Homemade Spritz Cookies (Viennese Shortbread)

Ingredients

• 200 g Butter (Softened to a very soft, spreadable consistency)
• 75 g Powdered sugar
• 1 Egg white
• 225 g T55 flour
• Fleur de sel (A pinch)
• Vanilla powder (A pinch, optional)
• 150 g Chocolate (Melted; the creator uses dark chocolate but says any chocolate of your choice will work)

Steps

1. 1

   Work the very soft butter with a wooden spoon. Add the powdered sugar and mix until very creamy; this texture is important for piping the dough.

2. 2

   Mix in the egg white. The mixture may look uneven at first; keep mixing until it comes together.

3. 3

   Add half the flour and the pinch of fleur de sel, then mix until incorporated.

4. 4

   Add the remaining flour and work the dough until it becomes very creamy. If desired, add the vanilla powder and mix it into the dough.

5. 5

   Transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe W-shaped cookies onto a lined baking sheet. If the dough is too stiff, place the piping bag somewhere fairly warm and humid to soften it.

6. 6

   Bake at 160 °C for 25 minutes, preparing and piping the second baking sheet during baking if needed. The spritz cookies are done when their ends are lightly golden and their tops are still a little soft.

7. 7

   Let the cookies cool; they will firm up as they cool.

8. 8

   Once the cookies have cooled, dip half of each one in the melted chocolate. Gently shake off the excess, then scrape the back of each cookie to remove any extra chocolate.

9. 9

   Place the cookies on parchment paper and let the chocolate set before serving.

Notes

The creator uses dark chocolate but recommends using any chocolate of your choice. The time needed for the chocolate to set is not specified.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cookie
• baking
• French
• chocolate
• vegetarian
• baked