i'm glad you found the solution. a perfectly textured spritz is a treat for sure!

vvvanessa- I hardly worked it all, fearing that was the issue, too. Adding the butter shortening was the ticket. I'm sure the firmer spritz cookies are delicious, I'm just trying to recreate the cookies my mom made so many times.

it's also possible that the dough was overworked, resulting in a tougher cookie.

I hope your cookies turned out better on the second go! Here is one of the recipes my family uses (adapted from the recipe included with the cookie gun 30 years ago) :)

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla (but go crazy, use a whole tsp if you want)
2 1/4 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

1- Cream butter and shortening until soft
2- Add sugar gradually and continue to cream until light and fluffy
3- Add egg, extracts; beat well
4- Sift flour, salt, baking powder together and then add to the butter mixture in 3 parts (beat well after each addition)
5- (My mom wrote "thin with water if desired"-- I have never remembered to do that but maybe I should have)
6- Shape dough into 2 rolls, wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate about an hour
7- Bake 6-9 minutes (one recipe says 350 and one says 400) or until LIGHTLY golden, being careful not to overbake
8- Makes 6-7 dozen when dial is set between thin and medium

We usually sprinkle a little sugar over some, dip some in chocolate, and but apricot or raspberry jam between some to make sandwich cookies, but lately I am loving them plain.

Enjoy- if I find my other recipe for these I will post any differences.

Just fyi, there is an amazing lemon spritz cookie recipe on the wilton.com website. Hope the cookies turn out great - I love spritz cookies!

Thanks, all! I think I will sub more shortening and see if that works. My mom always used a lot of Crisco, so this could be the answer!

I like my spritz cookies buttery and crisp, so I use an all butter recipe. If you want them to be soft, you should definitely use part shortening for softness, and part butter for flavor. I'd even think about using butter flavored shortening plus butter.

I've used the Betty Crocker recipe since I was a child. Always delicious. Buttery and delicate.
1 cup butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 1/4 cup flour, 1/4t. salt, 1 egg, 1/4t. vanilla or almond extract. Bake time depends on shape & size, but 5-10 minutes (before they brown). How does your recipe compare?

I'd love to see it. I use the standard "Press Cookie" recipe printed in the Joy of Cooking. These are fine- they have shortening and butter, too. I bake them for about 5 minutes at 340 (really 350- my oven runs hot). My mom's were soft, they just melted in your mouth. And they would stay soft for almost a week.

What recipe are you using? I made my mom's recipe this weekend and they come out like a butter cookie (not chewy and not overly hard or brittle) after baking. I don't let them acquire much color (maybe 7 minutes at 350 degrees). I use a mix of butter and shortening (I know, I know) and they generally come out great. I don't have the recipe right here, but can post it later-