Thursday, December 7, 2017

Virtual Cookie Exchange Blog Hop 2017


"The cookies that taste like Christmas"

This is what my daughter calls these spritz cookies.

I am joining in the fun today at the



@

I have been making them as long as she can remember.


My hubby bought me this battery powered cookie shooter about 30 years ago.

I have been making these cookies every year since.

The recipe is a small variation from the one which came in the box.

The box has long since been lost.

One year hubby let the barrel roll off the counter and it broke.
He ran out and bought another cookie press and replaced it
 before I knew what had happened.
A few more pieces have been lost or broken over the years,
but I still have enough to put it together
and it works as well as always.


This model is an old Proctor Silex and is only available used on ebay
or maybe at flea markets for about $10-$12 dollars,
which is what is was new 25 years ago.

The cookie sheets are at least as old, black coated steel and the surface is rough,
so I cover them with aluminum foil,
because they still bake the best cookies.

This the recipe ...

it is a my personal variation of the one which came in the box

Iced Spritz Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white vegetable shortening
1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
(dash of salt, optonal)

Cream butter and shortening until light and fluffy.
Beat in sugar slowly in small additions.
About 5 minutes.
Add vanilla.
Beat in eggs.
Add baking powder to flour and mix into wet ingredients in three additions.
Batter will be very stiff.
If batter is not stiff, add a little more flour a little at a time
until batter is stiff and not sticky.

Fill your cookie press as directed by manufacturer and press.

You may roll the batter in small balls and flatten slightly if you do not have a cookie press.

If you refrigerate the batter until cold, you may also roll and cut with cookie cutters.

Bake spritz cookie at 375 degree for 10 - 12 minutes,
just until set,
not brown.
Do Not Overbake.

Makes about 11 dozen small cookies.

Icing

4 cups 10x confectionery sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
milk as needed to make a thin icing
food coloring as desired

Mix all ingredients together until icing coats spoon but is still thin enough to pour.

Dip tops of cookies into the icing and set on wire racks
that are set over foil to catch the drips.

Sprinkle with decorator sugar as you go.

When icing is completely dry,
store in tightly covered tins with waxed paper between the layers.

These cookies have a short shelf life,
only about a week.

They disappear so fast in my house that they never last a week.


This is my first batch of several
and they are for welcoming my daughter home for Christmas and gathering
and decorating our tree on Saturday.

I may have to make another batch by then ... ;)


The Tumbling Christmas Blocks Quilt 
behind the cookies is one I made a few years ago when a friend asked if I knew how to make the tumbling blocks pattern without "Y" seams.
At the time, I had never made this pattern, 
but the challenge was on!
I soon figured out that if I cut the top of the block into triangles 
and sewed the pieces into rows 
and then sewed the rows together,
it would be all straight piecing.
Easy peasy.

All the steps may be found here ... 





These free tutorials are the most frequently visited posts on my blog,
month after month, year after year. 

If you ever try this method,
I would love to hear from you.

Giveaway Time!

I have been sew blessed this year
that I am sharing the gifts by giving away a

$25.00 Gift Certificate to the 

Fat Quarter Shop

This is a Rafflecopter Giveaway
Enter below ...
a Rafflecopter giveaway



Be sure to visit all my Cookie Exchange friends 
today for more yummy fun!




Carol asked us to share a favorite seasonal memory.
One of my favorites is a small one.
My husband and I were doing some last minute grocery shopping for our
Christmas feast when our children were still very young.
 It was snowing.  We ran into the mother of one of our sons'
friends from his very culturally diverse public school.  Her family had moved to our country to escape a rigid regime that did not allow then to live their own way.  We were welcomed into her home and we learned about a culture from a far away, much warmer climate.
During our parking lot chat she commented on how she had never seen snow before.  
As we were getting ready to say our good nights, my husband wished her a very Merry Christmas.  This warm and lovely woman smiled broadly and said,  "Thank you!  As you know we do not observe this holiday ... but we love all the parties!"  
With this thought, I have gone through life celebrating all the parties life has to offer.
So I wish you a heartfelt ...



Merry Christmas!

How to Make Folded Fabric Ornaments Tutorial Here

Happy Holidays!

Celebrate Life! 

75 comments:

sherry said...

those are so cute i can see why they don't last long in your house ... enjoy your daughter for christmas

Lisa England said...

Our favorite Christmas cookies are called Cappuccino Flats and they come from the book BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS published in the mid-80s. It's still my favorite cookie book ever. I believe you can still find copies for sale online.

Dorian said...

What a lovely reply from someone who doesn't celebrate the season. Your cookkies look scrumptions Pat. My favortie cookies are gingersnaps. I only make them at Christmas time.. I think it's time to make a batch! lol. Thank you for the lovely giveaway, Merry Christmas my Friend.

Debby said...

Thank you for the cookies and the quilt. I still have my grandma's spritz cookie maker that you have to twist the handle. She was a great cook and always had a treat for us.

Kathy L said...

My favorite is the frosted sugar cooky.

Home Sewn By Us said...

Good Morning,
I'm out visiting all the other cookie exchangers this morning. These are my favorite cookies ever! Your recipe looks delicious and I will certainly PIN it for later. I'm going to check out your tumbling block tutorial as well. Thank you so much for sharing it. Merry Christmas to you and your family. ~smile~ Roseanne

Anita Jackson @ Domestic Felicity said...

I've enjoyed visiting the Cookie Hop, and spritz cookies are so yummy. I like pretty much any shortbread or sugar cookie but My favorite is a wedding cookie!

VA said...

Frosted cutout cookies are my favorite! My mother and grandmother made great spritz cookies,

Rita E in AZ said...

Your cookies look so yummy. Thank you for the recipe and the giveaway

Rita E in AZ said...

Oops, I also meant to add that my favorite cookie is my grandmother's Orange Cookies.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Spritz cookies are a favorite of mine! I remember my mother making them every year and yes.....they disappeared fast!

Rozz01 said...

A favorite cookie of our family is Sunbakkels which is a Norwegian sugar type cookie made in individual tins. Your cake also looks great. rozz01(at)cox(dot)net

Nancy L said...

Cookies are a favorite of mine. I'd have to say that oatmeal cookies are at the top of the list. I love your Christmas tree cookies, and may have to make some today!!

Renea said...

Snowball cookies (Russian Teacakes). I also love Spritz. My mom made these and I have also. Thanks for the giveaway.

Patty said...

My mom used to make cookies like these. Yum.

Nancy L said...

I follow you on Bloglovin.

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

I had one of those cookie shooters many years ago. I now have one of the danish ones which reminds me of a caulk gun. My favorite cookies are my crown jewel with the raspberry jam in the middle.

krislovesfabric said...

These are such pretty cookies! We like to have my Grandma's date pinwheels every year, it is good to have traditions!!

tpott said...

I bought a Pampered Chef cookie press years ago and the Spritz cookie recipe that came with it is my favorite, I use it every year. Monday is my Christmas cookie baking day.

tpott said...

I follow through Bloglovin.

Cecilia said...

I have a sugar cookie recipe I use every year that my family loves. Thanks for the recipe! Merry Christmas!

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio said...

I love creme de menthe cookies! Haven't had any in decades though.

Carol Swift said...

A long, long, long time ago I had one of those gadgets for making cookies. Mine never looked as good as yours do! Thanks for sharing your recipe and that memory is so sweet. It's good to celebrate all the parties!

Rozz01 said...

I follow on Bloglovin rozz01(at)cox(dot)net

Michelle said...

My favorite is two, the buttery pecan and the spritz cookie. Will be giving your recipe a try. :)

Sylvia Anderson said...

This definitely brought back memories of when our children were young and loved all the different shapes from the Spritz Cookie Shooter. I only had the manual one, since our eldest is not 61, but it worked well. Now I make about 15 different types of cookies and candies and several batches of each.

Carla said...

Celebrate all of life's parties...Great words to live by. I've always wanted a cookie press, but have never followed through. My favorite cookie recipe is that easy, peasy peanut butter cookie recipe Selina Quilts shared yesterday. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

works4me said...

Thanks for the memories. I had forgotten about those cookies. My mom made them, along with 10 or 15 other types of cookies every Christmas.

My favourite is the cheese shortbread and I hope to have time to make some this weekend.

works4me said...

I receive updates by email so think that is Bloglovin.

sam said...

Love to make cut out sugar cookies. So much fun when the family gets together to decorate them.

Calicojoan said...

I can't say I remember making cookies often as a kid, but I do remember that cookie "gun". That was too cool. I think I've got one of those old ones around here somewhere too. :-) I love any cookie that crunches. Kids tell me they are overcooked, but I like the crunch. Fun tumbler block quilt, and who doesn't love not having to piece Y seams????? Have a very Merry Christmas

quilter said...

Your recipe is one of my favorites, my family makes it every year. I love sugar cookies this time of year, they don't even need to be frosted. Thanks for the chance to win!
cork@pa.rr.com

rosemaryschild said...

Never tried spritz cookies! Chocolate chip cookies with pecans is my favorite! Thank you for your recipes, Susan

rosemaryschild said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rosemaryschild said...

I follow you on bloglovin! Thank you, Susan

Pieced Brain Quilt Designs said...

Oh, yum! I would take a batch of those cookies any day! Love how you figured out your quilt... thanks for sharing the tutorial.

Country Whispers said...

I make spritz cookies each year butter have never iced them. Yours look so pretty I think I will have to try icing mine.

GranChris said...

I love these cookies as well. We make lots each year.

GranChris said...

I follow on Bloglovin

Sarah@123quilt said...

Spritz are the one cookie that I HAVE to make each year. My recipe is very similar to yours! Thanks for the chance to win!

QuiltShopGal said...

I love spritz christmas cookies, but have never mastered them (too runny). I look forward to making them using your recipe.

QuiltShopGal
www.quiltshopgal.com

Anonymous said...

My favorite is a Rolled-out cookie: my Mom's Almond-flavored Sugar Cookie with decorated icing! Thanks for sharing!msstitcher1214@gmail.com

mumbird3 said...

I love sugar cookies - with lots of icing and Christmas sprinkles!! mumbird3(at)gmail(dot)com

Deonn said...

Hi, Pat! What a great post! Love the stories and the quilt (thanks for the tutorial links) and the cookies (I'll have to try them with icing - even better!) I love all cookies, but my favorite is a praline shortbread cookie, which I shared a couple of years ago on Carol's Virtual cookie hop.

Janarama said...

MMMMMM love spritz cookies. Thank you for the recipe. My favorite Christmas cookie is Kolaczki. I have many fond memories of making and decorating many different types of cookies with my mom and sisters during the Christmas season.

Janarama said...

I follow you via Google Friends Connect.

Tu-Na Quilts said...

Hi, Pat, I enjoyed reading how your husband "fixed" your broken cookie press. Mine would have grabbed the duck tape and fixed it that way. My favorite cookie is a good gingerbread cookie although I love my reindeer cookies I featured today on the hop. Karen, kthurn(at)bektel(dot)com

Tu-Na Quilts said...

I follow by email. Thanks, kthurn(at)bektel(dot)com

thatfabricfeeling.wordpress.com said...

Sadly, I like all cookies but I especially love oatmeal raisin. I just left a comment on Kris loves fabric's site that I made her same cookies last night, without the cherries. My family hates raisins but this past weekend we went to a fancy gala and on the way out, they offered up warm cookies and soft pretzels to take home. You bet I partook in some fun. I brought home some choc chip and soft pretzels for my adult kids who didn't attend, but I ate a fabulous, soft, fresh and yummy oatmeal raisin cookie on the way home in the car. Yummy!!! Perhaps that is why I just had to bake last night. It is dangerous when the holiday cravings get ahold of us this way!!! elanagoldberg5@gmail.com

tink's mom said...

Many years ago I had one of those cookie presses but when I discovered that a baker I'm not I gave it away. The gal I gave it to used to make me a batch or two every year as a repayment. They were yummy.

Tammy said...

My favorite cookie recipe is a old fashioned peanut butter cookie plain and simple no frills but always satisfying

Kathy E. said...

I have a Spritz cookie machine from my mom somewhere in the basement. I really need to dig it out now! My favorite holiday cookie is the one I posted about...Swedish Jam Shortbread...so yummy! duchick at mchsi dot com

Kathy E. said...

I am a happy Bloglovin' follower of yours! duchick at mchsi dot com

Brenda said...

These cookies look wonderful! I'm deeply in love with chocolate chip cookies!

Anonymous said...

My mother used to make those cookies and they were the best!!!

Unknown said...

My Mom made these cookies when I was growing up. So pretty, and they taste wonderful! I've been unable to make them since I moved to Houston; probably too warm and humid here for the dough to work well in the cookie press. At any rate, thanks for sharing! Have a Merry Christmas!

LJ said...

"Celebrate the parties in life." That's a great life motto. Spritz are a mainstay for the holidays. I noticed that your recipe calls for unsalted butter...do you think that really makes a difference in the cookies. I usually have just the regular on hand and therefore, just use that whether or not the recipe calls for unsalted or not. Have a Merry Christmas!

Vicki H said...

My sister makes the Spritz cookies. I like Thumbprint cookies for the holidays.

Vicki H said...

I have been a GFC follower.

Farm Quilter said...

I love butter/sugar cookies.

Farm Quilter said...

I follow you by email.

teachpany said...

I love spritz, and loved this press, too. Mine broke about 3 years ago, and I searched long and hard to find one as good. I never frosted these cookies, though, so that may be the idea this year. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

My favorite cookie recipe is for Honey Cookies - a kind of nutty, chewy chocolate chip cookie made with honey as the sweetener. Thanks!

Please click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.

Lee said...

I love thumbprint cookies!! Thank you!

Karen in Breezy Point said...

We make Spritz every year--my favorite! My recipe is a bit different from yours. I use one from my very old Betty Crocker recipe book, and we don't frost them--just sprinkle with colored sugar. I also color them with food coloring paste so we have red, green and gold (and sometimes rainbow--lol).

June D said...

My mom used to make these - l liked them when the bottoms stayed the color of the cookie. Guess it takes careful looking to be sure they do not brown. I have/had two of these tube maker things, but they are totally manual. I plan to make a batch to determine whether I make more.... My mom didn't frost but we put little dots and candies on them. Thanks for the memory!

June D said...

I already follow on Google Friends! My favorite Christmas cookie is peppermint flavoring in a plain dough! Thanks for sharing all your ideas in your post!

MaryBeth said...

I love pfefernousse (I think that's how you spell it, haha).

MaryBeth said...

I follow on Bloglovin'. Merry Christmas!

ytsmom said...

I love Molasses Cookies.

ytsmom said...

I follow on Blogger, great recipes on your blog.

KatieQ said...

My husband is the cookie maker in our family. He and my daughter love Spritz cookies. While I like them, pizelles are my favorite. My son likes chocolate chip best. We have a LARGE collection of cookie cutters including a few my mother bought when she was first married in 1936.

tac73 said...

We love to make Spritz cookies at Christmas too.

tac73 said...

I follow on Bloglovin’.

Soma @ inkTorrents.com said...

Love the stories as much as the cookie recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!

-Soma