Spritz Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (226g)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (293g)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream butter, salt, and sugar together in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk. Add the egg, almond extract, and vanilla until combined then scrape down the bowl.
3. If tinting the dough you should mix the food coloring in now then add the flour and mix until combined.
4. Fill your cookie press and choose a pattern then press cookies onto an unlined and ungreased baking sheet.
5. You can decorate with sprinkles before or after baking see notes. Bake at 350F for about 8 minutes or until the bottoms are JUST starting to turn golden.

NOTES

• Sprinkles can bleed color and even melt in the oven. You can decorate the cookies after baking by brushing with corn syrup or icing then adding sprinkles, nonpareils, etc.
• Use an unlined and ungreased cookie sheet/tray or the cookies won't stick to the tray as you are pressing them out.
• Add the food coloring a little at a time until you reach the desired color, you can't take it away once it's added.
• I find that gel food coloring works best so you don't change the consistency of the dough too much before pressing through the cookie press.
• If you want to decorate these cookies with icing then follow this super easy sugar cookie icing recipe and mix it to a slightly thinner consistency.
• If you decide to use icing make sure the cookies are cooled completely before decorating them and don't add any sprinkles before baking.
• The cookies bake quickly so keep an eye on them, you don't want them to brown they should just be starting to turn ever so slightly golden at the edges.
• Allow the cookies to firm up for a few minutes after baking before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely.