Secrets of spritz cookies

  The Iced Cranberry Spritz Cookies that appear in this month’s issue of Yankee are sweet, buttery, and tangy. And with just 7 ingredients, they’re incredibly simple to make. You don’t even have to use a cookie press if you don’t have one. Here’s a tutorial to help you get perfect results.   1. Chop the cranberries very finely. For proper texture, you need to process them in a food processor until they are mere specks. This can take a couple of minutes.

2. Combine the cranberries with softened butter. This is the foundation of your recipe. 3. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cream the butter with the sugar using an electric mixer, then add the egg yolk, salt, flour, and food coloring (if using).

4. No cookie press? No problem. Yes, spritz cookies are typically made with a cookie press, and this handy tool—available at large craft chains and cooking stores—does make it easy to produce beautiful, uniformly shaped cookies. But if you lack a press, don’t let it stop you from making these delicious bites. Just roll the dough into a log, coat the log with decorative sprinkles of your choice, and chill for an hour. Slice the cookies and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on their thickness.