maple spritz cookies
These maple spritz cookies are prefect for a festive last minute addition to your Thanksgiving dessert buffet.
When I saw the autumn leaf disk for the OXO Cookie Press, I knew that I wanted to create a batch with several different fall colors. Even though it wasn’t a true maple leaf shape, I also wanted to incorporate the quintessential fall flavor into the batch. Natural maple sugar and pure vanilla extract give these cookies just the perfect hint of maple without overpowering the delicate cookie or tasting artificial.
When creating different colored leaves, my primary goal was to keep it simple and only use one bowl. I started the dough out by coloring the entire batch with orange food coloring until I got the light color that I was looking for. I filled the tube of the cookie press, made a tray using the entire tube and then threw the scraps back into the bowl. I then mixed in red food coloring until I reached the next color and repeated the process. After the red scraps were thrown back into the bowl I added a light brown food coloring to create the final color of cookies. The remaining dough was the perfect amount to fill the tube a third time and make the last tray of cookies. My only regret was using the ‘super red’ coloring instead of more of an orange red to obtain the perfect shades of fall.
These cookies were quick to throw together, easy to clean up and sum up the flavors of fall with every single bite. They’d be the perfect last minute addition to your Thanksgiving dessert buffet.
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 large egg
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup maple sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional orange, red and brown food coloring
- sanding sugar for decorating
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Cream together shortening and egg. Gradually mix in the flour, sugars, salt and baking powder until well combined.
- Add pure vanilla extract and mix well. Add food coloring to desired color.
- Put through the cookie press onto un-greased cookie sheets. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
- Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 10 -12 minutes or until very light brown and set.
GADGETS
OXO Good Grips Cookie Press
OXO Autumn Disk Set
I love spritz cookies. One of my favorites and baking them brings back memories of my grandma! These sound like a very tasty twist on the classic!
Thanks, Marci! The spritz tradition definitely started in my grandmother’s kitchen. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for the traditional almond trees, but this is definitely at the top of the list of new favorites.
I actually got the Leaf Disk recently too that came with the Pumpkin and other Fall Shapes. I can’t wait to make these but I don’t know where to get Maple Sugar?
Hi! Maple sugar can be a bit tricky to find, specialty grocers like Whole Foods should carry it. It can also be ordered online from sources such as King Arthur Flour. Alternatively, you could use 3/4 cups of white sugar and then substitute pure maple extract (also sometimes tricky to find, but less expensive than maple sugar) for the vanilla extract. Hope this helps!
I does! Thanks so much!