Holiday Spritz Cookies - Cooks Illustrated

Published November 1, 2004.

That golden-swirled kiss of a holiday cookie often ends up bland, gummy, and tasteless. Why can't spritz cookies taste as good as they look?

The Problem

This Scandinavian cookie has fallen victim to recipe modifications, such as the use of vegetable shortening instead of butter, an overload of eggs, and an excess of starchy confectioners' sugar.

The Goal

Spritz cookies should be light, crisp, buttery treats--the life of any holiday party.

The Solution

The success of these confections rests primarily in the management of a finicky ingredient list. Carefully balancing the butter, sugar, flour, egg (yolk only), heavy cream (just a drop), vanilla, and salt is the only recipe for success--a few simple ingredients gathered in the proper proportions. Creaming the butter and sugar in traditional fashion worked well and produced a dough light enough to easily press or pipe the cookies. Can you use either a cookie press or a pastry bag for shaping? Yes--it's a personal choice.

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