Sweet and crunchy Mocha Spritz cookies are full of the flavor of coffee and chocolate. Decorate them with red or green sugar drizzle or s dusting of powdered sugar. These Christmas cookies are a perfect after dinner dessert to serve with coffee after a holiday dinner.
Mix the coffee granules and warm water in a small bowl. Mix until the coffee granules have dissolved with no large lumps visible. Set aside until needed.
In a medium bowl using a whisk mix the flour, cocoa powder, nutmeg and salt together until well blended. No streaks of cocoa powder showing.
In a large glass bowl, beat the softened butter until a pale yellow and light, and fluffy. Cream the sugar into the butter well.
Add the large egg, vanilla extract and coffee to the bowl. Beat on medium until light and fluffy. About 3 minutes.
Begin adding the dry ingredients to the bowl. Beat about ⅓ of the flour and cocoa mixture into the wet ingredients at a time.
Increase the mixer speed to medium once all of the flour is added. Beat for 2 minutes or until the flour is completely blended into the wet ingredients with no streaks of flour showing. Set aside.
Attach a wreath or snowflake disk to the cookie press. Spoon the dough into the press barrel until it is filled completely. Attach the handle and press the cookies out onto an ungreased aluminum baking sheet leaving about 1 inch space between the cookies.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 9 to 10 minutes or until the surface of the cookies look dry. Do not over bake.
Immediately transfer the hot cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool. Use a thin metal spatula to pick the cookies up so the delicate cookie does not break.
Cool completely before decorating with sugar glaze or powdered sugar.
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Making the sugar glaze
Mix 3 tablespoons of cool water with 2 cups of powdered sugar. Mix until all of the sugar has dissolved.
Mix one or two drops of gel food coloring to the bowl of glaze. Divide the sugar glaze if using more than one color.
The glaze will be thick. Drizzle it from the tines of a fork or fill a icing bag with the glaze. Drizzle the glaze over each cookie. Repeat with another color. (optional)
Leave the cookies undisturbed until the sugar glaze has hardened completely.
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Recipe Expert Tips
Spritz cookie dough: Do not chill the dough before pressing them. Spritz cookie dough needs to be soft.
Use pure extracts: when making cookies or baking treats always use pure vanilla or almond extract for the best and purest flavors. Don't ruin your recipe by using artificial flavorings that always seem to have a weird flavor.
Baked cookies: The added coffee makes these cookies stick to the tray if they are allowed to cool. Immediately remove them from the baking tray while hot.