2sticks1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon sized pieces
1cupgranulated sugar
1teaspoonpure vanilla extract
1/2teaspoonalmond extract
1large egg
2 1/4cupsall-purpose flour
1teaspoonbaking powder
Sprinkles or colored sugarfor garnish
Food dyeoptional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Add an ungreased cookie sheet to the refrigerator to cool (this helps the dough stick better to the sheet. There is enough butter in the cookies that you don’t have to worry about them getting stuck, but it can be a bit difficult to get the dough to stay put while using the cookie press if the pan is buttered!) Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and beat with an electric mixture until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the egg. Mix to combine. (If you don’t have almond extract, you can just substitute in another 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract.)
Add the flour and baking powder, mixing to combine.
At this stage, if you wanted to dye your dough, separate the dough into different smaller bowls. Add desired color to each set of dough and mix until the color is consistent throughout. Repeat with remaining dough. (Food dye goes a long way, so start with 1-2 drops and add more as needed.)
To use the cookie press, twist the bottom of the cookie press and add in the shape you’d like to make first and reattach. Next, unscrew the top of the cookie press and add some dough to the chamber. Screw the top back on. Pump the lever until some dough comes out the bottom. Wipe the press clean and you’re ready to go! The nonslip base of the cookie press keeps it steady on the cookie sheet. Line up the cookie press on an ungreased cookie sheet where you want the cookie to be and press the lever down firmly once. Lift the cookie press and you should have a lovely little cookie! If the dough doesn’t want to stick, try refrigerating the dough for a bit and trying again. The cookies don’t expand in size much so you can add a lot to one cookie sheet.
Before baking, top the cookies with sprinkles of your choice. (If you don’t have any sprinkles but still want to add color, you can also add some food dye to sugar as a colorful topping!)
Bake until firm but not yet browning, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes then move to a rack to cool.
Notes
If you make this recipe, share a photo on Instagram and tag me @icancookthat!