The 12 Days of Cookies - A Gourmet cookie extravaganza

This wonderful event is the brain child of Andrea of Andreas Recipes. How I got asked to be involved with this incredible group is beyond me but all the thanks goes to Kelly of Sass & Veracity. There are 7 of us that have decided to do The 12 Days of Cookies - A Gourmet cookie extravaganza. We will be choosing, baking, tasting, blogging and sharing with you a cookie a day for the next 12 days of December.

These cookies are coming from Gourmet's Favorite Cookie Recipes: 1941-2008. They’ve published a lot of cookie recipes in their 68-year history, many of them around the winter holidays. This season they decided to choose the very best from each year.

These are my partners in crime. We will all be choosing different cookies and surprising each other. How fun is that???? Be sure to check out their selections for the day!

Jerry - Cooking...by the seat of my Pants
Sandy -At the Baker's Bench
Courtney - Coco Cooks
Kelly - Sass & Veracity
Claire - The Barefoot Kitchen
Andrea - Andreas Recipes


Day 11 of the 12 Days of Cookies features Spritz or Norwegian Butter Cookies!

Simple, classic, and very buttery, these Norwegian cookies are typically made with a cookie press. But we like them just as much when they are baked in rounds or piped into little S’s (using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch star tip).- Gourmet

Spritz or Norwegian Butter Cookies - March 1983 (link to the recipe as it was originally printed)

Ingredients:

• 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 4 cups all-purpose flour sifted with 1/2 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• In a large bowl cream the butter, beat in the sugar, a little at a time, the vanilla, and the almond extract, and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy.
  
• Add the egg and combine the mixture well.
  
• Add the flour mixture and combine the dough well.
  
• Form the dough into walnut-size balls and arrange the balls 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using a fork flatten the balls 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using a fork flatten the balls to form cookies 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick, making a crosshatch design.
  
• Bake the cookies in a preheated moderate oven (350° F.) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are golden around the edges, and transfer them with a spatula to racks to cool. Store the cookies in airtight containers. Makes about 70 cookies.

Can you see how flaky and buttery they look? I have eaten way too many of these ones!

I truly love these cookies. They were my test to see if I could succeed at making a butter cookie after this disaster! Well I can and very well too! I wanted to dress them up a little so I sprinkled some red and green sprinkles on them and I think it made them look very festive. I wasn't going to try piping them as I was already a little gun shy after my last ones so they did get balled and flattened. I loved the way these tasted and so have the girl's. They love being able to take a different type of cookie to school with them each and every day!

Would I make these again? Most definitely. I think with the sprinkles they will be very good in cookies tins for gifts. These will be made again next week!

As Always...

Happy Entertaining!!!

Judy
www.nofearentertaining.com