Spritz Cookies

Phew! Finals are over, I'm waiting for grades to be posted, and it's so close to Christmas that I'm frolicking everywhere.

And I thought, what better treat to make to celebrate the holidays than spritz cookies??

I Googled "Best spritz cookie recipe" and this is the one I found. Now, I like mine more buttery and sweet, and these are a little more tangy, so there's your warning. They're still delicious, but in a different way.
I got my roommate to help me, too! She bought me the spritz gun (as I so lovingly call it) for my birthday, but I haven't used it until now. It's so fun! This recipe is made for use with a cookie press (gun) and it makes a looot of cookies.
I did three different designs, and used three different sprinkle colors. The trees got green, the roundish ones got blue, and the.. diamond ones..? got red! Very festive.

The recipe online said to cook them for 10-12 minutes, but when I cooked by first batch for 10, it burned. I was so sad! I burnt a whole tray of trees. So I suggest starting at 6 minutes, and then going from there.

Best. Roommates. Ever.

Spritz Cookie Recipe

• 1 cup butter-flavored shortening
• 1- 3oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• Sprinkles for looks

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350
• In a medium bowl, cream together shortening, cream cheese, and sugar.
• Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, and orange zest. Beat until light and fluffy.
• Beat in salt and cinnamon, then gradually add flour. Mix until well-combined.
• Choose the design you want, fill the tube of the cookie press, and form your cookies on an ungreased, un-parchment-papered cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle with sprinkles (Crazy!) before putting in oven.
• Bake 6-8 minutes, removing when edges just begin to turn golden brown.
• Remove from pan as soon as you can, letting them cool on a cooling rack instead.

Orange Dreamcicle Cheesecake

Laura and I took a daytrip to the Louisburg Cider Mill this weekend! Suuuuch a fun day!

It's like heaven in a country store!

Along with all of the cider, and cider doughnuts I bought, I also bought a jar of peach butter, some caramel apple sprinkles (which taste like french vanilla, actually), and a package of "orange dreamcicle cheesecake mix." (OH! AND SORRY! The next two pictures did that automatic-rotate thing and I can't get them back. Head, meet shoulder.)

I'm trying to find a recipe to use peach butter in, but no luck so far, and I might do something with the cider, but for now I went with the mix.
You can't buy this mix in any regular store I don't think, but you CAN order it online. The cheesecake was really really sweet, but reminded me of those orange ice cream push-pops-- you know, the Flinstones ones. Quite tasty! You can buy the mix at http://www.peculiarspice.com/ named for Peculiar, Missouri. You can probably make this from scratch too, but I never would've thought of it!

Hamilton helped me today, instead of Maisy! (aka: handheld vs kitchenaid)

Orange Dreamcicle Cheesecake Recipe

• 1 package O.D.C. mix (see website above)
• 2 - 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 c milk
• 1 graham cracker crust

Preparation

• Combine packaged mix, cream cheese, and milk in a large bowl. Beat until well blended.
• Put into graham cracker crust.
• Chill until served!