Butter Spritz

This is a fun cookie from Christina Wood at Temple Pastries to add to a gift box because you can pipe them into any shape desired. These are a classic old-school bakery cookie, barely sweet but very buttery, with a sandy, crumbly texture that holds up well in packaging. Adding the white chocolate coating amps up the sweetness to suit modern tastes, and sprinkles add a festive flair.

380g unsalted butter, very soft

150g powdered sugar, sifted

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 egg whites, room temperature

450g all purpose flour

130g white chocolate

Assorted sprinkles for decoration

Preheat oven to 350°F. Ensure butter is very soft before making cookies. If not, microwave butter in a heat-proof bowl in bursts of 10 seconds to reach a very soft, but not melted, texture.

Place the butter, powdered sugar and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and beat on high speed until the mixture is very fluffy and pale, about 4 minutes.  Add the egg whites and mix on medium speed until incorporated, stopping to scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the flour and mix on low speed just until incorporated.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a star piping tip (such as Ateco 865). Pipe cookies into desired shapes directly onto a sheet pan or cookie sheet about 1 inch apart from each other.

Place sheet pan in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

Once cookies are cool, melt white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each one so chocolate does not scorch. Once chocolate is completely melted, dip one end of each cookie into the chocolate. Place on parchment paper and top chocolate with sprinkles before the chocolate sets. Allow chocolate to cool and harden.