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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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. :(

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.

Great buttery cookie! Butter was room temp. and added 1 t almond extract. Dough was perfect.

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.

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.

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!