Spiced Wreath Cookies

Spiced Wreath Cookies
Makes about 8 dozen
Spritz cookies get their name from spritzgebäck, a traditional German cookie made during Christmas time for basic ingredients (flour butter, sugar, and eggs). These cookies are somewhat fragile, delicate, dry and buttery. This twist on the traditional recipe add an immoderate amount of vanilla, with the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg, spices familiar to the holiday season. This dough is quite soft so you will have no trouble putting it through your cookie press. The dough will adhere best to ungreased non-stick cookies sheets that are slightly chilled. It’s important not to chill you cookie dough and that all your ingredients are at room temperature or you run the risk of breaking your cookie press with a dough that is too stiff. We used a wreath disk but you can make any shape you like, these make great cookies for the kids to decorate with tinted royal icing, just omit the cinnamon sugar.

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large egg yolk, plus 2 large eggs lightly beaten together
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon mixed with 4 teaspoons sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 ºF. Whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

2. In the bowl on an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the sugar and butter until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula after each addition. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined.

3. Attach a wreath disk to a cookie press. Divide dough into four portions. Fill press with dough. Press cookies onto baking sheet according to cookie press’ instructions spacing them 2 inches apart.

3. Bake until barely golden, 9 to 12 minutes. Immediately sprinkle cookies with cinnamon sugar. Let cool slightly, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.