Beautiful, aren't they? You'd never know this morning was the first time I'd ever used a cookie press, would you? Impressed, aren't you?! And why wouldn't you be? Because these are some pretty perfect specimens of Spritz, if I do say so myself.
Was I born with such a masterful command of the cookie press? Not at all. The truth is that this kind of talent is years in the making. And I started practicing decades ago. Because while in fact I hadn't wielded a cookie press before today, I had spent many a day honing "press and shape" skills in my youth. Not with dough, but with DOH. As in Play Doh. As in the Play Dough Fun Factory Jr!!
I don't remember at what point this miracle of modern toy making entered my young life, but I do remember that it was the most exciting thing to happen to Play Doh in like, ever. The Fun Factory Jr. was awesome, providing my brother and me with hours of entertainment. Choose your shape, stuff in the Doh, press, and cut. Voila. Delightful designs in Doh. Just like a cookie press. So, given the back story, I guess it's no wonder that my first attempts at Spritz turned out well.
What I do wonder is why I can't seem to appreciate the subtle flavor and crisp texture of these simple butter cookies. I am "mature" (okay, I try to be mature), and you'd think my tastes would have matured right along with the rest of me. But I have a sneaking suspicion that my tastebuds are stuck in the '70s with the memories of my Fun Factory Jr, back when everything that tasted good was coated in chocolate or rolled in sugar, or both!
Spritz Butter Cookies
Makes 100
Ingredients
Basic Butter Cookie Dough (see below)
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.Fill cookie press, and form cookies on baking sheets according to manufacturer's instructions.
3.If decorating, brush with egg wash, then sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles. Bake until edges are firm (not brown), 10 to 15 minutes. Cool 1 to 2 minutes on baking sheets; cool completely on a rack.
4.Store finished cookies in an airtight container, up to 2 weeks
Basic Butter Cookie Dough
Ingredients
3 cups (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Egg wash, (optional): 1 large egg white, beaten with 2 teaspoons water
Decorating sugar and sprinkles, (optional)
Directions
1.Place flour, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process until mixture is the texture of coarse meal.
2.In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolks and vanilla; with motor running, add to food processor. Process just until a dough forms.
No comments:
Post a Comment