Recipe: Vanilla Spritz (cookie press)

Vanilla Spritz
rec.food.cooking/Helen Peagram (1999)
Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies

1 cup margarine or butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
red candied cherries, each
cut in half, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375F.

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat margarine or butter with sugar until creamy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla until blended.

At low, speed, beat in flour just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula.

Spoon half of dough into large decorating bag with large star tip (3/4-inch diameter opening). Pipe dough into rosettes (about l 1/2 inches in diameter) about 1 inch apart, onto ungreased large cookie sheet. If you like, place a cherry half in center of some or all of the
cookies before baking.

Bake cookies 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. Let cookies remain on cookie sheet on wire rack 3 minutes to cool slightly. With pancake turner, remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in tightly covered container.