Cookie-Press Cookies

567 Ratings
  • 5 120
  • 4 159
  • 3 174
  • 2 76
  • 1 38

Rich, buttery, and made with lots of vanilla, these cookies are simple to make. Use a cookie press—a hollow tube fitted with a decorative nozzle at one end and a plunger at the other—to press the cookies directly onto the baking sheet.

Martha Stewart Living, December/January 1999

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Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

Yield:
Makes 2 to 3 dozen cookies
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, flour, salt, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.

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  • Fill a cookie press with the dough, and turn out cookies 1 to 2 inches apart onto an unbuttered baking sheet. Sprinkle cookies with colored sanding sugars.

  • Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes. To ensure even baking, rotate sheet halfway through the baking process. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.

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Reviews (31)

567 Ratings
  • 5 120
  • 4 159
  • 3 174
  • 2 76
  • 1 38
Martha Stewart Member
12/05/2020
If you want sand like dough that turns into a solid log in your press thie is the recipe for you! I can't imagine these would be edible without a full gallon of milk to wash them down
Martha Stewart Member
12/30/2019
Made these the first time on a cold PA december day. They were so good I had to make a second batch because my roommates ate them all and I had none left for christmas. Tried them again in florida and tried to make them quickly but they came out too soft and didn't make shapes out of the cookie press
Martha Stewart Member
03/04/2019
I was distracted i was getting beat
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Martha Stewart Member
06/24/2017
We make these every Halloween and Christmas but we use them for cut out cookies. I do make additions to this recipe-I add juice from half a mandarin orange and half of a small lemon as well as the zest from both. The recipe is perfect for adding frosting-rich and buttery, not too sweet and hold up well for cut out cookies. Every where we take these people ask for the recipe. I'm going to add vanilla bean to it this Christmas which will kick the vanilla up a notch. Most of Martha's recipes are exceptional.
Martha Stewart Member
12/20/2015
I made these expecting tasty cookies. I followed the directions and I got cookies that tasted like sub par pie crust. They didn't seem sweet enough. I'm going back to my original spritz cookie recipe.
Martha Stewart Member
11/24/2015
I let my children mix these up after I measured the ingredients for them. They turned out perfectly, not a problem in the world with them. I have a Wilton cookie press and the dough worked wonderful with it. My kids could not stop gobbling them up! Thanks for this recipe, definitely a keeper!!!
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Martha Stewart Member
03/21/2015
Perfect recipe... No problem with dough too stiff. For those who felt it was, perhaps your butter was not soft enough, or your cookie press is not sturdy. I use an Italian Mercato atlas press. I also weigh my ingredients like flour and sugar instead of using measuring cups. For the person using Walmart flour, I've never had as good a result with generic ingredients. For cookies, I use a sturdy unbleached flour like King Arthur . For a more delicate baked good, I use White Lily.
Martha Stewart Member
12/20/2014
Dough Way Too Thick. Wouldn't push through my press! I read a comment that said to measure the flour AFTER you sift it. That might have helped. I ended up just slicing the cookies and baking them that way. They were still yummy, but I was really bummed I couldn't use my press with all the cute shapes. :(
Martha Stewart Member
01/07/2014
MUST SIFT FLOUR! Sifting adds air and reduces the actual amount of flour. I am a carpenter who had never used a cookie press before, and I have now made these twice since Christmas. They turned out great each time. The second time I sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on the top before baking and my kids LOVED them. My five year old talked me into putting gummy lifesavers (quartered) into the centers of a few, before baking, and they were amazing and very cool looking.
Martha Stewart Member
12/20/2013
Great buttery cookie! Butter was room temp. and added 1 t almond extract. Dough was perfect.
Martha Stewart Member
06/24/2013
This recipe was easy to make and worked very well with the press. Unfortunately they have this floury taste and aren't very appetizing. Followed everything to a T except for the addition of 1 tsp almond extract. I even baked them a little longer in case they were raw but sadly they still had that flour like taste. :( Maybe it was the type I used? Walmart Great Value All-Purpose Flour.
Martha Stewart Member
01/01/2013
I've tried this recipe yesterday and the cookies were perfect. I baked them for 11 min in the middle of the oven and they came out with a nice colour, not too sweet and not too hard. I got about 120 biscuits. Since you don't use baking parchment to make them, you have to lift them out of the tray as soon as they come out of the oven. I will keep this recipe and make them other times.
Martha Stewart Member
12/23/2012
I have been using this recipe for years and I pass it around to my friends who are searching for that perfect, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. I do not use it for my cookie press, I use it for cut outs. I like my cookies thick - this dough does not crumble nor fall apart when you bake it thicker. I have added orange zest and more vanilla for an orange taste, I have also added mint to the dough. You can't go wrong!
Martha Stewart Member
12/20/2012
The dough was perfect. About halfway through cooking I started adding things to the dough like cocoa powder and instant coffee... Hello, mocha cookies! Every single one was fantastic. Just SIFT the flour so you don't add too much. If using a stand mixer, the dough will start balling up around the paddle while still being pliable.
Martha Stewart Member
12/26/2011
This recipe was just perfect ! I was desperate because I couldn't find a recipe that worked with my cookie press, and as I pressed my first cookie I was soooo happy I almost cried ! ;) I followed the recipe and the cookies are beautiful and delicious!
Martha Stewart Member
12/13/2011
Clearly I have done something wrong. The dough was so stiff that it would not release from the cookie press. So I took another reviewer's advice and decided to use for roll out cookies. Unfortunately, I did not have time so refrigerated to dough overnight. Uh-oh. The dough turned into two lovely buff-colored cannonballs, never to soften again. Any suggestions?
Martha Stewart Member
12/22/2010
This is an excellent recipe and very easy to use! For those who threw away the dough because it was too stiff---WHY didn't you just roll it out and use cookie cutters? Threw away the dough????
Martha Stewart Member
12/01/2010
This recipe is amazing! The dough mixed up easily, passed through the cookie press perfectly, and the cookies taste incredible! I took the advice of another commenter, and added 1 tsp. of almond extract to the dough when I added the vanilla. The only other thing I'd add is that they took closer to 11-12 minutes in my oven, rather than the 7-10 minutes advised in the recipe. This recipe will have a permanent place in my repertoire! Well done, Martha! :)
Martha Stewart Member
06/10/2010
I'm confused by the negative comments! I've literally made this recipe hundreds of times and it is always perfect. One tip: I beat the heck out of the dough at the end, this keeps it pliable and smooth. I use an Italian aluminum press, which I have had for about 15 years, I think I even bought it from Martha, and it has never let me down.
Martha Stewart Member
12/20/2009
The dough as is was too stiff to get through my Pampered Chef cookie press. I added 2 tbsp. of milk and it worked much better.
Martha Stewart Member
10/03/2009
I think Cooks Illustrated Spritz Recipe is more consistent in a Cookie Press: Ingredients 1 large egg yolk 1 tablespoon heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened (about 70 degrees) 2/3 cup sugar (about 4-3/4 ounces) 1/4 teaspoon table salt 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces) Bake 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes rotating sheet half way through for even browning.
Martha Stewart Member
12/18/2008
I read the comments before baking, adding the extra butter and taking away some of the flour. It was like working with wet mashed potatoes, very hard to get a decent shape from my press. Very buttery and crumbly, lovely but I'll try the less butter more flour next time. Cookies, very yummy!!
Martha Stewart Member
12/18/2008
I read the comments before baking, adding the extra butter and taking away some of the flour. It was like working with wet mashed potatoes, very hard to get a decent shape from my press. Very buttery and crumbly, lovely but I'll try the less butter more flour next time. Cookies, very yummy!!
Martha Stewart Member
12/14/2008
I had to throw away the dough. It was way too stiff. I wish I would have read the comments first. THe few cookies that I managed to get through the press were delicious.
Martha Stewart Member
12/11/2008
I increased the butter by 1/2 cup making it 2 cups butter and decreased the flour to 2 1/4 cups and this was perfect, also added 1 tsp almond extract and they were gone as I was taking them out of the oven.
Martha Stewart Member
12/07/2008
Use only 2 3/4 cups sifted flour. Remove from oven when slightly golden brown around edges. Remove from pan to rack immediately or they stick. These were great!
Martha Stewart Member
12/07/2008
Use only 2
Martha Stewart Member
11/10/2008
It is important to sift the flour. If you don't you are adding more flour then the recipe is actually calling for. This will make your dough to thick. Hope it helps! :)
Martha Stewart Member
11/08/2008
I'll have to agree with janebev. The dough had a good flavor but it was so stiff it wouldn't 'press' properly. I ended up baking them like a drop cookie.
Martha Stewart Member
12/25/2007
I found the dough to be just right and it made 3-4 dozen beautiful cookies!
Martha Stewart Member
12/20/2007
There was no way the dough would even go through my press. This recipe had way to much flour. I would not reccomend thsi to anyone!
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