March 19: Vanilla Bean Spritzgebäck (Spritz) cookies

AAAAAAAAAAAnd we're back!

You cannot believe how much it's bothered me how far behind I've gotten on my baking and this blog, but I was so sick that at one point I was convinced that I was going to the hospital. I still have a bit of a cough but for the most part I'm well, and have upped the baking tempo to prestissimo.

Let me start the catch up with Vanilla Bean Spritz Cookies. Spritzgebäck (from spritzen, the German word for "squirt") is a cookie traditionally served around Christmastime. The dough is too soft to handle, so it must be squirted through a cookie press or a piping bag fitted with a tip. I don't own a cookie press (the last one I had was a cheap plastic one from Wal-mart that literally cracked under the pressure) so I used my piping bag and a large open star tip. The problem with this method, at least for me, is it's more difficult to get a consistent look to your cookies (although the photo from the Wikipedia article would have you believe inconsistency is just fine). However, if you don't spend your days typing like me, and you have strong tendons in your wrist (unlike me), you might be able to achieve consistent-looking cookies by not shaking when you pipe.

Some of these are lop-sided, the result of shaky wrists and uneven piping pressure. This is a skill that I may never be able to master due to my day-time profession, so I should buy a cookie press STAT!

I changed up the Joy of Baking recipe by adding a vanilla bean to the mix, giving these cookies the telltale vanilla bean speckle and richer, more genuine vanilla flavour. Also, just prior to baking, I added slivers of candied cherries to the tops to a) fancy them up, and b) give the cookies a little extra burst of flavour.

Seeing the vanilla bean speckles make these cookies instantly more delicious; after all, you eat with your eyes first!

These buttery biscuits almost melt on your tongue, largely because of how soft the dough is to begin with. Since they do not need to be handled, they require less flour which gives the cookies a lighter, airier texture and allows more of the butter flavour to shine through.

You can find the recipe for Spritz Cookies on my Recipes Page.

If you'd like to order some of your own Spritz Cookies, please sponsor me for the Daily Bread Food Bank's Spring Challenge! Simply make your donation, then email me your order!