutes (do not brown). Remove to wire racks to cool completely., If desired, dip in melted chocolate and let stand until set or, in a small bowl, mix remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar and enough water to reach desired consistency. Dip cookies in glaze; decorate as desired. Let stand until set.