Spritz Bars

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These Spritz Bars are easier and faster than piping the cookies and every bit as delicious. The pearl sugar gives them a bit of a crunch and makes these special anytime of the year.

Prep Time30

Cook Time14

Total Time44

Course: Bars, Cookies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bar cookies, spritz bars, spritz cookies

Servings: bars

Calories: 80kcal

Author: Helen S Fletcher

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted European butter, softened (225 grams, 2 sticks)
½ cup granulated sugar (100 gramss)
1 tablespoon almond extract
2 egg yolks
3 cups cake flour (375 grams)
Swedish Pearl sugar (about 225 grams
2 to 3 ounces semisweet chocolate (85 grams)

Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line several baking pans with parchment paper and set aside.
Place the butter, sugar, and almond extract in a mixing bowl. Cream until combined.
Add the egg yolks and beat until light.
Add the flour gradually and beat until everything is well blended. The dough will be a bit sticky. That is how it should be.
Cut off two pieces of wax paper or foil large enough to overhang the pan by a couple of inches on both sides. Roll the dough between wax paper to 18”x13”. It will be about ⅛” thick. Place it in a half sheet pan.
Alternatively, divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 9x13” rectangle.
Whichever you decide, cover the dough with the pearl sugar and press in firmly.
Cover the dough completely with pearl sugar, pressing it into the dough slightly. Place in the freezer until partially, but not completely frozen. It should be firm.
Cut the dough into 2 ½ x 1 ¼ inch rectangles. I used the cookie dough cutter that I talked about in the Oreo Tacos post. I love it for it’s ease of cutting identical size bars. Cut lengthwise into 1 ¼” strips. Adjust the size to 2 ½” and cut crosswise. Done!
The bars can also be cut with a ruler and knife. In either case, the dough must be cold and firm.
When ready to bake, run a spatula under the cookies to free them from the paper.
Most likely, they will come off about 2 to 4 at a time. Break them along the cutting lines and place them 4 wide x 4 down on half sheet pans.
Freeze the Spritz Bars until hard. When ready to bake, run a spatula under the cookies to free them from the paper.Most likely, they will come off about 2 to 4 at a time. Break them along the cutting lines and place them 4 wide x 4 down on half sheet pans.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until just browning on the edges. Do not overbake.

TO FINISH

Melt the semisweet chocolate at half power in the microwave or over simmering water. Drizzle it over the cookies. Allow the chocolate to set up before storing them.
Yield: Approximately 48 Spritz Bars

Notes

Storage: Let the chocolate set up completely. Stack with paper between them in a closed tin where they will last for weeks.

Note: These Spritz Bars are actually better if they are stored for a few days in the tin. The size of the bars can be made larger or smaller as you choose. When you break them apart, some of the Swedish Pearl sugar will fall off. Save this as it can be used later.

The bars can also be cross cut again to make square cookies. Adjust the size as desired.

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