Say Hello to the Holidays: Colleen's Spritz Cookie Recipe

A special thanks Colleen for sharing a fun family cookie recipe today! I’ve been reading Colleen’s blog for a couple of years now, and believe me–her recipes never disappoint!!!

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My favorite part of the holidays are the memories, the making of news ones to be treasured, and recreating old family traditions. When I think about holidays when I was growing up I have warm memories of our cozy home, my loving parents, and all the things we enjoyed doing together…helping my mom in the kitchen to prepare for a family gathering, the way she would prepare our home for visitors, helping my dad hang the lights on the house and volunteering with him at the Lion’s Club tree lot.

Since meeting Keith over ten years ago I’ve come to love and enjoy some if his family’s traditions as well, including a Day After Thanksgiving visit to the tree farm to cut down trees and a pre-Christmas cookie baking day where we all gather at Keith’s mom’s house to bake dozens and dozens of cookies alllll day long. It’s quite exhausting but even more fun!

I’m sure if asked, most everyone in my husband’s family would say that the Spritz Cookies their grandma would make jars full of are everyone’s very favorite. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting her, they’ve become a favorite cookie of mine too. They’re simple to make, cute and delicious!

So, if you’re looking for some tasty cookies to bake this Christmas please consider these!

This is the cookie press I use every year. Keith’s mom gave it to me the first Christmas he and I were dating. I’ve heard of other people making savory crackers with the press as well, although I’ve never tried it myself.

I used the Wilton recipe for this batch and added green food coloring to some of it to make the Christmas tree cookies. Makes 7-8 dozen cookies.

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon no-color almond extract

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. In bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; beat until combined. Do not chill. Fill cookie press with dough and with desired disks, press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheet.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet on cooling rack. Remove from sheet; cool completely.