Little Lemon Spritz
Submitted by ladylon
Little lemon spritz cookies made with a cookie press, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice, dipped in a tangy lemon cream glaze. Crisp, buttery, and perfect for cookie trays.
YIELD
8 dozenPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minThese tiny spritz cookies pack a bright lemon punch into every bite. The dough is a classic butter cookie base infused with fresh lemon zest and juice, piped through a cookie press into ridged strips, then cut into one-inch pieces and baked until barely golden.
The food processor makes quick work of the dough. Butter and sugar get processed until perfectly smooth and creamy, then the egg, lemon zest, juice, and vanilla blend in before the dry ingredients get pulsed in at the end. The food processor produces a more uniform, lump-free dough than hand mixing, which matters when you’re pushing dough through a small press disk.
The lemon glaze is the finishing touch. Powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and cream whisked together create a thin, tangy coating that sets shiny and firm after 30 minutes. Dipping just one end of each cookie leaves part of the golden ridged surface visible for contrast.
This recipe yields about 8 dozen standard spritz or 13 dozen miniatures, making it ideal for holiday cookie exchanges or gift boxes.
Kitchen Tips
- Work with one-third of the dough at a time in the press. Warm dough is too soft to hold its shape coming out of the disk.
- Pipe onto ungreased cookie sheets. Grease causes spritz cookies to spread and lose their pressed pattern.
- Watch the bake time closely. These small cookies go from done to burnt in about a minute. Pull them when the edges just barely turn golden.
- Let the glaze set fully on wax paper before stacking or storing. Tacky glaze will fuse the cookies together.
Variations
- Orange spritz: Replace the lemon zest and juice with orange zest and juice for a warmer citrus flavor.
- Chocolate dip: Skip the lemon glaze and dip one end in melted dark chocolate for a lemon-chocolate combination.
- Lavender lemon: Add a pinch of dried culinary lavender to the dough for a floral, Provencal twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in bowl.
Process butter and sugar in food processor until smooth and creamy.
Add egg, peel, juice and vanilla; process until blended.
Add dry ingredients and pulse until well mixed.
Insert ridged or desired disk into a miniature or standard cookie press.
Place ⅓ of dough into press.
For ridged disk, on lightly floured surface pipe dough into 8 inch strips.
Cut strips into 1 inch pieces and arrange 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until cookies are firm and edges are lightly browned.
Cool on wire racks.
Make Glaze: Whisk juice, 2 tablespoons cream and confectioner’s sugar in small bowl until smooth.
(Add remaining 1 tablespoon cream if glaze is too thick.) Dip one end of cookies into glaze; place on sheet of wax paper.
Decorate as desired.
Let stand 30 minutes utnil glaze sets. Makes about 13 dozen miniature spritz.
8 dozen spritz.
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