Fa-La-La-La's

Fa-la-la-la’s are spritz-style holiday cookies made with a cookie press, the same kind of pressed cookie that defines Christmas baking from Scandinavian and Central European traditions. The buttery shortening base holds shape beautifully when pressed through decorative discs, baking up into tender, slightly sandy cookies that practically melt in the mouth. The name is a playful nod to the festive carols they accompany.

The combination of vanilla extract and almond extract is the move that gives these cookies their classic spritz flavor profile. Vanilla brings warmth and roundness, while almond extract adds the unmistakable, slightly bitter, marzipan-like note that defines proper holiday cookies. Don’t skip the almond extract; without it, the cookies taste plain.

Butter-flavored shortening is the right fat choice for spritz. Real butter holds shape less well in a cookie press, while plain shortening lacks flavor. Butter-flavored shortening is the compromise that preserves both shape and flavor, the reason spritz recipes have called for it for generations.

The cookie press is essential. Without it, this dough doesn’t work as drop cookies (too stiff) or as rolled cookies (too crumbly). If you don’t own a press, a piping bag with a star tip is a serviceable substitute, but produces less detailed shapes.

The ungreased cookie sheet rule is critical. The dough needs to grip the bare metal in order to release from the press cleanly. Greased pans cause the dough to slide instead of stick, and the cookie comes back up with the press.

Pro Tips

• Use room temperature dough, cold dough is too stiff for the press, warm dough is too soft
• Press directly onto a cold cookie sheet, warm sheets melt the bottom of the dough before it releases
• Lift the press straight up without twisting for the cleanest shape transfer
• Watch the oven closely, these cookies brown fast and bitter quickly

Variations

• Tint the dough with food coloring before pressing for festive red and green Christmas cookies
• Decorate with sprinkles or colored sanding sugar before baking
• Dip cooled cookies in melted white chocolate or dark chocolate