No, there is not a tiny baby Jesus baked into these King Cake Spritz Cookies, but don't they look a lot like the mini versions of their inspiration?
Traditional King Cake is an enriched, sweet, yeasted holiday bread flavored with nutmeg and cinnamon, and topped with a powdered sugar glaze and sprinkled with purple, green, and gold sparkling sugars. The purple represents justice, the green represents faith, and the gold represents power. The three colors also represent the Three Kings.
I have yet to make a real King Cake and it is definitely on my list to try one of these days.
You could actually use one of these cookies in Fat Tuesday diorama!
I have faded memories of making spritz cookies at Christmas with my mom. She wasn't much of a baker, so I can't even imagine that she owned a cookie press, but I do remember using one in our kitchen as a teenager.
This recipe is pretty simple and very forgiving. If you mess up, you can scoop up the dough and place it back into the cookie press.
A few hints on making spritz cookies:
- Do not use nonstick cookie sheets. For best results, use parchment paper or ungreased cookie sheets.
- The dough should be moist and at room temperature in order to pass through the cookie press and stick to the cookie sheet. Do not chill the dough.
- Place the cookie press directly on the cookie sheet and then press out the dough with one click. Lift the cookie press straight up off of the dispensed dough.
- The first cookie you push out of the cookie press will be kind of a dud because there won't be just the right amount of dough, but the next one will be just right. Keep at it.
There are lots of disks in the cookie press that you can make cookies for all occasions and holidays, not just Christmas. Such as Mardi Gras!
The From Our Dinner Table Group is celebrating Mardi Gras with lots of special dishes. Be sure to check them all out!
Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!
- Cajun Shrimp Bake by Making Miracles
- Dirty Rice by That Recipe
- New Orleans Fried Oyster Salad by Art of Natural Living
- New Orleans Style Remoulade Sauce by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Shrimp Étouffée by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Vegan Jambalaya by Magical Ingredients
We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you're at it, join our Pinterest board, too!
This is an update of a recipe originally posted in February of 2017. I've added new tips and a printable recipe card.
King Cake Spritz Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups (12 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
- Confectioner's sugar glaze (about a cup of sugar and a small amount of water or lemon juice)
- Green, yellow, and purple sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and beat until combined. Add the flour, and mix on low until just combined.
- Add the dough into the cookie press and add the desired disk. Press the dough out onto the ungreased or parchment lined baking sheets, about one inch apart. Depending on the season, you can either decorate the cookies with sprinkles before baking, or bake them, glaze them, and the add sprinkles.
- Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
- For the Mardi Gras cookies, mix one cup of powdered sugar with just enough water or lemon juice (one teaspoon at a time) to create a glaze you can dip the cookies into. Dip the cookies and sprinkle with the various colored sugars. Let dry for a few hours. Store in an airtight container.
Calories
70.92Fat (grams)
3.22Sat. Fat (grams)
1.95Carbs (grams)
9.89Fiber (grams)
0.16Net carbs
9.72Sugar (grams)
5.81Protein (grams)
0.69Sodium (milligrams)
19.52Cholesterol (grams)
11.25
These are such fun cookies and I love the sprinkles!
ReplyDeleteThanks Heather. Sprinkles make everything better!
DeleteI love spritz cookies and I think your sprinkling technique is on point! They are one little bite of yummy goodness.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the validation Felice!
DeleteThose are really beautiful Karen! Exceptional work. We love the aroma these must have, with the cinnamon and the clove. The clove is missing in the ingredients list though; how much did you use for this batch?
ReplyDeleteThank you for another yummy recipe dear! xoxo
Thank you my friend with the good editorial eye!! There is no clove! My brain must have substituted nutmeg with clove when I was writing the instructions. I fixed it! P.S. This dough is also good piped out of an icing tip into flowers and shapes.
DeleteADORABLE!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletethe Bread Baking Queen is now also the Cookie Baker Queen!
Sprinkles hide a multitude of sins =)
DeleteGreat idea to turn Spritz into a King Cake inspired cookie! Fun!
ReplyDeleteWow! They look beautiful. Love the spin on these spiritz cookies with the King Cake theme! Very creative!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteI got my Mom's cookie press, which she got as a wedding gift. I ended up being the Spritz maker so she gave it to me when I moved out.
ReplyDeleteYour cookies are perfect as mini-king cakes!
That's a great memory!
Delete