12 Days of Cookies Day 10: Snickerdoodle Spritz

I have never made spritz before. Weird, huh? I’ve baked so many different types of cookies before but never spritz. I’ve heard people say they are hard to make, the dough is tricky to get just right, etc. But I saw this recipe and I really wanted to give them a try. I knew I had a cookie press somewhere in my cupboard (and I even found it!) so I decided to make it happen.

The dough for this is easy to assemble. My dough was nice and soft, although I think it would have been too thick for me to use a pastry bag, which is suggested as an alternative to using a cookie press. I had a hard time figuring out exactly how to use the cookie press, as mine came with no instructions. I didn’t get everything lined up properly at first so the dough wouldn’t squeeze out. I fiddled with it some and it finally started working. I used a large star shaped plate, and now I just need to figure out the other 20 plates that my press came with. That will have to be another day.

There is certainly a knack for pressing the cookies just right onto the baking sheet. Most of mine turned out very nicely, but a few were quite misshapen. I just threw those back in the bowl and pressed them again. This recipe made about 2 dozen cookies, but I think I may make them again just so I have a few more cookies on hand. I’m quite pleased with how my first batch of spritz turned out, and they are especially delicious with the cinnamon sugar topping.

Snickerdoodle Spritz

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla

2/3 cup powdered sugar

2 egg yolks

2 cups flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

Cinnamon sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

In a large mixer bowl, beat together the butter, nutmeg, vanilla and powdered sugar until creamy and light. Add the egg yolks, and stir to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, and then stir the cream, beating until just combined. The mixture should be very soft.

Transfer the dough to a cookie press. Squeeze cookies onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between the cookies. Sprinkle the cookies with cinnamon sugar.

Bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges just barely begin to color. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container.

Recipe from The Arizona Daily Sun