Spritz Cookies

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Set out two or three large metal baking sheets and leave them ungreased and unlined, since the dough needs bare metal to grip.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and salt with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Beat in the egg, vanilla and almond extract until smooth, scraping down the bowl.
4. On low speed, add the flour in two or three parts and mix just until a soft, smooth dough forms. To color the dough, beat in a few drops of gel food coloring now.
5. Pack the dough into the cookie press and fit it with the disk you like. Press cookies about 1 inch apart onto the bare pans. If one comes out lopsided, scrape it back into the press.
6. If the shapes look soft and blurry, chill the dough for 15 minutes. If it is too stiff to press, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes.
7. Shake sprinkles or colored sugar over the cookies. Bake one pan at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden and the tops are still pale.
8. Let the cookies sit on the pan for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. Let each pan cool completely before pressing more cookies onto it.

Good to know

• Make ahead: wrap the dough and chill it for up to 3 days. Let it soften at room temperature until it presses easily.
• Store baked cookies in an airtight tin for up to 1 week, or freeze them for up to 3 months.
• No cookie press? Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls and flatten each one with a fork or a cookie stamp. They may need a minute or two longer in the oven.
• For a softer almond flavor, use 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla.