Buttery Spritz Cookies -- The Recipe I'll Keep Making Long After the Last One Leaves

December 2028. Noah received his college acceptances. He got into his first choice: a university in Oregon with a strong food journalism program — one of only two or three in the country — and he would study both writing and food systems and have the specific combination of what he's been building toward since he was watching me cook at age three. He called me from his phone at eight in the morning on the day the decision came, and I heard the same thing in his voice that I heard in Ethan's when he called about the restaurant and Mason's when he called about CIA: the particular quality of someone who has found the place they're supposed to be.

He said, "Mom. I got in." I said, "I know you would." He said, "You always say that." I said, "I always mean it." He said, "Is it going to be weird? Being the last one gone?" I thought about it honestly. I said, "Yes. And also no. It's going to be quieter and also right. The house changes but it doesn't stop." He said, "You'll still cook." I said, "Always." He said, "I'll call on Sundays." I said, "All four of you do. It's the best hour of my week."

My children call on Sundays. That's the whole thing. That's the thing I built. A kitchen that sends people out into the world with something inside them, and they call on Sundays.

When I hung up with Noah that morning, I went straight to the kitchen—not because I had to, but because that’s where I go when something big happens and I need my hands to catch up with my heart. Every Christmas since Ethan was small, I’ve made spritz cookies: pressed them out in little trees and stars and wreaths, one batch folding into the next year and the next child and the next December. Noah leaving for Oregon means the house gets quieter, but the cookie press doesn’t retire. If anything, I’ll make an extra batch this year—one for him to take, one for the tin on the counter, and one just because I said I always would.

Buttery Spritz Cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 48 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
• Colored sugars, sprinkles, or nonpareils for decorating (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 375°F. Do not grease the baking sheets—ungreased pans help the dough adhere and hold its shape.
2. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
3. Add egg and extracts. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract, and almond extract until fully combined and smooth.
4. Mix in dry ingredients. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the flour and salt and mix just until the dough comes together and no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
5. Load the cookie press. Fill a cookie press with the dough according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Choose your desired disk—trees, stars, and wreaths are classic Christmas shapes.
6. Press onto baking sheets. Press cookies directly onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Decorate with colored sugars or sprinkles before baking if desired.
7. Bake. Bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden. The centers should look set but still pale.
8. Cool. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 72 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 18mg