Spritz Cookies

You know how you can be going about your day and all of a sudden see, smell, hear or taste something that brings you back to your childhood? Something you had completely forgotten about until that moment? Well, that's what Spritz cookies did to me. How I forgot about them, I have no idea, because my mom made them every single year at Christmas...and they were my absolute favorite. But I think it has been a few years since she made them, and I came across her cookie press last year. I jumped for joy when she said I could take it (a perk of having a mother who used to cater...she has all the equipment and lets me use it!). And this year, I attempted my first Spritz cookies. Dipped in coffee, they're delicious!

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, at room temperature
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
*You also need a cookie press for this recipe. It comes with a multitude of shapes, so you can use it throughout the year and not just at Christmastime.


Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour and baking powder.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a stand- or hand-mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg, milk, vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.
5. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Use dough immediately; do not chill or it will be difficult to use in the cookie press.
6. Fill the cookie press with dough and insert desired cookie disk (I like the tree for Christmas).
7. Press the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It took me quite a few tries to get the hang of using the cookie press, but once I did, pressing the cookies went very quickly.
8. You can decorate the cookies however you wish; I sprinkled green sugar crystals over the cookies prior to baking them to give them a festive look.
9. Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are just golden.
10. Let cookies rest for two minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.