spritz cookies for Christmas

Packed in attractive and colorful cookie tins or cookie jars, as shown in the first photo, these spritz cookies ship well and make great giveaways for the holiday season. I made another batch with chocolate and the combination of chocolate, vanilla ang eggnog flavors worked out well.

CHOCOLATE SPRITZ COOKIES (from Kuhn Rikon cookie press recipe booklet)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temperature (I used 1 1/4 sticks of butter + 1/4 cup Crisco)

1 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup white sugar + 1/2 cup brown sugar)

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk (or water)

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, sifted (I used 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour + 1 cup white whole wheat flour)

Preheat oven to 375F. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, milk, vanilla and salt. Stir in the flour and cocoa until well mixed. Pack the dough into the Kuhn Rikon cookie press. Fit with the desired disk design. Press the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet spacing the cookies 1" apart. Decorate or sprinkle with colored sugars. Bake until lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes. Gently transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Makes about 4 dozens.

It's almost Christmas and we're heading fast to another promising year. It will be an exciting Christmas for us as we celebrate and reunite with my family on board a cruise ship to the Caribbean. This cruise is a generous Christmas gift from my aunt and uncle. We'll be visiting a few places for the first time. I'm always excited to explore new cities and places. Before the cruise, a 2-day stay will give us a chance to unwind after the long drive and to check out the attractions around the city and port. I will be back soon to share our experiences, travel photos and food highlights from our trip.

WE WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!