These were called Mocha Spritz when I found the recipe, but in the light of the excellent espresso powder that I obtained, that filled my place with the wonderful aroma of espresso as I added the water to the powder, then again, even stronger, when I was baking these, I decided to rename them Espresso Spritz. They taste even better than they smelled, chocolatey and coffee too, two thirds of the Holy Triad that I've read about, the third part being hazelnuts. The dough in this batch did not turn out as well as my first batch of spritz cookies, they did not form into the shapes as well, creating some misshapen pieces. Perhaps, too, it was my lack of experience using the cookie press, they did start looking better by the end.
Espresso Spritz Cookiesadapted from a recipe found in Family Circle "Christmas Cookies & Crafts," December 2002
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon water
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
In a small bowl, stir together the espresso powder in the water to dissolve the espresso powder.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, nutmeg and salt until well blended.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the dissolved espresso. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended.
Spoon the dough into a cookie press. Press the dough out onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing the cookies about 1 inch apart.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or until they are dry. With a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Makes about 108 cookies.
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