Cookie Press

You’ll want a cookie press for this recipe. It’s enjoyable to strive all of the totally different shapes! That is the one I’ve!.

Ingredient Notes

• Butter: You’ll want 1 cup of butter, which is 2 sticks. I all the time use unsalted (candy) butter for baking. It’s vital to melt the butter earlier than making the cookie dough. Take it out of the fridge a minimum of an hour earlier than you begin. To inform if it’s tender sufficient, press it flippantly together with your finger. It is best to be capable to simply make an indentation however the butter ought to nonetheless maintain its form. It shouldn’t be melted or greasy-looking.
• Cream cheese: Select the fitting sort of cream cheese. The recipe requires 4 ounces of normal cream cheese. Don’t substitute reduced-fat, Neufchâtel, cream cheese unfold, or whipped cream cheese. These merchandise have added liquid and it’ll make the cookie dough too tender.
• Sugar: You’ll want a cup of white granulated sugar. These cookies should not overly candy.
• All-Objective Flour: Use common flour that you just usually bake with. Keep away from including an excessive amount of flour which can make your cookie dough too dry. Measure the flour rigorously by scooping it out of the canister or bag right into a measuring cup. Stage the flour off with a straight edge (don’t shake it right down to stage it) to keep away from compacting the flour.
• Egg: Separate the egg white from the egg yolk since you solely want to make use of the egg yolk for this recipe. When you add the entire egg, the dough will likely be too tender.
• Vanilla extract: The nice and cozy taste of vanilla is added to many baked items. Purchase a high quality extract, not imitation vanilla.
• Nutmeg: You should purchase nutmeg that’s already floor or you should purchase entire nutmegs which have a brisker taste. Use a microplane to grate the nutmeg.
• Coloured sugar: I prefer to sprinkle coloured decorator’s sugar on the cookies earlier than baking them so as to add festive contact. It’s a quick and straightforward solution to beautify cookies.

Enjoyable Recipe Variations

• Add totally different flavors. As a substitute of vanilla extract, strive a unique extract. I prefer to range it up with almond extract or lemon extract. When you select peppermint extract, use much less. 1 / 4 teaspoon will possible be sufficient as a result of peppermint could be overpowering.
• Suppose past Christmas. These cookies don’t must be reserved for Christmas! Most cookie press kits include a wide range of designs (mine has a enjoyable pumpkin form and a flower form). You should use totally different coloured sugars to brighten them to match a vacation or depart them plain. We get pleasure from them any time of the yr; they go nicely with a cup of tea or espresso.
• Coloration the dough. Stir meals coloring into the dough to make these cookies festive colours. I desire gel or paste meals coloring as a result of the liquid meals coloring might make the dough too moist.
• Add chocolate. Dip the tops of the cookies into melted chocolate or drizzle chocolate on prime of the cookies for additional decadence. You may add sprinkles or coloured sugar to the chocolate instantly after dipping the cookies.

Cool cookies utterly earlier than storing in an hermetic container. Cream cheese spritz cookies will preserve nicely for as much as 2 weeks on the counter or in a cool place. They are often frozen in a freezer-safe container for a minimum of a month.

Make forward tip: Get a head begin in your baking! You may bake spritz cookies nicely upfront of the vacations and freeze the cookies till you want them. I additionally prefer to preserve a log of slice and bake cookie dough within the freezer, too, like these crispy sand tart cookies, for simple final minute baking. 

• You should definitely enable time to melt the butter and cream cheese. Take away them from the fridge a minimum of an hour earlier than making the dough. Each ought to nonetheless be agency and maintain their form while you flippantly press down (maintain an indentation) however not be squishy, melted, or greasy wanting.

• Once you’re able to get began, preheat the oven to 325°F. In a big mixing bowl, use an electrical mixer to cream collectively butter, cream cheese, and sugar till mild in colour and fluffy.

  1 cup unsalted butter, softened, 4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened, 1 cup granulated sugar

• Add egg yolk and vanilla extract to the butter combination; beat till mixed.

  1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Add flour, nutmeg, and salt; stir till all components are mixed. Dough will likely be fairly tender however ought to maintain its form. Don’t chill the dough or it is going to be too arduous to press by the cookie press.

  2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt

• Utilizing a cookie press, press the cookies out onto unlined baking sheets (see word 2) about an inch aside from one another. If desired, sprinkle with coloured decorator’s sugar earlier than baking.

• Bake for quarter-hour or till agency. The cookies must be mild in colour (not browned). Cool briefly on the baking sheet, then take away the cookies to a wire rack to chill utterly earlier than storing (see word 4).

1. Cream cheese: You should definitely purchase the proper sort of cream cheese. You’ll want 4 ounces of normal full-fat cream cheese. Decreased-fat, Neufchâtel, cream cheese unfold, or whipped cream cheese will NOT work for this recipe as a result of they may make the cookie dough too tender. The dough gained’t work nicely within the press and the cookies will unfold an excessive amount of after they bake.
2. Baking tip: Don’t grease the cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper for this recipe. Nonstick pans don’t work as nicely both. If the floor is simply too slippery, the dough gained’t persist with it however as a substitute keep caught on the cookie press. You’ll find yourself with a messier form. We discovered that a number of the designs are simpler to press than others which might be extra intricate.
3. Yield: The yield might range, relying on which cookie press patterns you utilize. I normally find yourself with 60 to 70 cookies. Vitamin info is considerably arduous to calculate as a result of the cookies can range in dimension, so it is probably not utterly correct.
4. Storage: Cool cookies utterly earlier than storing in an hermetic container. Cream cheese spritz cookies will preserve nicely for as much as 2 weeks on the counter or in a cool place. They are often frozen in a freezer-safe container for a minimum of a month. 

 
Recipe has been retested (10/25) and revised barely to handle the issues expressed by readers. We determined to lower the quantity of cream cheese from 8 ounces to 4 ounces. The cookies prove fantastically each time we make them. For extra baking suggestions and images, consult with the put up above.

Serving: 1cookie, Energy: 60kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 1g, Fats: 3g, Saturated Fats: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fats: 1g, Trans Fats: 0.1g, Ldl cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 11mg, Potassium: 7mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 99IU, Vitamin C: 0.001mg, Calcium: 2mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Vitamin info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.

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