Valentines Day “Make Ahead” Spritz Cookies
Now that the Christmas tree is down and New Year decorations are packed away, it’s time to turn my attention to the next celebration: Valentine’s Day.
Part of me thinks Valentine’s Day can be overhyped, but I also enjoy that it gives our family another reason to celebrate together. It’s an excuse to bring out a pretty tablecloth and plan a themed dinner. One of my favorite kinds of recipes is a make-ahead recipe: anything I can prepare in advance and store in the freezer is a winner. These spritz cookies are perfect for that. I make them ahead, freeze them, then pull them out when the holiday approaches.
Some I save for my daughter’s school lunch as a special Valentine treat; the rest I package into little containers to give to teachers, neighbors and friends. They make a sweet, thoughtful gift that most people will enjoy.
Let’s get started…
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 C butter (3 sticks)
- 1 C granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 egg
- 2 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 4 C all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- food coloring (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Thoroughly cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract; beat until well combined.
- Whisk the flour and baking powder together, then gradually add to the creamed mixture.
- Mix until a smooth dough forms — do not chill.
- If desired, divide the dough and add food coloring to each portion.
- Load the dough into a cookie press and press shapes onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 6–8 minutes, until the edges are just set.
This recipe yields approximately 6 dozen cookies.
Step by step process…
Add butter and granulated sugar to a bowl and cream thoroughly.
Add the egg, milk, vanilla and almond extract, then mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until combined. If you use a mixer, the dough may look like fine crumbs—press it together by hand until it forms a smooth dough.
After kneading, your dough should hold together nicely. Divide the dough into portions based on how many colors you want. I made three colors: red, pink and white.
You can use regular food coloring, but I prefer concentrated icing colors (such as Wilton Icing Color) for deeper, more vibrant shades with less product.
Once colored, load the dough into your cookie press. Choose a heart-shaped disc or any disc you like. Practice pressing a few cookies to get the amount of pressure right for the size you want.
If press marks are pronounced, gently pat them down with your finger so the cookies bake flatter. They will also level as they bake, but flattening makes it easier to add sprinkles.
Adding sprinkles is optional. To help sprinkles adhere you can brush a very light egg white wash on each cookie or press sprinkles into the dough with your fingertips. The egg wash gives a slight glossy finish after baking; pressing sprinkles in by hand keeps the more matte appearance.
Bake the cookies just until set. They should remain delicate and buttery.
When cooled, the cookies look lovely and are ready for packaging.
There are many simple, cute ways to present these cookies. You can stack them in a decorated paper cup, bag them in cellophane with curling ribbon, arrange them in a goblet for a dessert display, or simply set them out on a pretty plate for easy snacking.
Whether you keep them for yourself, share them with family, or give them as gifts, these make-ahead spritz cookies are a delightful treat for Valentine’s Day. Enjoy!