Best Spritz Cookies With Variations Americas Test Kitchen Recipes

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SPRITZ COOKIES WITH VARIATIONS (AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN)



Spritz Cookies With Variations (America's Test Kitchen) image

A perfect spritz cookie recipe (with lemon and almond variations) from the folks at Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen. This recipe includes detailed instructions for piping which you can ignore if you're experienced. If using a pastry bag, use a star tip to create the various shapes. For stars, a 1/2- to 5⁄8-inch tip works best, but for rosettes and S shapes, use a 3/8-inch tip (measure the diameter of the tip at the smallest point). To create stars, hold the bag at a 90-degree angle to the baking sheet and pipe the dough straight down; stars should be about 1 inch in diameter. To create rosettes, pipe the dough while moving the bag in a circular motion, ending at the center of the rosette; rosettes should be about 1 1/4 inches in diameter. To create S shapes, pipe the dough into compact S's; they should be about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. If you make an error while piping, the dough can be scraped off the baking sheet and repiped. We had the best results baking these cookies one sheet at a time. When reusing a baking sheet, make sure that it has completely cooled before forming more cookies on it. Unbaked dough can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days; to use, let it stand at room temperature until softened, about 45 minutes. Baked cookies will keep for more than a week if stored in an airtight container or zipper-lock bag. Recipe makes 6 dozen 1 1/2-inch cookies.

Provided by blucoat

Categories     Dessert

Time 1h

Yield 72 1 1/2-inch cookies

Number Of Ingredients 7

1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool (2 sticks)
2/3 cup sugar (about 4 3/4 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces)

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.

SOFT PEPPERMINT SPRITZ COOKIES



Soft Peppermint Spritz Cookies image

This quick recipe makes a lot of cookies, and the peppermint flavor is a change from traditional spritz cookies. I tint some of the dough green or red, and I leave the rest white. The decorating ideas are endless! —Carole Resnick, Cleveland, Ohio

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories     Desserts

Time 40m

Yield about 10 dozen.

Number Of Ingredients 11

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
Paste food coloring of your choice
Colored sugar, optional

Steps:

  • Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg yolk and extracts. In another bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture., Divide dough in half. Tint 1 portion with food coloring. Using a cookie press fitted with a disk of your choice, press dough 1 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle with colored sugar., Bake until edges are light golden, 10-12 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Freeze option: Freeze cooled cookies in freezer containers. To use, thaw before serving.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 26 calories, Fat 2g fat (1g saturated fat), Cholesterol 6mg cholesterol, Sodium 12mg sodium, Carbohydrate 2g carbohydrate (0 sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 0 protein.

CLASSIC SPRITZ COOKIES



Classic Spritz Cookies image

Beautiful and buttery, these classic butter spritz cookies are the perfect treat for a cookie exchange or special gathering. Creative mix-ins or decorations will make each batch of spritz cookies one that's uniquely your own. Drizzle with melted chocolate, mix in chopped nuts or dried fruit, sprinkle with sparkling sugar, color them to match the season-however you choose to make these iconic butter cookies, we know it they disappoint! Plus, with 72 servings this recipe can be made and shared with everyone at your next cookie swap.

Categories     Dessert

Time 1h15m

Yield 72

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla
Food color, if desired
Currants, raisins, candies, colored sugar, finely chopped nuts, candied fruit or fruit peel, if desired

Steps:

  • Heat oven to 400°F. 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 color.
  • Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes on ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with currants.
  • Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. To decorate cookies after baking, use a drop of corn syrup to attach decorations to cookies.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 45, Carbohydrate 4 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Fat 1, Fiber 0 g, Protein 1 g, SaturatedFat 2 g, ServingSize 1 Serving, Sodium 25 mg

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