Lemon Butter Spritz Food

BUTTER SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the egg and mix to incorporate; don't worry if the mixture seems to separate.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder and add to the creamed butter. Mix until combined. Using a cookie press, press the cookies onto ungreased baking sheets. Top with sprinkles of your choice. Bake until firm but not yet browning, 6 to 8 minutes. After a few minutes, move cookies to a rack and cool.

LEMON SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
• Beat the butter, granulated sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and both extracts. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
• Fill a cookie press with the dough according to the manufacturer?s directions; press the dough 1 1/2 inches apart onto unlined baking sheets. Decorate with sanding sugar and/or nonpareils.
• Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are golden around the edges, 14 to 17 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on the pans, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

LEMON SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Beat butter and cream cheese together in a bowl using an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, lemon zest, lemon extract, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Add flour and salt gradually until dough is combined.
• Shape dough into small logs; place a log into a cookie press and press out onto ungreased cookie sheets. Repeat with remaining dough logs.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes.

LEMON CHEESE SPRITZ COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS

Steps:

• Cream butter, cream cheese and sugar in a mixer.
• Add egg yolk and flavorings.
• Beat until light.
• Shake flour through a fine sieve with the salt.
• Add this to butter mixture until blended well.
• Force through a cookie press or spritz gun onto cookie sheets.
• Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. UNDERbake these; do not let them brown.
• Makes 6 dozen.

BUTTERY SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, cream butter, 1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar and salt until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in egg and extracts. Gradually beat flour into creamed mixture., Using a cookie press fitted with a disk of your choice, press dough 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until set, 6-8 minutes (do not brown). Remove to wire racks to cool completely., If desired, dip in melted chocolate and let stand until set or, in a small bowl, mix remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar and enough water to reach desired consistency. Dip cookies in glaze; decorate as desired. Let stand until set.

BUTTER SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter; Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
• Beat in egg and almond extract. Blend in flour.
• Divide dough into thirds.
• Add a few drops red food coloring to 1/3, green coloring to 1/3 and leave 1/3 plain.
• Fill cookie press with each color or combine colors for a rainbow effect. Form into desired shapes and decorate. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.
• Makes about 4 dozen.

SPRITZ COOKIES WITH VARIATIONS (AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN)

Steps:

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle position; heat the oven to 375°F In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk, cream, and vanilla with a fork until combined; set aside.
• In a standing mixer, cream the butter, sugar, and salt at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer running at medium speed, add the yolk-cream mixture and beat until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer running at low speed, gradually beat in the flour until combined. Scrape down the bowl and give a final stir with the rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain.
• If using a cookie press to form the cookies, follow the manufacturer's instructions to fill the press; if using a pastry bag (see TECHNIQUE below). Press or pipe cookies onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake, one sheet at a time, until the cookies are light golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet until just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; using a metal spatula, transfer them to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
• FOR LEMON SPRITZ COOKIES: Follow the recipe for Spritz Cookies, adding 1 teaspoon lemon juice to the yolk-cream mixture in step 1 and adding 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest to the butter along with the sugar and salt in step 2.
• FOR ALMOND SPRITZ COOKIES: Grind ½ cup sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons of the flour called for in Spritz Cookies in a food processor until powdery and evenly fine, about 1 minute; combine the almond mixture with the remaining flour. Follow the recipe for Spritz Cookies, substituting 3/4 teaspoon almond extract for the vanilla.
• TECHNIQUE: Filling a Pastry Bag: (1) Make a C shape with one hand and hold the piping bag. Fold the bag over that hand about halfway down, insert the tip, and scrape the dough into the bag. (2) When the bag is about half full, pull up the sides, push down the dough, and twist tightly while again pushing down on the dough to squeeze out any air. (3) Grab the bag at the base of the twist. Using the other hand as a guide, hold the top at a 90-degree angle about 1/2-inch above the baking sheet and squeeze to form the shape.