Del Norte Eats: Christmas cookies

A contraption called a cookie press makes effortlessly perfect cookies. Neighbors Editor Laura Wiens makes these cookies each year for the holidays to ship out across the country to her children and stepchildren.

Triplicate Editor Richard Wiens’ mother, Ann, used to make cookie press cookies for him as a tyke and he has passed on the tradition to his wife.

Rumiano’s butter comes in hulking slabs of various weights — just like homemade and unlike the perfectly portioned, pre-measured blocks at the grocery store. This makes it a little difficult to measure one cup exactly — you’ll have to do it by sight and use your deductive reasoning skills.

Laura Wiens said she liked using Rumiano’s butter as its texture is a lot better than most brands.

If the dough is really sticky, add a little bit more flour, and if it’s too dry, try adding a little milk.

The mixing process can be a hands-on project.

“It’s like mixing meat loaf,” she said. “You just gotta get in there with your hands.”

Cookie presses can be found at most stores with kitchen supplies. A recipe comes with it and a variety of shapes, so it’s accessible to anyone with any level of baking skills.

“You can get creative,” she said.

Christmas trees and wreaths can be green, or any other color, with sprinkles and candies as decorations. Laura made different-colored flowers and added a little ball of a contrasting color for the center.

She divided the dough into four sections and added basic food coloring — red, blue, green and yellow — to each one.

The cookie press canister was loaded with dough, and with a quick press of the trigger out popped a cookie ready for cooking.

Laura added sprinkles to the Christmas trees and topped each with cinnamon Red Hots.

A stack of metal tins were waiting to be filled with cookies.

“Ever since the kids moved away, I’ve made cookies for them each holiday,” she said.

Last year, her granddaughter, Emma, had her first taste of cookie press cookies and really liked them, Laura said. Soon, her 7-month-old grandson, Aiden, will as well.

And the tradition continues to the next generation.

 Cookie-press cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups flour
2 teaspoons vanilla

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine the first three ingredients until the batter becomes creamy.
3. Add the remaining ingredients until the dough forms.
4. Place the disk with the desired shape on the cookie press. Load the cookie press with dough and press the trigger to release the dough onto a greased cookie sheet, or a non-stick one.
5. Add sprinkles or other decorations to the cookies.
6. Cook for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

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