December 20, 2011
spritz

baked status: the oven has been busy, busy the past two days: dark chocolate brownies got baked over the weekend and are nestled safely in the freezer for later. then yesterday i made candy coconut sprinkles and did all of the peanut butter baking: grant's outrageous cookies, dirty snowballs, and plain old peanut butter cookies. woohoo!

today's tradition: spritz cookies.

my grandma is coming to visit us today! yay! how perfect that i should be posting about spritz today, as she was the one who brought them into my life. thank you, Grandma!

for years, my favorite Christmas treat was the almond bark pretzels. mmm. my twin sister liked the toffee, but i could take it or leave it. (now i would totally take it!) as i got older my tastes gravitated more toward the peanut buttery candies, and i still consider them big faves. but in recent years, i must confess: simple, old-fashioned spritz have moved to the tip top of my list. every year Grandma would bake them in pretty wreath shapes, but i used to think they were boring! what a silly girl. now they are my little loves. packed with butter. butter.. how i have grown to appreciate it. and the hint of almond in the batter is the deal breaker. i cannot imagine anything better.

as simple as they are, spritz can be tough to master. over the years i've tasted many a spritz, but none can hold a candle to Grandma's classics and these from my friend Tesa's oven. thank you for sharing your recipe with me, Tesa! it's super close to Grandma's.


now you have to tell me your favorite Christmas cookie. 
maybe i love to make it, too! 

image via martha stewart recipes

7 comments:

Maryclayre said...

I think these are my favorite, too! Not that I complain about any other treats :)

Cecilia said...

oh my favorite favorite favorite is a cookie called pan de polvo, which is famous, from my grandmother on my father's side. I don't have the recipe mastered just yet, myself, but when the women of my family make these they are divine: pillowy, crumbly, melt in your mouth goodness covered in cinnamon sugar. yum.

Anonymous said...

snickerdoodles!! :) every year. they are a part of our Christmas as much as our tree. :)

Renee said...

how about an early Christmas gift?...straight from Grandma's house!...the spritz recipe!
Grandma's Spritz:
1 lb butter
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 1/2 C flour
1 tsp baking powder
cut up pieces of marachino red and green cherries
Bake at 375* for 7-9 minutes.
*there is no almond flavoring in this recipe...that flavor came from the cherries!
Love you!
Merry Christmas!

gfs said...

I always loved my Nan's shortbread, it just melts in your mouth and I can't wait to make it on Friday! (I can't make it earlier or it'll be eaten and then another batch will be made, and then that'll mean alot of exercise - lol!)

ChelseaF said...

#1 favorite is these: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cranberry-orange-cookies/detail.aspx

With a close 2nd being these: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/soft-molasses-cookies-v/detail.aspx
(I double the amount of the spices, I like an extra "zing")

ChelseaF said...

It doesn't say in the molasses cookies recipe, but you're supposed to press each one with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. :)

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about this blog

Hello, I'm Summer. A people-loving introvert whose hope and life is in Jesus. His promises are my passion and my ministry is homelife. This blog is a place for me to write about everyday things. Especially food. My favorite thing to do is sit around a table, lingering over a long meal with good conversation. I live with my husband and our 2 littles. We like blizzards, thrifting, grammar, guacamole, cheerful hearts, nice manners, good movies, and making simple, real, nutrient-dense food.

"If Christ be anything, He must be everything."
-C.H. Spurgeon

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