Easy Spritz Flowers

Prep 40 min
Total 1 hr 20 min
Servings 76

Even if you didn’t grow up with a Scandinavian grandma who made buckets of these cookies every Christmas, spritz have a timeless appeal. With their buttery texture, bite size and almond flavoring, these cookies are just as good as you might remember. The only difference is this recipe is extra easy to make. The dough comes together with a couple of standard ingredients, including a package of Betty Crocker™ sugar cookie mix, and the charming decorations take minimal effort as well. Simply stir in red and green holiday nonpareils before pressing cookies and add a maraschino cherry center to complete the flower look. So while poinsettias are nice at Christmastime, we think an edible arrangement of these spritz would be even nicer when you need a host gift or Christmas present.

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated August 12, 2019

Make with

Betty Crocker Cookie Mix

Ingredients

1

pouch (17.5 oz) Betty Crocker™ sugar cookie mix
1/3

cup Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1/2

cup butter, melted
1

teaspoon almond extract
1

egg
1

tablespoon Betty Crocker™ Decorating Decors Jingle Mix nonpareils (from 2.1-oz container)
38

maraschino cherries, drained well, patted dry, cut in half

Steps

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1

Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, flour, melted butter, almond extract and egg until dough forms. Stir in nonpareils.
2

Place 1 3/4-in flower design disk in cookie press. Place dough in press; press dough through, and press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Place halved cherry in center. Repeat with remaining dough and cherries. (Keep dough covered with plastic wrap while not using to prevent drying out.)
3

Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until edges are set but not brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Store covered in airtight container at room temperature with waxed paper between layers.

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In baking, it’s always important to measure flour accurately, but even more so when making spritz. With too much flour, dough will become dry and difficult to press. With too little, it will be sticky and cookies will spread all over the pan. In either scenario, the dough will be difficult to press. The best way to measure flour for baking success is to: Stir, spoon into measuring cup filling until heaping, and finally, sweep the excess off the top with the flat edge of a butter knife.
Stir nonpareils into the dough after it is already mixed to prevent colors from bleeding.
When filling your cookie press canister, follow manufacturer’s instructions. It will be easier to press out shapes if your canister is not overfull.
Pat cherries dry before chopping to prevent excess juice on cookie dough. Kitchen shears make it extra easy to cut cherries in half.
Making spritz cookies is a little like making pancakes. Usually, it’s not until the second or third that you get your technique just right. If your first couple of cookies don’t turn out as nicely shaped as you’d like, simply scrape them back into your dough ball, and try again.
For best results, bake cookies on the middle oven rack. For even baking, it’s best to bake one sheet at a time. Always allow cookie sheets to cool completely in between batches. Cookies will spread too much if placed on a hot or even warm cookie sheet. Spritz have a short bake time, so keep an eye on your bake time, and don’t forget to set a timer as soon as you put them in the oven.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Cookie

Calories: 45
Calories from Fat: 15

% Daily Value

Total Fat: 1 1/2g; 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 5% Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol: 5mg; 2%
Sodium: 30mg; 1%
Potassium: 0mg; 0%
Total Carbohydrate: 7g; 2%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 4g
Protein: 0g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin A: 0%; 0%
Vitamin C: 0%; 0%
Calcium: 0%; 0%
Iron: 0%; 0%

Exchanges:

0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1/2 Fat;

Carbohydrate Choice

1/2

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

If only scratch will do for you, don’t miss out on our Classic Spritz recipe. And those who love trying something new will find all sorts of variations among our Spritz Cookies recipes.