Pressed butter cookies & classic spritz cookie recipes - Click Americana (2024)

FAQs

What is the trick to making spritz cookies? ›

Compare both cookie recipes and you'll notice that Spritz cookie recipes contain an ingredient that shortbread butter cookies do not. It is an egg. Yes, the addition of a single egg makes a huge difference. It makes the dough softer, more pliable and very easy to shape into “stable” designs.

If it's too cold, it'll be hard to squeeze out of the pres. If it's too warm, it'll be too soft, and it won't hold its shape when baked. Holding your hand on the tube will warm the dough, so try to use just one hand on the trigger – place your other hand on the cookie sheet to keep it from moving.

Do not use parchment paper or a Silpat mat. The dough will not stick when pressed. Light colored baking sheets produce lighter colored cookie. Dark pans promote browning.

Use an ungreased cookie sheet.

Greasing your pan will cause your cookies to spread, so make sure to use an ungreased baking sheet. Also avoid using parchment paper on your cookie sheet.

The Problem: The Butter Is Too Soft

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

Simply adding the flour to the stand mixer and beating it in runs the risk of overdeveloping gluten and giving you a tough or dense cookie (not what you want after all that work with the creaming). Instead, the best method is to add the flour and mix it in by hand, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains.

Improper flour measurement is the #1 cause of your cookie dough being too dry or the cookies tasting like flour.

If tinting the dough you should mix the food coloring in now then add the flour and mix until combined. Fill your cookie press and choose a pattern then press cookies onto an unlined and ungreased baking sheet. You can decorate with sprinkles before or after baking see notes.

When cookie dough is too sticky, you may have an imbalance of wet and dry ingredients. You can fix this by adding a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch at a time until your dough is just how you want. The added flour or cornstarch will absorb the excess liquid and reduce the dough's overall stickiness.

How to keep spritz cookies from spreading? ›

Use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Coating your baking sheet with nonstick spray or butter creates an overly greasy foundation, causing the cookies to spread. I always recommend a silicone baking mat because they grip onto the bottom of your cookie dough, preventing the cookies from spreading too much.

However, an electric cookie press gives you a consistent and continuous pressing, which is ideal especially when decorating with icing. It can also save you time over a manual model. Note that using an electric cookie press does not mean you can press heavier doughs and batters.

Too cold and it won't release, too warm and your cookies may lose their shape. If you find the dough has gotten too warm, put it in the fridge for a couple minutes until it's at the right consistency. Once your dough is ready, simply roll it into a log shape. This will make it much easier to load into the press.

*If your cookies are not sticking to the cookie sheet well, try refrigerating the pans for 10 to 15 minutes to chill them. Dough sticks better to a cooler sheet. Never use non-stick cookie sheets!

It is the shiny or glossy side of the parchment paper that should be face up on your baking sheet or cake pan. That way the shiny side can be in contact with your food and make the clean-up easy.

Grease Your Pan

If the recipe calls for a greased pan or sheet, our Test Kitchen recommends using shortening, which spreads less than butter because it melts at a higher temperature. Here's how: Apply a little bit of shortening to a paper towel or piece of waxed paper.