Tri Color Christmas Spritz Cookies Recipes

CHRISTMAS SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Place flour and salt in medium bowl; stir to combine.
• Beat powdered sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg, almond extract and vanilla.
• Gradually add flour mixture--mix until well blended.
• Divide dough in half.
• If desired, tint half of dough with green food coloring.
• Fit cookie press with desired plate (or change plates for different shapes after first batch).
• Fill press with dough; press dough 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.
• Decorate cookies with cherries and assorted candies, if desired.
• Bake 10-12 minutes or until just set.
• Remove cookies to wire racks; cool completely.
• Prepare Icing, if desired.
• Pipe or drizzle on cooled cookies.
• Decorate with cherries and assorted candies, if desired.
• Store tightly covered at room temperature or freeze up to 3 months.
• --Icing--.
• Place all ingredients in medium bowl; stir until thick, but spreadable. (If icing is too thick, stir in 1 teaspoon additional milk).

TRI-COLOR BULLSEYE SPRITZ COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add and mix in 1 egg at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the vanilla and mix. Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl and add to the butter mixture, beating until the flour is just incorporated.
• Separate the cookie dough into 3 bowls as follows: a small amount for the center of the bullseye then divide the rest equally for the other 2 rings. Add 2 to 3 drops of one of the food colors to the small bowl, stirring to distribute the color evenly. Repeat with a different food color for each of the remaining bowls of dough.
• Place each colored dough in separate piping bags, making sure to put the smallest amount of dough in the bag with the smallest tip. Starting with the outside of each bullseye, pipe 3-inch rings onto the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Use the next bag to pipe the second colored ring inside the first ring, then use the third bag to fill in the center of the bullseye. If the edges of the piped rings overlap, use a bit of water to moisten a finger and smooth out the uneven section.
• Freeze the bullseyes for 10 minutes before baking. Then bake until the cookies are set but not yet golden brown, about 11 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees at the halfway mark.
• Allow the cookies to cool on a wire rack before serving.