Red and White Spritz Cookies

This recipe combines two very popular types of cookies – a spritz cookie and a thumbprint cookie! The base is slightly sweet and buttery and is perfectly paired with a single candy-coated chocolate. These are slightly crumbly, but not dry, and paired with a red or white M&M candy, these cookies are delicious!

Spritz cookies have to be the most recognizable and the most loved cookie, especially at Christmastime. I know many people experience some difficulty with getting them just right, so I’ll address those issues in this post. You need the right recipe and the right technique. These Red and White Spritz Cookies are perfect for your Canada Day celebrations!

The great thing about spritz cookies is that you can flavour them easily enough by changing up the extract. You can colour them too by adding a bit of food colouring to the dough. Topping a spritz cookie is probably one of the most fun things to do. It was an easy choice to top these with one single red or white M&M candy. That little bit of chocolate adds a burst of flavour to the otherwise classic, buttery spritz cookie.

WHY ARE THEY CALLED SPRITZ COOKIES?

Sprizgeback is the German name for spritz cookies. Like the popular spritz cookie, the cookies are crisp, fragile, somewhat dry, and buttery.

The German verb spritzen means to squirt in English. These cookies are made by squirting (or pushing) the dough through a press that has been fitted with patterned holes. These holes create a resemblance to an object when baked, such as flowers, hearts, stars, and trees!

In North America, the name Spritzgeback is shortened to spritz. In Germany, the cookie is prepared when parents bake with their children. Traditionally, the recipes that are used are passed down to the children.

DON’T HAVE A COOKIE PRESS?

I’m afraid the only answer that I would feel 100% comfortable giving you would be the following: 1. You might want to consider a different cookie recipe. 2. Buy one!

Those responses might seem rather abrasive, which was not my intent, but I’d prefer to be completely honest rather than provide you with some DIY cookie spritzer that does not work and as a result is a waste of your time and your ingredients.

The ONLY option is to roll out the cookies with a rolling pin and to use cookie cutters to cut out the shapes you want. The cookies will look nothing like the Red and White Spritz Cookies you see in the photographs, but they will taste the same.

RECOMMENDATION, NOT AN ENDORSEMENT

Kitchen gadgets are not something that I own much of, and they’re certainly not something that I promote here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen, but I’m going to make an excuse for the cookie press.  The reason for this is simple – I think most of us bakers already have one readily available, and if you don’t, I encourage you to purchase one, because it makes baking cookies so easy and so pretty!

As badly as I’ve wanted one, I’ve often thought that it would be something I’d use once and never use it again.  I’ve also thought that the images of pressed cookies looked top damn perfect, and was of the mind that there was no way a cookie press could get cookies to look that precise and uniform.  I was wrong.  I can’t speak for all cookie presses, but the brand that I have – Marcato – works brilliantly and I couldn’t wait to break it in!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THESE COOKIES

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Butter – Make sure your butter is at room temperature! You can use unsalted butter, but these cookies most certainly taste better with salted butter.
• Confectioner’s Sugar – This superfine sugar is sometimes called powdered sugar.  It is used in frostings quite often.  When dusted lightly onto cakes and cookies, it adds just a touch of sweetness, but more importantly, it looks very visually appealing!
• Eggs – Whenever you set out to bake, make sure your eggs are at room temperature too – just like your butter!
• Vanilla Extract – Probably the most common extract and the most common flavouring used in cakes and cookies.
• Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Baking Powder – This is used to increase the volume of the batter and to add texture as well.
• Red and White M&M Candy

MAKING THE BEST SPRITZ COOKIES

There are a couple of tips that I want to share with you to ensure you have the best Red and White Spritz Cookies experience. First and foremost, please be absolutely sure that your butter, egg, and even the vanilla extract are at room temperature. This will make the dough soft and pliable so that you can squeeze it out of the spritz easily and perfectly.

Secondly, the cookie dough will need something to stick to – let me explain. When you spritz out the cookie dough, the spritzer is flush against the baking sheet. In order for the dough to come off of the spritzer and stick to the pan, the right lining is needed.

You have two choices. First, you can do it right onto the pan. But, I have found that if I do not line my baking sheet first, then the cookies become too dark on the bottom. A sheet of parchment paper makes the job very frustrating. First, it moves around too easily. And, secondly, the dough doesn’t stick to it very well, meaning that when you lift the spritzer up, the dough usually comes with it.

The best results are achieved when using a silicone baking mat. Even when they are super clean, they still have a gel-like, almost sticky/gluey feel to them. It’s the perfect surface to stick the dough too, and they provide a great layer of heat protection between the baking sheet and the bottom of the cookie itself. Perfection every time!

HOW TO MAKE SPRITZ SANDWICH COOKIES

Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone baking mat and set it aside. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar until well combined – about 2 minutes. Add the egg and the vanilla extract. Beat into the butter and sugar mixture until completely incorporated.

Next, sift together the flour, and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and beat until just combined. Load the cookie dough into a cookie press which has been fitted with the disc of your choosing. Press the dough onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1 inch of space between each cookie.

Top the center of each cookie with one red or white M&M candy. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool slightly on the baking sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

STORING, PACKAGING, & FREEZING

When it comes to most cookies, they taste best at room temperature, but they don’t hold up well to being left out on your countertop for long periods of time. Cookies will stay fresh in a cookie jar or food-safe container with a lid for 3-5 days if left to sit on your kitchen countertop. You can store them in a food-safe container in your fridge. When you want one, two, or half a dozen, take them out of the container and place them in a single layer on a plate. Let them sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and they’re ready!

If you plan to freeze your Red and White Spritz Cookies, you certainly can! Once they are completely cooled, pile them into a clean, food-safe container. The container must be freezer friendly! You’ll want to ensure a very tight-fitting lid too. I use these quite often when freezing baked goods. I like to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of the container before pushing the lid on. This helps to create a better seal. The goal is to keep all of that freshness locked in!  You can freeze these cookies for up to three months.