Holiday Traditions Old and New: Spritz Cookies

December 11, 2014  •  Desserts,

spritz cookies 4-1Holiday traditions are something that are developed over time, and reinforced as the traditions are repeated, year after year. It could be a family outing to cut down the tree together. A Christmas eve caroling party. Making gifts for family and friends.spritz cookies 1-1For me, I’ll always remember making holiday cookies with my mom when I was a young child. We always made Italian wedding cookies (little shortbread textured cookies rolled in powdered sugar) because they were my dad’s favorites. And we always made Spritz cookies, these delicious pressed butter cookies, because they were the favorite among us kids.spritz cookies 2-1But holiday traditions change over time because families change. My mom, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease in an assisted living facility, lost her ability to cook years ago. My dad, who played Santa for 40 years, passed away in 2012. My own kids are grown and out of the nest.spritz cookies 5-1So that leaves my husband and me in what I call “the in between stage of life” – after children, but before grandchildren – struggling to make our own new holiday traditions. We now decorate the tree alone – but linger over the years of ornaments that we’ve been gifted from my college best friends. If we end up alone on Christmas Eve, we crash a family party at a friend’s house (they have lots of grandchildren already, which makes it fun). We watch old holiday movies still, because they just get you in the mood. And every year, I still make Spritz cookies, because they remind me of my mom and dad. I hope you are sharing in some wonderful holiday traditions this year!

Classic Spritz Cookies
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 5 dozen
Ingredients
  • 3 sticks of butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon green food coloring, optional
  • 3½ cups flour
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sugar together in a mixer, then add cream, vanilla, baking powder, and food coloring and mix together. With the mixer slowly running, add the flour a little at a time until fully combined. Turn off mixture and knead the dough a bit with your hands to make sure it is smooth and pliable.
  2. Press the dough through a cookie press or a piping bag onto baking sheets lined with silicone baking liners and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let cool on the sheets before storing in a covered container.

 

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