Cookie Press Cookies

I don’t know why, but I really like cookie presses.  I mean, I REALLY like them.  My mom had a plastic, up to date, easy to use one when we were kids.  The kind that replaced the old aluminum Mirro ones because they were too hard to use.   She tried it once, couldn’t get it working right, and that was the end of that.  My first one was one I got for Christmas when I was in my 20s.   It was a plastic, up to date, easy to use one.  I tried it once, couldn’t get it working right, so that was the end of that.  You’d think that for anyone with any common sense, that would be the end of cookie presses.  But then……

A few years later, I saw an old aluminum Mirro one in a junk shop pretty cheap, and for some reason I felt compelled to buy it.  I don’t even remember how long it took me to even try it, but it was a while.  And you know what?  It worked great!!  Now, even though I rarely make cookies, and even more rarely make cookie press cookies, I now have at least 8.  Some are big, and just do cookies, some are small and just do icing, and some do both.  The most recent additions are 3 that were bagged up together at a thrift shop for $4.  I tried hard to leave them at the store, but they kept calling to me.  Once they were someone’s pride and joy, and a special part of family occasions, and now they are sitting, alone and forgotten in a bag, waiting to be recycled.  So yeah, I have three new cookie presses.

Cookies in the oven

Since someone was eyeing the size of the cookie press stack, I felt obligated to make cookie press cookies last weekend.  I used the Mirro recipe for Christmas tree cookies, but didn’t use the tree plate, since it’s not Christmas, and didn’t colour the dough green, since I wasn’t making trees.  The dough was quick and easy to make, and they pressed out very nicely.  They are certainly a faster way to make fancy cookies than using cookie cutters (which I also have a lot of.)  I ended up making spirals, flowers, and ummm….. animals.  My niece guessed “fat sheep,” but I think they are supposed to be dogs.  My sister guessed dogs.  No one seemed to find the shapes especially clever, nor did I get a whole lot of compliments.

The manual PROMISED me compliments!

 

Most of the people who tried them liked them well enough, but my sister was the only one really enthusiastic.  “I could eat the whole batch!” was her comment.  I only took dogs to the Hallowe’en hot dog roast, since they seemed to fit the menu, but they didn’t survive well during transportation.  If I was making them again, I’d use real butter to improve the flavour, and I’d probably make sure I had some sprinkles or something in the house to dress them up a bit.  I think I’ll definitely be trying the press with whipped shortbread at Christmastime, and I am really wanting to try some savouries too.  Perhaps cheese straws.  Mirro cookie presses, and other brands too, were really, really popular during the 40s and 50s, but I’m unable to date my presses and manual more precisely than that.

My sister and our niece.