As you're throwing together cookie dough and making your way through various Christmas cookie recipes, you might come across a holiday cookie recipe that calls for the use of a cookie press. Maybe you remember your grandmother using one when you were younger, but you haven't used one for buttery sugar cookies or another delicious holiday treat. Let's learn more about this traditional cooking gadget.
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What Is a Cookie Press?
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A cookie press is used for making pressed cookies. It can help make your favorite cookie dough into different shapes like snowflakes, Christmas trees, stars, and more before you throw them on a cookie sheet. They are specifically used for making Spritz cookies, from the German word spritzen. So if you've got a Spritz recipe for butter cookies you want to tackle, it's best to have one of these on hand.
How Does a Cookie Press Work?
A lot of presses you can buy are manual presses and use "a turning handle or plunger system to press out the dough," according to Spruce Eats. They're usually made of "a cylinder with a plunger or trigger mechanism, fitted with a metal die-cut disc," Culinary Lore notes.
What Kind Should I Buy?
There are a ton of options out there for cookie presses. Oxo and Wilton are two of the most popular brands.
For instance, Amazon lists an Oxo cookie press with stainless steel disks and a storage case, and the listing boasts that it can "disassemble for easy loading and cleaning." Wilton has a stainless steel cookie press available that includes a non-slip silicone ring at its base that will hold the shape securely on your baking sheet.
Really, picking the right press for cookies may depend on what you're personally looking for. You might want to stick to an electric cookie press if you are looking for ease of use, and pricing will make a difference for many shoppers. But if you do some research, we're sure you'll find the perfect one for you and make Grandma proud.
