Italian Butter (Spritz) Cookies

I do admire people who post Christmas cookie recipes prior to Christmas! 😉

This recipe was adapted from one of my absolute favorite books, Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland by Shauna Sever. I used almond extract, Irish butter, a cookie press, and baked the cookies on convection. Simple and classic.

They can be made in any shape to suit the season. The original recipe also suggests topping the cookies with sprinkles, sparkling colored sugars, or drizzling or sandwiching them with chocolate.

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

• 8 oz (225 g) unsalted European-style butter, at room temperature (I used Kerrygold)
• 120 g (1 cup) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp pure almond, lemon, or anise extract
• 256 g (2 cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• sprinkles or sparkling colored sugars, optional
• melted dark or white chocolate for drizzling, optional

1. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F (180 C), preferably on convection.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. (Silicone liners make piping a little bit easier because the they don’t lift up as the cookie press or piping tip pulls away.)(I used both!)
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy.
4. Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to beat until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and the additional extract of your choice. Blend for 1 minute more.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder. Scrape down the bowl well and make sure the dough is well mixed.
7. Immediately transfer the dough to a cookie press or a heavy-duty piping bag fitted with a large open star tip, such as Ateco #826.
8. Spritz the cookies onto the prepared baking sheets. If using a pastry bag, pipe the cookies into desired shapes- aim for cookies about 2 inches (5 cm) wide, spaced about 2 inches apart.
9. Decorate with sprinkles or sparkling sugars, if desired.
10. Refrigerate on the sheets for about 15 minutes, or freeze for 5 minutes. (I placed the parchment on a plastic cutting board in the freezer.)
11. Bake until lightly golden at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Cookies on parchment will brown faster; those on silicone mats will need a little more time to color.
12. Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets for 2 or 3 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. To finish non-sprinkled cookies, drizzle or sandwich with melted dark or white chocolate, if desired.

Meyer Lemon Pizzelle

I love a crispy pizzelle! I was first introduced to these traditional Italian cookies by a friend who made them every year for our kids’ preschool Christmas celebration. They were so pretty and delicious that I put a pizzelle iron on my holiday wishlist. 🙂 Eating them with ice cream made me understand why my husband loves waffle cones too. This is a wonderful version with subtle lemon flavor.

This special dessert recipe was adapted from a Food 52 community pick, contributed by Hilarybee. I used lemon extract but may try orange next time. I also increased the amount of Meyer lemon zest and added salt.

The original recipe also recommends serving them filled with pastry cream or mousse or sandwiched with a little bit of lemon curd. Yum!

• 3/4 cup plus 2 T granulated sugar
  
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature (I place them in a bowl of warm water)
  
• 1 stick of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pure orange or pure lemon extract
  
• zest of 2 Meyer lemons
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1/8 tsp coarse salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  

1. Whisk to combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. Combine the sugar and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium speed for 1 to 2 minutes until well incorporated. Note: The eggs must be at least room temperature; cold eggs will result in an unworkable batter.
3. Slowly drizzle the melted butter into the mixture, while mixing on medium speed.
4. Add the extracts followed by the zest.
5. On low-speed, add the flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Alternate between medium and low-speed while beating in the flour. (I turn it to low while pouring in the flour; medium to incorporate the flour before adding more).
6. The batter should have a satin sheen to it, but should be light and stiff. If your batter is too liquid, add more flour, a tablespoon at a time until the batter is stiff.
7. Using a tablespoon scoop, place dollops of batter into the iron. The cookies take about 25-30 seconds in the iron.

Note: Fresh, hot cookies can be rolled or shaped into cups. I shaped them into cups by placing a hot cookie on the base of a juice glass and then topped it with an inverted glass prep bowl. The cookies cool very quickly and maintain the shape.