Monday, December 27, 2010

I did it because I can!

I did it, just when I thought I was done...I made another cookie.

For Christmas, I got my very own cookie press. So, for a party on Sunday night, I made spritz cookies. It just seemed fitting!


~Spritz Cookies~
(Old family recipe)
1 c. salted butter, room temp
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. almond extract
2 1/4 c. flour
Food coloring

**You will nee a spritz gun for this recipe**

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add in the egg and beat until incorporated. Add the almond extract and beat to combine. (You can also beat in food coloring at this point if using just one color) Slowly beat in the flour until just combined. Divid the dough into equal portions and color as needed, mixing the food coloring in until distributed evenly. 
Fill the cookie press with the first color and press onto an ungreased, unlined baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough is used. (You can mix the remaining colors to make "tie-dyed" spritz) Bake for 8-10 min. or until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a wire rack to cool. 


*Note: If you have never used a spritz gun before, it can be a little tricky to get the hang of, but once you do it rocks! You need to "shoot" it a few times to get the batter to come out of the shape ring you have chosen, then, place it on the baking sheet and squeeze the trigger and "shoot" it once for each cookie. If you do it twice, its okay, the cookie design will just get squished a little. Practice, its really easy once you get the hand of it!

Here is what a squished star looks like.

I loves me some spritz! Buttery, light, and flavorful....they are ALWAYS on my family's cookie tray for Christmas. I did not use them in the 12 Days of Cookies because, at the time, I did not have a press! This time I made 3 different designs: trees, wreaths, and stars. Well, 4 if you count the one I used for the left over dough.


For this party, I also made an hors d'oeuvre that I saw on a blog not to long ago. It sounded very yummy and easy, and something different than the same old party foods.


~Feta, Walnut & Apricot Wantons~
(Adapted from Carrots n' Cake)
1 pkg. Won Ton wraps
1 8 oz. pkg. feta cheese, crumbled
1 c. walnuts, chopped
10-12 dried apricots, chopped
2-3 tbsp. milk
Small glass of water

Preheat oven to 250 F. In a large bowl combine the cheese, nuts, and apricots. Add in 2 tbsp. milk. Stir until combined. You are looking for the filling to come together slightly, if it does not, add more milk until it does. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray. Hold one wanton wrapper on the palm of your hand, place 1 tsp. or so of filling in the middle. With your other hand, outline the edge of the wanton wrapper with a bit of water and fold it over. Pinch it together until it sticks together. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the filling is used. (This can be done in batches while others are baking) Once the baking sheet is filled, spray the top of the wantons with a bit more cooking spray. (this gives them some color) Bake for 12-15 min. or until golden brown. Let cool slightly, serve warm. 

This were yummy! The flavor complex was very interesting, and I would like to experiment with different filling ingredients. The wontons got wonderfully crunchy as well. And, they are much better for you than the fried version ;-) I highly recommend trying them for your next get together!


After baking up the wantons, I assembled two plates of cookies and off we went!


Well, the party went off without a hitch! We drank, we ate, we played some games, ate and drank some more...typical party with great company! The hubby and I got home super late, or early? So the next morning we slept in. I made brunch: BLAT sandwiches. Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado, and Tomato sandwiches. BLA for me, I'm not a raw tomato fan... They were yummy and easy!


ENJOY!

1 comment:

Campfire Chic said...

Hi Sarah, aka SAB, have you seen this post? http://campfirechicblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/better-blog-content-giveaway-winner.html

I think you'll be interested to see who won the giveaway ;)

Your recipes are amazing! And the photographs really make me want to reach through the screen and grab one. Let me know if you're interested in sharing a recipe through a guest blog post on my blog.

Kam