Christmas Cookies: Chocolate Spritz

This is week nine in our 12 Cookies of Christmas series, and Bumblebee is showing off our new cookie press courtesy of Aunt Lizzie.

We are trying out a traditional press cookie called a spritz. My Mom’s 1959 Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook describes this cookie as “crisp, fragile, buttery-tasting curlicues. We decided to make the chocolate variation of this recipe. 

Spritz cookies are originally from Germany. By the 1500s, Christmas cookies had caught on all over Europe. German families baked up pans of Lebkuchen and buttery Spritz cookies. Papparkakor (spicy ginger and black-pepper delights) were favorites in Sweden; the Norwegians made krumkake (thin lemon and cardamom-scented wafers). The earliest Christmas cookies in America came ashore with the Dutch in the early 1600s.”
—”America’s Best Holiday Cookies,” McCall’s [magazine], December 1994 (p.85)

While I was downloading this picture, my two helpers ate this entire plate of cookies!  Do you think they liked them?

Here’s the recipe circa 1959: Chocolate Spritz

Mix together thoroughly: 1 cup soft butter, 2/3 cup sugar, 3 egg yolks, 1 tsp. flavoring (almond of vanilla), 2 sq. unsweetened chocolate (2 oz.) melted.

Work in with the hands: 2 1/2 cups sifted GOLD MEDAL Flour

Force the dough through cookie press onto an ungreased baking sheet in letter S’s, rosettes, fluted bars, or other desired shapes. Bake in a 400 degree F 7 to 10 minutes until set, please note ,I took my cookies out after 5 minutes because they were browning too much on the bottom.

Please join Bridget for 12 Crafts of Christmas over at the Ivey League.  This week she has searched the web for great crafting ideas, and is sharing all of her frugal finds.

Here’s the ranking for our cookies for taste testers ages 3 to 10:

First Place: Chocolate Chip Bars

Second Place: Chocolate Spritz (see a trend here?)

Third Place: Thumbprint Cookies

Fourth Place: Russian Tea Cakes

Fifth Place: Decorated & Iced Butter Cookies

Sixth Place: Finska Kakor (Finnish Almond Cookies)

Seventh Place: Pumpkin Cut-Outs

Eighth Place: Gingerbread Men, but these were my favorite!

Ninth Place: Scotch Shortbreads, but a favorite with the over 10 crowd.  Great with coffee!

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