Spritz cookies

[mkfradin]

I've been wanting to make buttery, crisp, crunchy and melt-in-your mouth spritz cookies in all different shapes for the holidays. Unfortunately, all of the recipes I've been trying have failed me in one way or another. Either the cookie is insipid, too bready, or just too blah, or the cookie tastes wonderful but cannot be piped out of the cookie press (it's too firm to stick to the parchment on the sheet).

I don't have a problem using a pastry bag to pipe some shapes, but others, such as Christmas wreathes and trees, must be piped from the press.

Does anyone have a tried and true, failsafe recipe that they'd be able to share? I would consider it quite a holiday gift! Thanks!

Marjorie

[KatieM]

I don't know if this would be the "ultimate" recipe, but it is my German grandmother's recipe, and it has always worked well for me. If you want them crispy, bake them longer. Personally, I like mine just barely set and kind of gooshy, but the range for baking is 8-14 minutes, so it's all about how you like them.

1 cup soft butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 egg

2 t vanilla (or 1t vanilla and 1 t almond, depending on your taste. I prefer the almond addition myself)

2 1/4 cups ap flour (you may need more)

1/2 t salt

Combine butter, sugar, egg, and extracts. Sift flour and salt together, then add. Chill dough, then press onto ungreased cookie sheets. I find they stick better when you press, release your pressure on the cookie press, THEN lift it up. Kind of like when you're piping, actually. Bake at 400 for 8-14 minutes, depending on how you like your cookies. Hope this helps your quest!

Katie

[derricks]

The most recent issue of Cook's Illustrated (looks to LARGE pile of magazines to his left)--I think--has an article on these kinds of cookies. Of course, their idea of perfect may vary from yours, but you can be sure they made eighty quintillion batches.

[albiston]

My favorite are cornmeal spritz cookies from piemonte called crumiri. Could be that I love them because they're the first ones I really liked, and as the saying goes, you never forget your first love .

The cornmeal addition makes for an interesting and unusual taste, and they can be made even more delicious by dipping them in tempered (for looks) dark chocolate. But then, what doesn't taste better dipped in chocolate?

The recipe is easy. I started using Carol Field's from The Italian Baker, which tatses OK, but had to play around a bit to get the dough stiffness right to get the cookies to look right too. You can find the recipe I use on my blog.

[Redsugar]

The dough works best if it's slightly cool, but not too stiff. Do you experiment with different nozzles? Some finesse is required to gauge the precise feel for each template and batch of dough. (That je ne sais quoi quality that's so recurrent in baking!) I always try several different ones with each batch on my 10-y.o. SAWA model (much superior to that bloody old screw-fed Mirro!). Using the very best quality baking sheet is important as well to ensure even transmission of heat. Make contact with the sheet each time you’re pressing out the dough. Silicone baking pads are requisite, but one of the most crucial factors is that everything must at a slightly cool temperture. Make sure that the cookies adhere properly to the sheet liner. When baked, Spritz cookies ought to have only a pale golden color underneath – excepting, of course, the chocolate versions.

I agree that Field’s Crumiri dough isn’t formulated to be quite firm enough to shape suitably through the templates – it is, however, decent to squeeze through a plain piping tip, as she suggests. The cormeal does gives nice texture.

Citrus-flavored spritz cookies are appealing. I'll pull out some of my recipes later today. Meanwhile, a compendium of 495 recipes.

[Wendy DeBord]

I don't think I own the perfect recipe for this yet......so I'm sorry I don't have a recipe to offer up. But I found this rather shocking, yet it worked.............so I'm passing it on: I worked at a bakery that microwaved their dough so it was warmer and easier to pipe with a pastry bag. When I first saw them do that my jaw literally dropped to the ground.............but son of a gun........it worked with-out effecting their finished cookie.

[Chef Shogun]

I'll just see what my mom does and get back to you .

[pidge]

btw, try to not use parchment. ideally the dough should be buttery enough to slide off of clean, smooth baking sheets. i've used many recipes over the years....my only requirement is that i bump up the almond extract so ythey taste like grandma's.

[mkfradin]

To follow up to others' comments/suggestions:

--I do use parchment, but when I use the press, I hold the parchment down around the nozzle so it doesn't lift up.

--I do stop squeezing before I lift (years of cake decorating, "squeeze, release, lift" are ingrained in my brain)

--I've read that the dough should be warm and soft (a la Sinclair--thanks for the microwave tip, btw), but elsewhere, that it should be cool. I'm thinking for my purposes, a warm soft dough would yield a crisper cookie than a cooler dough (which would have less flour or binding than a dough that would have to be warm to be sqeezed, am I making sense??)

Also, I read yesterday, after posting, that some freeze their sheets before piping to make the cookies stick better. Anyone do this???

I'm off to the kitchen to stir up some cookies. thanks for the help.

Marjorie

[scott123]

For the quintessential spritz recipe, turn no further than the grandmommy of all German American cookbooks, Betty Crocker. That's the recipe my German grandmother used.

The recipe can be found here.

Any recipe for spritz will only give you a rough picture, though. Even with a good recipe it's still easy to make mediocre cookies.

Here's the extent of my 'beyond the recipe' spritz making knowledge.

Cooking Utensil

A thick aluminum cookie sheet is the right tool for the job. Both parchment and silpat will insulate the dough and affect the rate of colorization. These cookies have plenty of butter - with a spatula and quick hands they can be easily removed to the cooling rack.

Temperature

When you extrude dough through a die, a jagged porous uneven edge is formed. I'm sure tool and die manufacturers have a name for it. I don't. This porosity helps extruded pasta soak up sauce better. In extruded cookies, it creates nooks and crannies that dissolve quickly when they hit saliva.

This jaggedy extrusion is your goal. The warmer the dough, the less jagged the extrusion. The colder the dough, the more likely the dough will tear as you dispense it. The worst temperature scenario is dough with varying temps - a room temperature lump that's been refrigerated briefly, for instance. The warm part of the dough will go through the die faster than the cold and you'll end up with a ribbony mess.

In a perfect world (or a commercial kitchen) one would have a dedicated spritz dough (and croissant dough) refrigerator set to 55. This provides a good amount of jaggedness to the extrusion without tearing.

How does one achieve this not quite fridge temp but not quite room temp throughout the entirety of the dough?

Well, I'm still working on it, but here's the workarounds I have so far. If you have a 55 degree day outside, leave the dough outside for a few hours. I've taken to chilling the disk shaped dough thoroughly, mixing it briefly with my warm hands and then leaving it out for about 15 minutes while the gluten relaxes. A well sealed package/55 degree water bath might work.

Resting

Not a lot of recipes include a resting phase. Gluten is not the friend of these cookies. A 15 minute rest between mixing/pressing and then another after pressing helps immeasurably.

Sifting

Always sift your dry ingredients in recipe where gluten is to be minimalized. Separate particles of flour = faster incorporation with wet = less mixing = less gluten formation = tender cookies

Shape

Shape plays a massive role in the way these cookies impact the palate. I've never had a round (pressed from above) spritz that wasn't mealy textured. Thin is the only way to achieve a melt in your mouth texture.

The top die in the picture is the one to use. Everything else results in too thick of a cookie. The ridges also help to provide flakiness/tenderness and a quicker burst of flavor.

Dispense lines running the entire length of the cookie sheet, chill in the freezer briefly and then cut the lines into individual cookies.

Flavorings

Play around with the vanilla/almond extracts all you want, but be aware of one thing. These are neither almond cookies nor vanilla cookies. These are butter cookies. That's the first taste that should hit you when you take a bite - buttery goodness. Subtlety is key - as a child I considered these insipid. Many people do. Baking them a little longer helps (see below) but if you want an in your face experience, I'd make a different cookie.

Ingredient Substitution

These cookies, when gluten development is minimalized, are extremely tender. You have to be careful when transporting them, since they break on a dime.

If you want to go the extra mile and create the most tender/fragile cookie on the planet, use unbleached (not whole wheat) pastry flour. They'll just about break if you breath on them the wrong way, but the texture is something you'll never forget.

Color

Traditionally, spritz cookies are cooked just until set. When used in combination with cake flour, this produces a pure white cookie. These can be a little too subtle for me. But then I'm not 100% German :) Being half English/Irish, with a strong penchant for shortbreads, I allow a very slight amount of color to enter the picture. If insipidness concerns you, you may want to take a similar route. The key word is slight. Achieving a very slight golden tinge to spritz is a huge pain in the butt. With a 400 degree oven, the window you get for this color is miniscule. I'd venture to say 20 seconds in either direction is tantemount for failure. The effort is worth it, though. I've manage to convert all my German relatives over to the heresy of slightly colored spritz.

Storage

Once they are completely cool, store them at room temp in an air tight cookie tin. If you're making the cookies as a gift or for a party, make them at least 2 days beforehand. The flavor of a spritz benefits tremendously from a day or two of aging.

Edited November 18, 2004 by scott123 (log)

[scott123]

P.S. Microwaving is definitely not recommended. If any part of the dough reaches 150 degrees (f.) the proteins in the egg/flour will begin to cook, compromising the texture of your final product. You'll also end up with a hot outer inch/cold middle. Consistency of temperature is key to extruded cookies.

Edited November 18, 2004 by scott123 (log)

[achevres]

mkfradin, I don't have a recipe for you, but once you do, may I suggest you try what a former co-worker would do. She and her husband would make spritz cookies every Xmas. She used a wreath die (one that would make a round cookie) and would sandwich 2 of them with some apricot jam. The apricot added just the right tart, fruity touch to the creamy, floury cookies.

And, Scott123, thank you so much for the generous treatise on the spritz cookie. Truly one great tip after another. Egulleteers are the greatest!

[ruthcooks]

In my marathon Christmas cookie days, my collection always included at least one chocolate or chocolate-y cookie. For several years, a popular version was brown sugar spritz in the cheese straw shape, sandwiched in pairs with melted chocolate chips.

[mkfradin]

Well, my problem is solved. After reading through the comments the other day, I set about making three batches of dough. I began pressing out onto the parchment, as usual, and then remembered the suggestion of using a silpat. Since I don't have one at my store, I just removed the parchment and the cookies stuck to the sheet! I guess the parchment didn't offer enough purchase for the cookie dough to stick, while my pan did. I baked some with spray and some without and didn't notice a difference. No problem at all removing them from the sheets after they were baked.

All of the recipes yielded cookies that were superior to any version I have made in the past. But the group favorite is a new incarnation of a cookie we already make here, using different flavorings. It's made with half vanilla and half almond, and I will post the recipe in case anyone wants to try it.

Thanks again for everyone's help. It is so great to arrive at such a definitive solution to a problem.

Marjorie

Buttery Spritz Cookies

9 oz./ 250 g. AP flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 c. butter (I use salted; if using fresh, add 1/2 tsp. salt)

5 ¼ oz./ 150 g. sugar

1 yolk

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

350 degree oven.

Mix dry ingredients.

Cream butter and sugar till light. Add yolk and flavor.

Fold in dry ingredients. Mix only to combine.

Press out, and bake till bottoms are very lightly browned (8-10 min).

[cakewalk]

A while ago I bought an Oxo cookie press, thinking I'd be able to make a simple, tasty Spritz cookie, no problem. Well, I just made my first batch from half the recipe that came with the press. The cookies were awful. Way too sweet, floury, truly awful. I was very disappointed. So I'm trying to find a "tried and true" recipe. Finding this old thread has been very helpful, not to mention eye-opening in terms of how complex such a simple cookie can be. Has anyone made Spritz cookies? Any helpful tips? Comments about the tips above? (And maybe a recipe?) 

[blue_dolphin]

I've had a number of cookie presses and made a lot of pressed cookies. I used recipes written for pressed cookies and adapted others.  I learned it was most important to get the right dough consistency, and in my hands, that varied from press to press.

Most helpful to me was the recommendation to add the flour gradually (3-4 additions) and don't add all the flour unless it's really needed.

My go-to recipe for pressed cookies is an oldie from a Betty Crocker cookbook for Lemon Cream Cheese Pressed Cookies and my favorite variation includes rosemary.  In fact, I've used all the pressed cookie recipes in that book and all work nicely.

Since it's not the classic, simple spritz, you've requested, I won't post the recipe unless someone asks.

 

[Lisa Shock]

Here's the LCB version with a couple of shortcuts for home bakers. (I subbed real eggs for liquid)

 

12oz Almond Paste
6oz Sugar
3/4tsp Salt
12oz Butter
2 Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
1tsp Vanilla Extract
6oz Cake Flour

6 oz Bread Flour

 

Creaming method. Pipe or use a press.

 

Make different flavors by adding any one of the following:

lemon zest, orange zest, cocoa & chocolate extract, anise seeds, mini-chocolate chips, etc.

 

Coloring may also be added.
 

Pipe into shapes. Can be decorated with dabs of jelly, nuts (whole, sliced, crushed), candies (like red-hots, aka cinnamon imperials), hard candy to make windowpanes, glaceed fruits, large crystal sugar (good for the pretzel shaped cookie, makes it look more like a real pretzel), dragees, etc.

 

Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days (IMO), or frozen for use later.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

It's nice to see Betty Crocker getting a little love here.

 

I have not made Spritz in years, though I still have the press. My 1969 Betty Crocker cookbook recipe varies from KatieM's German grandma's recipe only in the amount (less) of sugar, and @scott123 (of pizza perfection fame) also recommends and links to Betty. Then @blue_dolphin came along and made another Betty reference. Betty Crocker used to have some awesome test kitchens and used home cooks for the testing. I don't hesitate to use any recipe in there unless I just don't care for the ingredients.

 

scott123's link no longer brings one to the current Spritz recipe, so here is a working one. It varies from my 1969 version only in that it calls for only 1/4 t of extract and mine calls for a full t.

 

I never used parchment and had never even heard of a silpat when I was making these.

 

The BC recipe does not call for chill time, is easy to press, but as you can see from the photos on the website is not as sharp and defined in holding the shape as some I have seen. I can attest to the flavor and texture being great, though. I wish I could still make and eat these because they are delicious.

 

ETA: I'm pretty sure I cooked these longer for my desired result, but don't hold me to it after almost 30 years. scott123 has some enlightenment on color (which affect crispness and flavor) above. KatieM also addresses baking time and personal preference.

 

 

Edited December 13, 2016 by Thanks for the Crepes (log)

[cakewalk]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

My go-to recipe for pressed cookies is an oldie from a Betty Crocker cookbook for Lemon Cream Cheese Pressed Cookies and my favorite variation includes rosemary.  In fact, I've used all the pressed cookie recipes in that book and all work nicely.

Since it's not the classic, simple spritz, you've requested, I won't post the recipe unless someone asks.

 

I'm asking! I'm asking! Spritz cookies are new to me, I didn't even realize so many variations existed. Thank you!

[cakewalk]

Thanks for the working link to the Betty Crocker recipe, I think that will be my next attempt. I'm also curious about the adaptation of the Carol Field recipe mentioned above. And almond paste - I haven't seen that in any of the recipes I've looked through so far. I think it's a great idea flavor-wise, but it might make piping and/or pressing difficult. I'd like to try a small batch of that recipe. 

 

Thanks to everyone for the input. (Keep it coming!!)

[Lisa Shock]

I would like to point out that some recipes referenced in this thread contain baking powder. This is a bad idea in a cookie where you want to see the efforts of you piping, or the details from your press. The formula I gave will rise a little due to the creaming of the butter, plus a little lift from the eggs. But, you will definitely be able to see the shapes you pipe, and the stripes made by a star tip.

 

One last tip, if using jam or jelly, wet a finger in water and make a small depression to hold it so that it doesn't boil all over the place.

[cakewalk]

6 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

I would like to point out that some recipes referenced in this thread contain baking powder. This is a bad idea in a cookie where you want to see the efforts of you piping, or the details from your press. The formula I gave will rise a little due to the creaming of the butter, plus a little lift from the eggs. But, you will definitely be able to see the shapes you pipe, and the stripes made by a star tip.

 

One last tip, if using jam or jelly, wet a finger in water and make a small depression to hold it so that it doesn't boil all over the place.

I was wondering about the baking powder, I noticed its on-again/off-again appearance. I agree, the lightness it might add to the cookie's texture is kind of self-defeating in terms of its shape and contours. I was also wondering about different flours used. I don't like King Arthur AP Flour for cakes (protein level is too high), but I do often like it for cookies. I used it for the Spritz cookies I made yesterday, and I'm wondering if that's why the cookies tasted too floury. (Actually I think it was just a bad recipe.) I noticed the combination of cake/bread flour above. What does that contribute? Thanks so much for your input.

[blue_dolphin]

Lemon-Cheese Pressed Cookies, per Betty Crocker's Cookbook (1969 edition, like @Thanks for the Crepes!)

 

1 cup butter, softened

3 oz cream cheese

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 t grated lemon peel (I use more)

1 T lemon juice

2.5  c all-purpose flour

1 t baking powder

 

Cream together the butter, cream cheese & sugar - don't over cream! Blend in remaining ingredients.  Test dough for consistency before adding all the flour.

Chill 1 hour.   Fill cookie press and make shapes on an ungreased baking sheet.  

Bake 8-10 min at 375 F 

Makes ~ 5 doz cookies

 

This recipe does contain the contraindicated baking powder.  I've seen similar recipes online that omit it and add a bit of salt.

 

I know this is an abomination, but when I was a kid, I used to make these in all sorts of pretty pastel colors and flavors by dropping the sugar to 2/3 cup and adding a 3oz package of Jello along with the sugar.   They were very pretty 

[cakewalk]

Thanks for the recipe, I will give that a go. I think I would add salt anyway, with our without the baking powder. I know the cream cheese contains some salt, but I think an extra pinch or two will be good. What is the consistency I'm looking for as I add the flour? I never thought Spritz cookies would involve so much trial and error! But when they're good, they are so good. (And I've seen comments from people mentioning the jello thing. Besides the pretty colors, it must have done something for the texture of the cookie. I mean, gelatin.) Thanks again.

[blue_dolphin]

Well, Betty  says the dough should be soft and pliable, but not crumbly.   She suggests putting a little dough in the cookie press to test, then adding a little egg or more flour to adjust. It's admittedly harder to gauge with a dough like this one that specifies chilling.

@scott123 did a good job of explaining the texture in his post above.  As he suggests, it may be easier to adjust the texture by chilling or warming the dough a bit.  You want a little bit of jaggy-ness when it comes out of the press, but not so much they fall apart or so little that they lose their shape.

 

Edited December 13, 2016 by blue_dolphin (log)