Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Armed and Delicious!

As its December, I spend most of my time in the beginning of the month baking Christmas cookies. I make around 20 different kinds and I try to have them all done by the 15th so that I can mail them off to various friends that have become dear to me over the years and the places I've travelled. A lot of my Christmas cookie recipes are standard. So, I've decided to only blog about the "special" ones. And oh yeah, the yummy ones.

These lovely crisp, yet melt in your mouth, buttery spritz cookies came to me in a doctor's office waiting room in Indiana. I was the first appointment of the day and the doctor was already running half an hour late. I later decided he was a quack. But as I was sitting there that December morning, annoyed at the doctor, I leafed through a current-ish issue of Good Housekeeping. Kelly Ripa was on the cover and I figured as long as I was annoyed, I might as well learn about how this overly perky woman, who seems to have her life all put together, celebrates the holidays.

There at the end of the article was her grandmother's Spritz cookie recipe. Holy Crap! The woman is a twig. I find it hard to believe she snacks on cookies. Cookies with a whole cup of butter in them none the less. I had already gotten my cookie baking done and was making a highly successful gingerbread house (not like this year's model) and I decided I'd give them a shot. Wooo Yay! yummy!


My mom had given me the Super Shooter cookie press several years before, but I didn't really have a good recipe. But now, thanks to Kelly Ripa, I have a delicious recipe. And Spritz cookies always come out so cute.

Grandma Esther's Spritz Cookies
courtesy of Kelly Ripa through Good Housekeeping magazine

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract

Heat oven to 375° F.
Combine butter and sugar, then add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
Load into cookie press. Place dough 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheet.
Bake about 8 minutes or until edges are golden.

3 comments:

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

The Super Shooter would help a lot to make these Spritz. My manual Spritz maker broke several years ago trying to use whipped shortbread dough.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Wow! More delicious baked goodies. I smile every time I see that reindeer on the plate. :)

Deborah said...

What a fun toy!! I was just telling my husband that one day, I want a really huge kitchen and an extra room to store kitchen toys in. There are so many things I would get if I had the space!