Happy holidays everyone! I hope some of you give my Stollen recipe a try. If you’re looking for something a bit quicker to whip up, I have a pretty simple cookie recipe for you today, plus a bonus cookie recipe coming later this week!
On Eggnog
After Thanksgiving, I already miss pie. Yes, I look forward to the bounty of holiday cookies and breads. But most of all, I look forward to eggnog. As a kid, I thought eggnog was the work of the devil. Or some concoction made by Krampus to scare children. Well, I grew up and now I love the stuff. It’s essentially drinking custard! Although its lovely plain, adding liquor sends it to heaven. The sharpness and warmth from the brandy, rum, vodka, or whisky balances out the richness and sweetness. (One of my friends makes her sublime homemade nog with all four liquors mentioned.) I don’t make my own…yet. I swear by the eggnog made by Organic Valley. Of course, I top mine with a lot of freshly grated nutmeg, and I add a glug of Bourbon or Calvados. For all of those eggnog haters out there: You’re missing out.
On Spritz Cookies
Let me tell you something about spritz cookies. I never liked these uniform little cookies. They often showed up on the plate as a bland, brightly colored cookie that may as well have been made by a machine. Neither soft or crisp, they rarely tasted like anything. As a kid, I didn’t touch them, instead reaching for something more decadent…with chunks.
I didn’t make a spritz cookie until two years ago. I became a fan of piped butter cookies such as Viennese Whirls. Then I learned that those piped cookies are made from practically the same buttery dough as spritz cookies. So, I invested in a cookie press and never looked back. These crisp, shortbread-adjacent jewels make the perfect little treat. Just a few bites of not-too-sweet buttery bliss.
The dough for spritz whips up quickly and you can flavor it so many ways (spices, extracts, etc.). I brought a huge container of vanilla bean spritz cookies to my office last year, and my colleagues came back for seconds, thirds, and fourths.
Sidebar: As a kid, someone told me that spritz were made with a “cookie gun.” I pictured a Nerf gun that shot out cookies. I was really disappointed when I saw a spritz gun (AKA a cookie press) for the first time. I wanted cookies flying through the air and with someone positioned to catch them on a sheet pan.
Spritz Tips
Using European style butter like Kerrygold or Plugra will give you an easier time making these cookies. The higher fat content and better malleability makes this dough easier to work with and press. Plus, these are butter-forward cookies, so better butter means better cookies.
Press the cookies onto a clean, dry, ungreased and unlined cookie sheet. If you line or grease the pan, the cookies won’t stick to the pan. They’ll stick to the cookie press instead, and you don’t want that. They’re so buttery that after baking, they pop right off of the pan.
What kind of cookie press do I use? I love my OXO Cookie Press. It works like a charm with this recipe. If you don’t have one, ask friends or family if you can borrow theirs!
Do I need a cookie press? Nope. You will need a piping bag and a large star tip nozzle. Simply pipe 1 ½-inch round wreaths or squiggles.
Freezing your spritz cookies! This year I learned that you can press out the cookies onto the sheet pan, then freeze the baking pan full of cookies. Once the cookies freeze solid, you can pop them off of the sheet pan (I use an offset spatula), and put them into an airtight container and keep frozen. Bake them right from frozen, just add another minute or so to the bake time. I made a big batch in early December then froze them so that I can I bake fresh ones anytime I am assembling a cookie box or bringing treats to a party. The unbaked cookies last in the freezer for about a month.
Baking: I put my oven rack in the second position down from the top AKA one position up from the middle. This works best in my oven to ensure that the cookies bake well and don’t brown too much on the bottom.
On to the recipe! Today I’m sharing these Eggnog Spritz Cookies, but later this week I’ll be sending out a bonus newsletter with a recipe for (gluten free!) Spiced Chocolate Buckwheat Spritz Cookies.
Eggnog Spritz Cookies
The key to these cookies is a lot of freshly ground nutmeg and a glug of rum extract. Freshly ground nutmeg tastes ten times better than the pre-ground stuff. I have a dedicated nutmeg grinder that I use a lot this time of year. The rum extract gives these cookies that boozy taste we love in our eggnog, and the dash of custard powder adds color and a touch of flavor. These spritz aren’t too sweet, so they warrant a sprinkling of nonpareils. Perfect with a glass of eggnog, obviously.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen and a few others.
Makes about 4-6 dozen small spritz cookies.
227 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, preferably Kerrygold, at room temperature
133 g (2/3 cup) granulated sugar or superfine/caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly-ground nutmeg
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream (or half-and-half)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons rum extract (yes, rum extract)
20 g (about 2 Tablespoons) Bird’s custard powder*
260 g (2 cups plus about 1 Tablespoon) all-purpose flour
Nonpareils or sprinkles for decorating
*If you don't have custard powder, substitute 20 g cornstarch plus 1/8 tsp ground turmeric.
Heat the oven to 375F with a rack on the top third of the oven. In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter, sugar, salt, and ground nutmeg. With a paddle attachment, mix on low speed for 1 minute, then increase to medium speed and beat for 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl and paddle down. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and cream together with a fork. Add the yolk mix, vanilla extract, and rum extract to the butter mixture and beat on medium-low speed for about 30 seconds to combine. Scrape the bowl and the paddle, then add the custard powder. Mix on low speed to combine thoroughly then add the flour. Pulse the mixture until the flour is moistened and then mix on lowest speed for a few seconds until the batter comes together into a soft, sticky dough. It shouldn't stick to your fingers too much.
Fill your cookie press. I fill my press by rolling a bit of dough into a log first, then putting it into the press. (Check your cookie press instructions for other tips on filling it.) Press the cookies out onto a a clean, dry, unlined, un-greased sheet pan according to the manufacturer's instructions. Or fill a piping bag with a large open star nozzle and pipe the cookies into 1 ½ inch round wreaths or circles. Sprinkle your sprinkles.
Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes until the cookies just start to turn golden brown near the bottom. Everyone's oven works differently, so keep an eye on these cookies. They go from underbaked to overbaked in a jiffy.
Let the cookies cool on the rack for 10 minutes, then place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Happy Baking,
Martin
Hello. I found your newsletter by total happenstance and look forward to it every single time. I have question about your Spritz cookies. What can I substitute that single yolk with? We are all allergic to eggs in this family. Thank you for your advice in advance