Things You'll Need
Recipe and ingredients for cookie dough
Soft dishcloth
Mirro Cookie press with at least one plate
Non-stick cookie sheet
Spatula
Cooling rack
Today's cookie presses come in a wide variety of choices; some are even electric, but there is nothing like a good old-fashioned cookie press for the sheer fun of use and the quality of the end product. The Mirro Cookie Press contains a central cylinder with a screw-on end that holds the cookie extrusion plates and tips for shaping cookies and pastries. On the other end of the cylinder is a cap with a large screw running through the center. On the outside of the cap is a handle for turning the press inside the cylinder. The screw is attached to a plate, which pushes the dough through the cookie press shaping plate or tip onto the cookie sheet, and it's ready to bake.
Step 1
Wash the cookie press and the plates in hot soapy water. Handle the press carefully to avoid damaging the threaded ends of the cylinder or the screw-on caps. Dry all parts thoroughly with a soft dishcloth.
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Step 2
Screw the pressure plate all the way inside the top cap and screw it onto the cylinder.
Step 3
Prepare the cookie dough. See links below for recipes or look for any recipe labeled "pressed cookies" (sometimes called "spritz" cookies.) Follow the recipe directions exactly as the right consistency is extremely important when making pressed cookies. The dough should be soft but not crumbly.
Step 4
Fill the cylinder with the dough. At this point, if you realize the dough is too stiff, you might try adding an egg yolk. If the dough is too moist, add more flour a tablespoon at a time.
Step 5
Place the extrusion plate or pastry tip inside the bottom lid and screw it onto the cylinder. Turn the handle until the dough is ready to come out of the extrusion plate or pastry tip.
Step 6
Place the bottom of the cookie press on the baking sheet and turn the handle until enough dough has come out to see the shape of the cookie. Carefully lift the cookie press straight up so as not to smear the dough.
Step 7
Bake according to the instructions for the recipe. Let cookies set on cookie sheet for 3 to 5 minutes before removing with a spatula. Place the cookies on a cooling rack.
Tip
Mirro cookie presses, as well as other older cookie presses and reproductions, which work in much the same way, are still available today. See Resources.
Experiment by filling each side of the press with different colored dough for two-tone cookies.
Warning
Bake only like cookies at one time; smaller cookies will bake much more quickly.
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